Tom Cruise (Maverick)

A young Tom Cruise booked one of his first major roles as Maverick in Top Gun. The actor played the Navy lieutenant after starring in Risky Business in 1983 and earning credits for Endless Love (1981), Taps (1981), The Outsiders (1983), All the Right Moves (1983), and Legend (1985).

Cruise was first offered the lead role in Top Gun in 1983, but it was Ridley Scott who helped convince him to take the part, introducing him to his brother, Tony. “It was aligned with the things that I love: movies and aviation,” the actor recalled in 2016.

In the years since his initial turn as Top Gun‘s famed aviator, Cruise only became more of a star. He earned Oscar nominations for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Jerry Maguire (1996), and Magnolia (1999), winning Golden Globes for all three films. Cruise ruled the box office with gigs in Rain Man (1988), The Firm (1993), Vanilla Sky (2001), Minority Report (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), and his eight-film Mission: Impossible franchise, which concluded in 2025.

Cruise reprised his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in 2022 with the release of Top Gun: Maverick, which, like the first film, became a massive box-office success. Unlike the first film, however, the sequel went on to receive a Best Picture nomination, giving Cruise his first Oscar nomination as a producer. He is set to receive an Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in film in November 2025.

Cruise has been married three times, to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990, Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001, and Katie Holmes from 2006 to 2012. He has two adopted children (Isabella Jane and Connor Antony) with Kidman, and a daughter (Suri) with Holmes.

Kelly McGillis (Charlie)

Tom Cruise found his Top Gun love interest in Kelly McGillis, who played Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood. McGillis portrayed the astrophysicist after spending a few years in the industry, picking up credits in Reuben, Reuben (1983) and on One Life to Live. She also earned Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for her performance in Witness (1985) before playing Charlie.

“I had a great time shooting [Top Gun],” McGillis told EW in 2011. “It was like being at summer camp with a bunch of really good-looking guys. I used to love to rub the top of their heads when they got shaved. I really liked that. [Laughs.] And we had a great time. We all hung out together. We had fun. We played golf together and tennis together. I couldn’t have asked for anything better in my life.”

The actress continued her big-screen career following Top Gun, appearing in Made in Heaven (1987), The House on Carroll Street (1988), The Accused (1988), The Babe (1992), At First Sight (1999), and The Monkey’s Mask (2000).

In the 21st century, McGillis appeared in episodes of The L Word as Col. Gillian Davis, and starred in Stake Land (2010), The Innkeepers (2011), and We Are What We Are (2013). McGillis also hit the stage multiple times through the years in Broadway productions and with the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

McGillis has two daughters with ex-husband Fred Tillman. She came out as a lesbian in 2009 and was in a civil union with Melanie Leis from 2010 to 2011.

Val Kilmer (Iceman)

Val Kilmer joined Top Gun as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, another lieutenant in the Navy who butts heads with Maverick. Kilmer came into the gig with just three onscreen credits to his name: 1984’s Top Secret!, a 1985 installment of ABC Afterschool Specials, and Real Genius in 1985.

Following his turn as Iceman, Kilmer continued to fill his résumé with notable roles, starring in such films as Willow (1988), The Doors (1991), True Romance (1993), and Tombstone (1993) before playing Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever. In the years since, Kilmer hit the big screen in Heat (1995), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), At First Sight (1999), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Déjà Vu (2006), and MacGruber (2010).

He also appeared in episodes of Knight Rider, The Spoils of Babylon, and Psych. Kilmer was the subject of the 2021 documentary Val, which chronicled his battle with throat cancer. He returned to play Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, providing one of the film’s most touching scenes.

“Making that first film, we were all so young, but even then there was a special bond between us all. After shooting, we would laugh and dance the night away,” Kilmer wrote for EW in 2022. “Coming back to work with Tom more than 30 years later, it was like no time had passed at all.”

Kilmer died in April 2025 at the age of 65 after a bout with pneumonia.

Anthony Edwards (Goose)

With a decade in the industry to his name, Anthony Edwards landed what would be a key role in Top Gun. The actor played Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, a close friend and comrade to Maverick, flying with the aviator until his untimely death. Edwards, who made his onscreen debut in the ’70s, appeared in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), the short-lived ’80s sitcom It Takes Two, Revenge of the Nerds (1984), and The Sure Thing (1985).

He reprised his role as Gilbert for Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise in 1987, and appeared in Miracle Mile (1988), Pet Sematary II (1992), early ’90s episodes of Northern Exposure, The Client (1994), Playing by Heart (1998), Northfork (2003), The Forgotten (2004), and Zodiac (2007).

Edwards earned Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win for his extended stint on ER as Dr. Mark Greene. He went on to win an Emmy in 2010 for his work as an executive producer on the TV movie Temple Grandin, and popped up in Flipped (2010), a 2015 episode of Girls, and recurring roles on Billions and Inventing Anna.

Edwards has four children with ex-wife Jeanine Lobell. He married actress Mare Winningham in 2021.

