Looking Back: Bill D’ Andrea discovered Tom Cruise

During his 20 successful years as Clifton High School Theatrical Director/ College Preparatory instructor Bill D’Andrea, of West Milford, dedicated his instinctive skillfulness to guide youths, including Tom Maypother IV (now known as Tom Cruise, actor/director), into making decisions affecting the rest of their lives. With Paramount Pictures confirming that a new “Top Gun 3” film, is in development, D’Andrea remembers giving Tom his first acting experience in a Glen Ridge High School production of the musical “Guys and Dolls”. Reflecting on the actor’s early and unexpected dramatic experiences, Bill has written and released a song, “Beautiful,” now on internet music sites.

“The song is in two parts”, Bill explained. “The first is dedicated to the Tom Cruise story and the second to my mother, Vita.” When I was only eight, my dad died and from then on, my mother never left my side, always teaching me where real beauty resides.” Recording was done at Studio Mozart in Little Falls by Kaedin Kamev. Vocals are by Dorothy Dobkowski and D’Andrea who also plays guitar with members of the Jameson Gang Band. The CD “Beautiful” is available at North Jersey Guitar and Music Center in Rockport Shopping Center and at iTunes.

“We were born with the purpose of lives impressed upon us by God,” Bill philosophized. “We grow through time with events leading us to fulfill goals or purposes. Tom’s life story is an example of destiny leading a person’s path.” In Spring 1980, Tom Maypother IV, a track team runner with no known interest in acting before an injury stopped him from running and put him on crutches, apparently needed something else to fill his time and showed up at tryouts for a “Guys and Dolls” production. After D’Andrea chose Tom for the lead male star role of a character who ran a mobile craps game, D’Andrea overheard a teacher-colleague ask others, “Who was the idiot who cast Tom Maypother IV as Nathan?” They were shocked when Bill responded, “I did.” A few others agreed with the critics who preferred Tom having a singing role. Bill concurs that Tom, a better singer than the person who got the role, could have easily handled the vocal part but he felt the show energy depended on the Nathan character. “As a director I needed to recognize and use talent to bolster the whole production, which Tom did”, D’Andrea said. His choice obviously was right.

Tom stole the show and the cast received strong ovation. “This event changed the direction of Tom’s life,” Bill said. “I could see the sparkle in his eyes when he called me on stage to thank me for ‘great work’ and I instinctively knew he had the acting fire burning in his heart.” When he told his mother and stepdad that instead going to college, he wanted to pursue an acting career they agreed to support him for the next four years, stipulating that if he failed as an actor, he would go to college. Within a year he was appearing on the big screen. “Top Gun” was the seventh film Tom appeared in and the rest of his career story is history. The character that Tom reminds Bill of in Top Gun “was vulnerable but also had strong appeal and faced moments of doubt with a warm smile.”