Scientologists Blast Cruise Bio's Claims

The Church of Scientology is preparing a libel suit against an upcoming biography of actor Tom Cruise that calls him the organization's second-most-powerful man and says it influences nearly every facet of his life, reports the Daily Mail. The book, by Princess Diana biographer Andrew Morton, says Scientology staffers from cleaners to nannies scrutinize and influence Cruise's every move.

Adherents are so in thrall to the powerful actor that they even believe his wife Katie Holmes may have been artificially inseminated with the sperm of the late church founder L. Ron Hubbard, according to the book, due out in the US January 15. Angry Scientology executives have dismissed the biography as unfounded, and Cruise's lawyer blasts the book as a "bunch of lies." (More Scientology stories.)