Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

TOM CRUISE and KATIE HOLMES separate

Last Updated: March 18, 2013By Tags: ,

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have filed for divorce just five years after their marriage.

The couple who had wedded in November of 2006 in Italy had had a daughter together named Suri, 6.

“This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family,” the actress’s lawyer, Jonathan Wolfe, told People Magazine. “The main concern for Katie remains, as always, to ensure the best interests of her daughter,” he added.

In an email, Amanda Lundberg, Tom Cruise’s rep, said: “Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened. He wants to focus on their three children. Thanks for respecting their privacy. “

Rumors about a separation had been spreading for a while. Cruise turned 50 on Tuesday and Holmes is 33.

Her union with Tom Cruise was the first for Holmes, but this marriage was the third one for the “Mission Impossible” actor, who’d previously been wedded to actresses Mimi Rogers (1987-1990) and Nicole Kidman (1990-2001). He has two adopted children with the latter, Isabella (19) and Connor (17).

The actor was more discreet in recent years about his support of the Church of Scientology, of which he is a member, and had been avoiding excessive media exposure. He is currently appearing in “Rock of Ages” (read Kevin Bowen’s review) in which he plays a rock singer stuck in a creative rut.

His latest action film “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” further secured his position as a bankable star. The film generated 700 million dollars at the box office. Katie Holmes, who starred in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins (2005), most recently played in “Jack and Julie.”

"ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL" (1974)