Tom Cruise (the actor)

Watched biography of Tom Hanks on TV and remembered the following story of the other ‘Tom-actor’, Tom Cruise.

December 1971, J. and  I and of course baby girl T. where visiting my brother and family in Ottaw. It was Christmas season and brother T. and wife W. had been invited to an afternoon Open House at the home of the friend of my two nieces J. and I. (age 12 & 14 then)  and had been asked to bring us along. I don’t remember much about the event except that the hosts were a charming couple. 

Years later my niece J. told me that this was the house of Tom Cruise’s family - his real name is Tom Maypotter. My niece J. was best friend of Tom’s sister Liana who  would invite my two nieces over to the house. On one such occasion, J. says, the girls perched Tom on the bathroom counter, positioned themselves in front of him and each took  turns teaching him how to kiss (Tom was a bit younger than the girls).  My sister-in-law told me that the Maypotters were American and that they eventually moved back to the States and that when Liane got married she sent J. an invitation to the wedding. J. could not afford to go at that time. Sister-in-law also told me that she watched Tom on an Oprah show and that he told  about the occasions when his sister would invite her girlfriends over to teach him how to kiss. 

PS Almost as exiting as me meeting Anthony Quinn.