Tom Skerritt (Viper)

Tom Skerritt made his appearance in Top Gun as Mike “Viper” Metcalf, a high-achieving and wise chief instructor with the unit. Skerritt came into the gig with decades of experience to his name, having earned previous credits for M*A*S*H (1970), Fuzz (1972), Thieves Like Us (1974), The Turning Point (1977), Up in Smoke (1978), Alien (1979), and The Dead Zone (1983).

Following Top Gun, Skerritt did a late-’80s stint on Cheers, earned Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy win for his turn as Jimmy Brock on Picket Fences in the ’90s, and appeared in Steel Magnolias (1989), The Rookie (1990), Poison Ivy (1992), A River Runs Through It (1992), Singles (1992), Contact (1997), Smoke Signals (1998), The Other Sister (1999), and Tears of the Sun (2003).

Skerritt had a recurring role as William Walker on Brothers & Sisters and James Paisley on The Good Wife, and hit the big screen in Whiteout (2009), Ted (2012), At Middleton (2013), A Hologram for the King (2016), and East of the Mountains (2021).

Skerritt has been married to Julie Tokashiki since 1998. He has a daughter with Tokashiki and four other children from previous marriages.

Michael Ironside (Jester)

Michael Ironside kicked off his career in the ’70s and earned early credits in Scanners (1981), Visiting Hours (1982), Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), and The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), in addition to episodes of Hill Street Blues, V, and V: The Final Battle. He then played Rick “Jester” Heatherly in Top Gun, an instructor for the unit.

Ironside followed up the gig with credits for Total Recall (1990); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991); Free Willy (1993); The Next Karate Kid (1994); Major Payne (1995); Starship Troopers (1997); Walker, Texas Ranger; The Perfect Storm (2000); ER; The Machinist (2004); and Terminator Salvation (2009).

The veteran actor also appeared as Captain in X-Men: First Class (2011), voiced Ultra Magnus in various Transformers releases, and appeared on shows like The Alienist, This Is Us, and The Dropout.

Ironside married Karen Dinwiddie in 1986; he has a daughter with her and another from a previous marriage.

John Stockwell (Cougar)

John Stockwell joined Top Gun as Bill “Cougar” Cortell, one of Maverick’s wingmen who makes an early exit from flying. Before becoming the airman, Stockwell appeared in Losin’ It (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Christine (1983), Radioactive Dreams (1985), My Science Project (1985), and episodes of North and South.

After Top Gun, Stockwell earned acclaim for his writing, picked up an Emmy nomination for his 2000 TV movie Cheaters, and went on to pen the scripts for Rock Star (2001) and Blue Crush (2002). He also stepped behind the camera as a director, helming Cheaters, Crazy/Beautiful (2001), Blue Crush, Into the Blue (2005), Turistas (2006), Middle of Nowhere (2008), a handful of episodes of The L Word, and Dark Tide (2012).

Stockwell has three children with his wife, Helene Henderson. His niece is Florence + the Machine vocalist Florence Welch.

Whip Hubley (Hollywood)

Top Gun found its “Hollywood” in Whip Hubley, who played the wingman with the real name of Rick Neven. He had a few roles before the gig, appearing in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), as well as episodes of Magnum, P.I. and North and South.

Hubley spent the late-’80s in TV movies, and picked up ’90s credits for Life Goes On; Murder, She Wrote; Coneheads (1993); Species (1995); Executive Decision (1996); and A Very Brady Sequel (1996). In the years since, he has largely focused on television, landing bit roles in one-off episodes of The Practice, Charmed, The District, and CSI: Miami.

Hubley is married to Dinah Minot, an associate producer at Saturday Night Live in the late-’80s.

Barry Tubb (Wolfman)

Barry Tubb worked with “Hollywood” in Top Gun as Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe, an officer assisting the lieutenant. Tubb began his onscreen career in the ’80s, appearing in Mask (1985), The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), and episodes of Bay City Blues, The Mississippi, and Hill Street Blues before joining Top Gun.

He went on to play Jasper Fant in Lonesome Dove (1989) and Return to Lonesome Dove (1994), and starred in Guilty by Suspicion (1991), American Outlaws (2001), and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). He played Tom Cafferty for an arc on Friday Night Lights and appeared in a few episodes of NBC’s Revolution.

In 2024, Tubb sued Paramount Pictures for using his image in Top Gun: Maverick without his permission.

Rick Rossovich (Slider)

Slider may have smelled, but Rick Rossovich hardly stunk as the junior grade lieutenant, whose real name was Ron Kerner.

“We were just a bunch of young guys; it was all testosterone,” Rossovich told ScreenRant in 2021. “And the Navy kind of fueled it, because we were surrounded by all these Ace pilots who were the real deal. These are the guys that don’t get there by accident; you really have to have some kind of some mettle to get there. Every day was like, ‘Okay, you better come prepared. You better be ready.’ It was just a joy, though.”

Rossovich came into the gig after earning previous credits for The Lords of Discipline (1983), Streets of Fire (1984), and The Terminator (1984), and episodes of Fantasy Island, B.J. and the Bear, and Eight Is Enough.

