My father spanked me as a kid: Cruise

New York: Hollywood actor Tom Cruise says his father was "a bully and a coward" who beat him during childhood and he was also intimidated by school.

In an interview by the Parade magazine, the Mission Impossible star painted a grim picture of his early years talking about his struggle with a learning disability and his parents divorce.

Cruise grew up in near poverty in a Catholic family, dominated by his abusive father-an electrical engineer who could never hold down a job and kept the family constantly in motion as he kept on going around looking for work.

"He was a bully and a coward," said Cruise, 43. "He was the kind of person where, if something goes wrong, they kick you. It was a great lesson in my life, how he'd lull you in, make you feel safe and then, bang!" Cruise said.

Their mother largely supported the Cruise family especially after their parents' divorce in 1974 when the future box office star was just 11 years old.

"My mother finally had the courage to stand up to my dad and go, 'No more! I'm not taking it. So long'," he said.

After the divorce Cruise never saw his father until 10 years later when he visited him in hospital where he was dying of cancer.

Cruise, who adopted two children with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, is currently awaiting the birth of his first baby with actress, fiancé Katie Holmes, 27.

"My concern is being the best parent I can be, making sure my kids can think and make decisions for themselves," he said.