Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California USA. Tom Hanks began performing with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in 1977, later moving to New York City. He starred in the television sitcom Bosom Buddies, but became far more known when he starred in the Ron Howard film Splash. He went on to star in many more popular and acclaimed movies, including Big, Forrest Gump and Cast Away, en route to becoming one of the most powerful and well-respected actors in Hollywood.
He has won 50 awards from various entertainment institutions throughout his career. Many of his films are instant classics. His range and talent as an actor have ensured that Hanks will go down in history of films as one of the greats. From BIG to Forrest Gump, Apollo 13 to Toy Story, Hanks has without a doubt given history some of the most unforgettable films of all time.
His Life
Hanks met his first wife, actress and producer Samantha Lewes in college. They were married in 1978 and had two children, Colin and Elizabeth, before divorcing in 1987. In 1988, he married actress Rita Wilson, with whom he co-starred in Volunteers. Hanks and Wilson have two children, Chester and Truman. Hanks recently revealed that he has been facing a health challenge and have Type 2 Diabetes.
The Career
In 1980, Hanks had dropped out of college, and after his third season with the Great Lakes festival, he moved to New York City. In 1993, he emerged with two huge hits: Sleepless in Seattle, a romantic comedy and Philadelphia. He followed up on that tremendous year with the release of Forrest Gump (1994), the extensive story of an unlikely hero’s path through 20th-century American history.
In 1996, Hanks starred in another blockbuster, Apollo 13, a Ron Howard film based on the abortive lunar landing mission of the Apollo 13 spacecraft in 1970. The film was released in the IMAX format in 2002. That same year, Hanks made his directorial and screenwriting debut with That Thing You Do! He continued his behind-the-camera duties in the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. In 1998, he starred in another groundbreaking blockbuster, Saving Private Ryan, a World War II drama directed by Steven Spielberg. Then in 1998, he also teamed once more with Ryan and Ephron in the hit romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail.
Tom climbed to the top of the holiday box office in late 1999 as he reprised his role as the voice of Woody, the cowboy at the center of 1995’s animated film Toy Story. Toy Story 2, also featuring the voice of Tim Allen, surpassed all expectations at the box office, grossing a record-breaking $80.8 million. He also starred in The Green Mile during this time, The film was set in a Depression-era prison and adapted from a story by Stephen King.
He was next seen in the highly anticipated The Da Vinci Code in 2006. Hanks appeared as the lead in Charlie Wilson’s War, a drama based on a Texas congressman’s efforts to assist Afghan rebels in their war with the Soviets. Then in 2009, Hanks appeared in Angels and Demons, the sequel to Da Vinci.
He was seen again that same year on the silver screen in the nautical thriller Captain Phillips (2013), playing the title character. In November 2016 Hanks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama for his contribution to the arts.
In 2017, Hanks teamed up with Meryl Streep for Spielberg’s The Post, about the drama surrounding the Washington Post’s publication of the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War. Once again, the veteran actor’s performance was lauded by critics, garnering him another Golden Globe nomination.
In January 2018, it was announced that Hanks had signed on to play Mister Rogers in an upcoming feature, titled You Are My Friend. The film was said to be loosely based on an Esquire profile by Tom Junod.
In the 1990s, Hanks compiled an imposing record of box office hits, emerging as arguably the most powerful and well-respected actor in Hollywood. His accessible good looks and regular-guy charisma has earned him comparisons with screen legends of the past. In 2002, Hanks was honored with the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the youngest actor ever to receive that honor.