After playing Slider, Rossovich continued to act, appearing in The Morning After (1986), Roxanne (1987), Navy Seals (1990), and Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997). He had an arc on ER as Dr. John “Tag” Taglieri, and spent two years playing Lt. Anthony Palermo on Pacific Blue. Rossovich took a bit of a hiatus from acting in the 2000s, but returned for smaller projects in the 2010s.

He has two children with his wife, Eva.

Tim Robbins (Merlin)

Tim Robbins found his spot in Top Gun as Samuel “Merlin” Wells, an officer who works with Maverick. Robbins joined the flick after a few years in the industry, boasting early-’80s credits in No Small Affair (1984), The Sure Thing (1985), and Fraternity Vacation (1985), and episodes of St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat, and Hill Street Blues.

Following Top Gun, Robbins spent the next decade starring in Bull Durham (1988), Erik the Viking (1989), Cadillac Man (1990), Jacob’s Ladder (1990), The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Ready to Wear (1994), and I.Q. (1994). After picking up Golden Globes for The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993), Robbins earned his first Oscar nomination for directing 1995’s Dead Man Walking.

Going on to star in Nothing to Lose (1997), Arlington Road (1999), Mission to Mars (2000), High Fidelity (2000), and Antitrust (2001), Robbins also won the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Oscar for 2003’s Mystic River. In the years since, he appeared in Code 46 (2003), War of the Worlds, Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), The Lucky Ones (2008), Green Lantern (2011), Welcome to Me (2014), and Dark Waters (2019). He is one of the stars of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama Silo.

Robbins has two sons with Susan Sarandon, with whom he was in a relationship from 1988 to 2009. He was married to Gratiela Brancusi from 2017 to 2022.

Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Sundown)

After appearing in episodes of Diff’rent Strokes, CHiPs, and The Duck Factory, Clarence Gilyard Jr. joined Top Gun as Marcus “Sundown” Williams, who works with Maverick after Goose’s death but struggles in light of the tragedy.

After the flick, Gilyard appeared in Die Hard (1988) and spent four years on Matlock as Conrad McMasters before booking his most famous role to date: James Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger. He starred in the series from 1993 to 2001, and reprised his role in a few other spinoff projects. In the 2010s, Gilyard popped up in indie movies while also working as an associate professor of theater at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Gilyard had six children between two marriages. The actor died in 2022 after a long illness, at the age of 66.

James Tolkan (Stinger)

James Tolkan played Tom “Stinger” Jardian in Top Gun, a commander who oversees Maverick. The veteran actor boasted pre-Top Gun credits in a slew of films, including They Might Be Giants (1971), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), Serpico (1973), Love and Death (1975), The Amityville Horror (1979), Prince of the City (1981), WarGames (1983), and Back to the Future (1985).

After Top Gun, Tolkan played Norman Keyes in a few episodes of Remington Steele, Mike Ragland in The Hat Squad, and Dallas Cassel in Cobra, and hit the big screen in Armed and Dangerous (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Family Business (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Dick Tracy (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991). In the 2010s, he played Judge Fidler in HBO’s 2013 film Phil Spector, and popped up in 2015’s Bone Tomahawk.

Tolkan has been married to his wife, Parmelee Welles, since 1971.

Meg Ryan (Carole)

Early in her career, Meg Ryan played Goose’s wife Carole in Top Gun. Ryan picked up the gig after appearing in episodes of As the World Turns, ABC Afterschool Specials, and Charles in Charge in the ’80s.

She went on to star in Armed and Dangerous (1986), Innerspace (1987), D.O.A. (1988), and The Presidio (1988) before picking up her first Golden Globe nomination for 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. She landed two more nominations in the years that followed, for Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998), and ruled the box office with her rom-com turns.

Ryan has popped up in episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Web Therapy, and reunited with former costar Tom Hanks in 2015’s Ithaca, which she also directed. She co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2023 rom-com What Happens Later with David Duchovny.

Ryan has two children with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, including actor Jack Quaid.

Adrian Pasdar (Chipper)

Adrian Pasdar made his onscreen debut in Top Gun as Charles “Chipper” Piper, a lieutenant in the unit.

“It was just a wild experience for me,” Pasdar recalled to Philly Magazine in 2007. “I was 19. And [Tom] Cruise was one of the nicest guys in the world. Every time I’ve seen him since then, he’s been a gentleman.”

The gig kicked off a busy career for the actor, who spent the late-’80s and early-’90s in Solarbabies (1986), Near Dark (1987), and Carlito’s Way (1993).

He went on to earn credits for Mysterious Ways, Judging Amy, Desperate Housewives, and Heroes in the 2000s, and lent his voice to The Super Hero Squad Show and the Iron Man series. His recent small-screen gigs include 2010s episodes of Castle, Political Animals, The Lying Game, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Pasdar has two children with the Chicks vocalist Natalie Maines, to whom he was married from 2000 to 2019.