BLAZE OF GLORY

Tom Cruise Awarded Guinness World Record for Death-Defying ‘Mission: Impossible’ Stunt

Box office records weren’t the only ones broken by the Hollywood mega-star.

Tom Cruise’s death-defying stunts on the set of the latest Mission: Impossible movie have earned the Hollywood star a bizarre world record. In addition to breaking several box office records, Cruise now also holds the title for “most burning parachute jumps by an individual,” after leaping out of a helicopter 16 times while filming the final entry in the blockbuster action franchise. “Tom doesn’t just play action heroes—he is an action hero!” Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, announced in a statement on Thursday. “A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It’s an honour to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title.” Cruise and his stunt team spent weeks preparing for the stunt in South Africa, which saw the actor jump out of a helicopter at 75,000 ft with his parachute on fire, before cutting himself free and deploying a backup chute. A behind-the-scenes featurette featured footage of all 16 takes he went through before getting the perfect shot, which is how Guinness were able to verify the stunt.