HOLLYWOOD star Tom Cruise can thank his solid North Wales background for his success in the fickle world of film-making. The claim was made by leader of Flintshire County Council Alex Aldridge after it emerged the actor's great-great-grandfather hailed from Flint. And the council boss said Cruise could be assured of a "massive welcome" should he decide to visit the North Wales town himself. The news of Cruise's Welsh heritage came as a surprise to the 40-year-old New York-born actor himself. The Top Gun star, whose latest blockbuster The Last Samurai premiered this month in London, was given the good news when he appeared on American TV. Inside The Actor's Studio presenter James Lipton told the Cruise his American heritage started when Dylan Henry Mapother emigrated to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1850. Dylan was just 16 when he left Wales for a new life across the Atlantic. Cruise, who was given the family's official crest and a lineage chart stretching back to 1810, said he was surprised his relatives had been traced back to Wales. But Alex Aldridge welcomed the town's new star. And he said the actor probably owed some of his success to such a solid Flint background. "We are thrilled to be linked to such a huge celebrity icon. We would be delighted if Tom Cruise wanted to come to Flint." Flint's other famous sons include former footballer Ian Rush. | 
