Mary Lee Pfeiffer was a special-education teacher and the mother of Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise. She was born on September 22, 1936, in Louisville, Kentucky, and married Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer, in 1962. They had four children together: Tom, Lee Ann, Cass, and Marian. However, their marriage was not a happy one, and they divorced in 1974. Mary Lee remarried Jack South, a businessman, in 1978, and moved to Glen Ridge, New Jersey, with her children.
A Passion for Theater
Mary Lee Pfeiffer had a lifelong interest in theater, but never pursued it as a career. She encouraged her son Tom to act, and enrolled him in a local theater group when they lived in Syracuse, New York. She also supported his decision to give up sports and audition for a high school production of Guys and Dolls, after he suffered a knee injury. She was his biggest fan and his greatest audience, as he later recalled.
When Tom asked his mother and stepfather if he could try his luck in Hollywood, they gave him their blessing and their financial help. They believed he had a God-given talent and a passion for acting. Mary Lee was proud of her son’s success and often accompanied him to red carpet events and movie premieres. She also became a member of the Church of Scientology, along with Tom and her other children.
Health Issues and Death
Mary Lee Pfeiffer had been coping with health issues in recent years, and died peacefully in her sleep in February 2017, at the age of 80. She was given a memorial service at her local Church of Scientology, attended by Tom and his sisters, as well as other family and friends. The cause of her death was not publicly disclosed, but it was reported that she had been suffering from a chronic illness for some time.
Tom Cruise was very close to his mother, and credited her for his survival and his success. He once said, “People can create their own lives. I saw how my mother created hers and so made it possible for us to survive. My mother was the one who rose to the occasion. She held three jobs. She said, ‘We’re going to get through this.’” He also described her as a “remarkable woman” and a “wonderful mother”.
Mary Lee Pfeiffer was a loving and supportive mother, who inspired her son to follow his dreams and become one of the most famous actors in the world. She was also a strong and resilient woman, who overcame many challenges and hardships in her life. She left behind a legacy of courage, kindness, and faith.
