While Hollywood star Tom Cruise has starred in all kinds of movies, he is best known for his action flicks - Films like Top Gun where he played a naval aviator and most recently, as secret Agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible series.

Turns out that in real life the 50-year old is as big a daredevil. When the actor was recently invited to pilot a Red Bull F1 car on Southern California's Willow Springs circuit, he handled it like a pro - managing to reach a top speed of 181mph (291km/h), just 4mph short of the top speed reached by his instructor and 13-time Grand Prix winner, David Coulthard.

If that wasn't enough excitement for the day, the actor then leapt onto an acrobatic helicopter and performed a few loops - Just like in the movies!

Resources: Autoguide.com