The 1996 movie launched a lucrative series with seven films and counting.
The 1996 film arguably helped establish Cruise as the premiere action star of his generation.
The franchise has since become legendary for its envelope-pushing action setpieces.
The first Mission: Impossible movie.Credit:Murray Close/Getty
Heres what the originalMission: Impossiblecast is up to nearly 30 years later.
As hedetailed in 2021, shooting the scene without touching the floor was even harder than it looked.
Put coins in his shoes to help balance his body.
Tom Cruise, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty
I put the pound coins in and I hung on the cable to see if I was level.
And I had to make it.
The rest is spy movie history.
Jon Voight, then and now.Richard Blanshard/Getty; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage
Cruises career hardly needs an introduction.
Cruise has continued running, jumping, motorcycling, and skydiving his way through theM:Ifranchise.
Then hesaved Hollywoodwith the record-settingTop Gun: Maverick(2022).
Emmanuelle Beart, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Cruises three high-profile marriages toMimi Rogers,Nicole Kidman, andKatie Holmes all ended in divorce.
He has three children two with Kidman and one from his marriage to Holmes.
He won a Golden Globe for the role.
Henry Czerny, then and now.Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett; Daniele Venturelli/Getty
Voight wedactress Marcheline Bertrandin 1971, his second marriage.
Before splitting in 1980, Voight and Bertrand welcomed two children: James Haven and Oscar-winning actressAngelina Jolie.
She auditioned at Cruises apartment, where she had to push him against a wall.
Vanessa Redgrave, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Dave Benett/Getty
Beart said the actor was impressed by her ability to be forceful and aggressive despite her slender frame.
I was told to pin this young man against the wall and put a gun to his head.
And so I caught him, but I think he wasnt expecting it, shetold a French talk show.
Jean Reno, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Marc Piasecki/Getty
I was hired immediately.
By this point, Beart was well-known in her native country.
Beart was married to actor-director Daniel Auteuil before her three-year marriage to Michael Cohen.
Ving Rhames, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Matthias Nareyek/Getty
She has three children.
Henearly passed up the rolewhile sleep-deprived, but his agent insisted he take it.
In the first one, he is new, Czernysaid in 2023.
Kristin Scott Thomas, then and now.Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Hes the new head of the IMF and cocky.
And he has his ego hurt when he discovers this kids the mole, even though its erroneous.
And so that Kittridge has been chiseled away at, and a new one has emerged.
Ingeborga Dapkunaite, then and now.Richard Blanshard/Getty; George Pimentel/WireImage
Henry is married to Claudine Cassidy, with whom he shares a son, Cameron.
By that point in her career, Redgrave was already astoundingly accomplished.
She shares two children, actresses Joely and Natasha Richardson, with her ex-husband, director Tony Richardson.
Emilio Estevez, then and now.Murray Close/Getty; Taylor Hill/Getty
She has beenmarried to Italian actor Franco Nerosince 2006.
They share a son, born in 1969, from their earlier relationship.
Reno has been married three times and has six children two from each marriage.
His current wife is British model Zofia Borucka, whom he wed in 2006.
Producer Paula Wagner toldEW in 1996that her team wanted to cast Rhames against throw in.
Hes made IMF a second home ever since, appearing inevery installmentand returning to particular prominence sinceRogue Nation.
Rhamess breakout role was gangster Marsellus Wallace inQuentin Tarantinos classicPulp Fiction(1994).
Rhames married Deborah Reed in 2000.
They have two children together.
The character is killed during the initial mission, but for Thomas, it was an ideal scenario.
I enjoy making brief apparitions in movies, Thomas toldNumero.
You get all the fun of shooting, with none of the responsibility.
Thomas was previously married to French obstetrician Francois Olivennes, with whom she shares three children.
She wed Bloomberg News editor-in-chiefJohn Micklethwait in 2024.
They went on to collaborate in multiple stage productions over the years.
And I said, Im in.
You dont have to ask me twice, Im in.
Elmos Fire(1985).
Estevez is the son ofMartin Sheenand brother ofCharlie Sheen.
He shares two children with model Carey Salley and was later married to pop starPaula Abdulfor two years.
