Get to Know the Cast of ‘Rain Man’: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman and the Rest of the Stars From the Hit 1988 Film

Learning your estranged father has died might be sad, but discovering that he left all of his money to the mental institution where your “secret” autistic older brother named Raymond lives is something else entirely. So, obviously, the only logical thing to do would be to break said brother out and travel across the country with him, right? Tom Cruise certainly thinks so! 

Released in 1988, Rain Man would capture viewers’ hearts while grossing $355 million at the box office and earning four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Barry Levinson), Best Actor (Hoffman) and Best Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow). But what has the Rain Man cast been up to since their road trip ended? Well, we found out, and one thing is for sure: none of them have taken up a career counting cards in casinos. 

Tom Cruise: 'Rain Man' cast 

CHARACTER PLAYED: Charlie Babbitt

BEST KNOWN FOR: The Outsiders (1983), Risky Business (1983), Top Gun (1986),  Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996 to present), Jerry Maguire (1996), War of the Worlds (2005), Jack Reacher (2012) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). 

PERSONAL: Cruise has been married twice, to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 and Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. The actor has three children. 

THOUGHTS ON RAIN MAN: “For myself, it was a challenge. It was different. It was the best role that I've had in my career to date. I do feel that I have a better sense (of acting) every time I go on from a picture. You get more confidence — not cocky, like I know what I'm doing — but the confidence of trying scenes different ways and not getting locked into one idea of how to play a scene." 

FUN FACT: Cruise earned $3 million dollars for his work on the film. 

Dustin Hoffman 

CHARACTER PLAYED: Raymond Babbitt

BEST KNOWN FOR: The Graduate (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Papillon (1973), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), All The President’s Men (1976), Tootsie (1982), Hook (1991), Meet the Fockers (2004), Kung Fu Panda I - VI (2008, 2011, 2016 and 2024). 

PERSONAL: Hoffman has been married twice and has six children. 

THOUGHTS ON RAIN MAN: "It was death. It was the worst work I had ever done. I said, ‘I can't do it.' [But] ??You have no idea what the audience is going to think. Underneath everything, there's a desire to have an impact on the audience. I don't want them to get up afterward.” 

FUN FACT: Despite playing his younger brother in the film, Hoffman is 25 years older than Cruise. 

Bonnie Hunt: 'Rain Man' cast 

CHARACTER PLAYED: Sally Dibbs

BEST KNOWN FOR: Jumanji (1995), Jerry Maguire (1996), A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Cheaper by the Dozen 1 & 2 (2003 and 2005), Cars I, II & II (2006, 2011 and 2017) and Toy Story III & VI (2010/2019).

PERSONAL: Hunt was married to John Murphy from 1988-2006. They had no children together.

THOUGHTS ON RAIN MAN: “Tom was so nice to me; he treated me like a big movie star.” 

FUN FACT: This film served as Hunt’s debut. 

Valeria Golino 

CHARACTER PLAYED: Susanna 

BEST KNOWN FOR: Three Sisters (1988), Immortal Beloved (1994), Frieda (2002), A Butterfly Kiss (2011), Anna (2015), Daughter of Mine (2018), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Blue Eyes (2021) and The Beautiful Game (2024). 

PERSONAL: Golino is from Naples, Campania, Italy. 

THOUGHTS ON RAIN MAN: “My agent sent me to the casting director who wanted to see some foreign girls to see if the role would become more interesting since the role is Tom Cruise’s girlfriend. And after reading with Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman and the director, they decided to go with me.” 

FUN FACT: Golino would go on to star in Hot Shots (1991), which is a spoof of Cruise's wildly popular film Top Gun (1986). 

Gerald R. Molen: 'Rain Man' cast 

CHARACTER PLAYED: Dr. Bruner

BEST KNOWN FOR: Days of Thunder (1990), Jurassic Park (1993), Amistad (1997), The Other Side of Heaven (2001) and Catch Me If You Can (2002). 

PERSONAL: Molen is also a very famous movie producer and often stars in his big-budget films like the ones above. 

FUN FACT: Molen was 53 years old during filming. 

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