19 Actors You Forgot Were in ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies (Photos)
The “Mission: Impossible” films are undoubtedly Tom Cruise’s bread and butter — the franchise helped propel the now 56-year-old actor into an action star.
But Cruise hasn’t gone at it alone. In addition to Ving Rhames — the only other actor to appear in every “M:I” film — and the likes of Simon Pegg and Michelle Monaghan, the 22-year-old franchise has seen a number of big-name, or otherwise surprising actors, choose to accept the mission of starring alongside Tom Cruise.
Here are 19 of the actors you may have forgotten, or didn’t even realize had a role in the “M:I” franchise:
Jon Voight: The “Midnight Cowboy” and “Deliverance” actor played Jim Phelps, an IMF mole whose double cross leads to Ethan Hunt’s team being killed in “M:I.”
Jean Reno: After playing an assassin looking after and teaching a young Natalie Portman in “Léon: The Professional,” Reno turned to “M:I” to portray disavowed IMF agent Franz Krieger.
Kristin Scott-Thomas: As part of Ethan Hunt’s initial IMF team, Kristin Scott-Thomas, portraying Sarah Davies, is killed early in “M:I” after a mission goes wrong.
Vanessa Redgrave: The renowned British actress, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in 1977’s “Julia,” plays arms dealer Max in the first “M:I.”
Emilio Estevez: “The Breakfast Club” member was uncredited as Jack Harmon, a member of Ethan Hunt’s first IMF team, who also died early in the first film.
Brendan Gleeson: Gleeson plays John McCloy, the CEO of pharmaceutical company, Biocyte, which is responsible for the creation of the “M:I 2” biochemical macguffin and its cure.
William Mapother: Maybe better known for his TV role on “Lost”– or for being Tom Cruise’s cousin — Mapother plays a henchman named Wallis in “M:I 2.”
Dominic Purcell: Before spending six seasons on TV series “Prison Break,” Purcell, along with Mapother, played a loyal henchman to M:I 2” bad guy Sean Ambrose.
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