WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Hollywood super star Tom Cruise has added another stunt-related feather to his action-hero cap - Guinness World Records titleholder.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Cruise now holds the record for the most burning parachute jumps by an individual - 16 - for a daring stunt he performed for the latest edition of the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise.
With so many moving pieces in play, Tom and the Mission: Impossible crew completed fiery 16 drops in the quest for the perfect action shot.
With his daredevil personality and roguish charm, the star captivated audiences as his character - spy Ethan Hunt - scaled skyscrapers, rode motorcycles off cliffs, and even hung onto the side of an airplane during flight.
The three-time Academy Award nominee actually performs his own stunts for films - whether that be climbing the Burj Khalifa or dangling from a biplane. The Mission: Impossible film series has become synonymous with his name, and the eighth installment of the franchise, titled, 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' has raised the bar.
The star leapt out of a helicopter 16 times while strapped to a parachute pre-soaked in fuel and lit ablaze, before cutting away the charred remnants of the first chute and safely deploying a backup. No other actor or stuntman has come close to that amount of death-defying drops, and his dedication was rewarded with the record title on Wednesday.
'Tom doesn't just play action heroes - he is an action hero!' said Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records. '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.'
The star has been a licensed skydiver for many years, and he completed hundreds of jumps in preparation for his latest stunt.
Filming for The Final Reckoning took place in Drakensberg, South Africa, and the team spent weeks planning and preparing a sequence where they would take Tom up in a helicopter to a minimum of 7,500 ft before dropping him while attached to a flaming parachute.
In the film, Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force team work to prevent the Entity, a rogue AI, from unleashing global destruction against humanity.
The Final Reckoning was theatrically released in the United States on May 23, receiving positive reviews from critics and a box office collection of $389 million worldwide.
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