His career track is the stuff of showbiz legend. After two seasons on the silly sitcom
Bosom Buddies (in drag, no less), the affable actor came to prominence in the 1984 romantic comedy
Splash. Then a string of big-screen flops (
Turner & Hooch,
The Money Pit, the embarrassing
Bonfire of the Vanities, to name just a few) tarnished his reputation. Aside from his Oscar-nominated turn as an overgrown kid in 1988's
Big, as well as an underrated performance in the stand-up comedy drama
Punchline that same year, he seemed washed up by the early '90s. But by mid-decade, he finally scored a slew of commercial and critical hits, earning two successive Oscars (as a gay lawyer dying of AIDS in 1993's
Philadelphia and as a mentally challenged man in 1994's
Forrest Gump), along with the respect of his peers, the public's love and a hefty per-project pay raise. Dubbed a latter-day James Stewart because of his everyman likability, the actor was careful to avoid typecasting. Although he played plenty of heroes, they were usually complicated and flawed (yet he never played any outright villains, either). He also branched out into writing, producing and directing (the 1996 feature
That Thing You Do! and a number of TV projects, including the Emmy-winning 2001 miniseries
Band of Brothers). The quintessential nice guy counted several A-list directors among his friends/fans and he collaborated multiple times with Steven Spielberg (
Saving Private Ryan,
Catch Me If You Can,
The Terminal) and Ron Howard (
Splash,
Apollo 13,
The Da Vinci Code). He also distinguished himself from other megastars by staying in the spotlight and out of the tabloids, with a stable off-screen life with his actress wife, Rita Wilson, and their children.
Tom Hanks Fast Facts:
- A distant descendant of Abraham Lincoln, through Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks.
- Met his wife, Rita Wilson, when they costarred in the 1985 comedy Volunteers.
- Remembering Hanks from a 1982 guest appearance on Happy Days, director Ron Howard hired him for the 1984 comedy Splash (although he originally auditioned for the John Candy supporting role). Howard later directed him in Apollo 13 (1995) and The Da Vinci Code (2006).
- In 2002, at age 46, he became the youngest actor ever to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Was a major contributor to funding of the state-of-the-art Rawley T. Farnsworth Theater at his alma mater, Skyline High School in Oakland, CA. The venue was named for the gay teacher Hanks thanked during his Oscar acceptance speech for Philadelphia (1993).
- Tom Hanks Relationships:
- Rita Wilson - Wife
- Elizabeth Hanks - Daughter
- Colin Hanks - Son
- Amos Hanks - Father
- Chester Marlon Hanks - Son
- Jim Hanks - Brother
- Janet Turner - Mother
- Samantha Lewes - Ex-wife
- Sandra Hanks - Sister
- Truman Theodore Hanks - Son
- Larry Hanks - Brother
- Tom Hanks Awards:
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special - Winner
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Miniseries - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Miniseries - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (Informational) - Nominee
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special - Nominee
- 1988 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1993 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
- 1994 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
- 1998 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2000 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2008 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 1994 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 1995 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 1999 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2001 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 1989 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Winner
- 1994 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- College:
- Attended Chabot College, Hayward, CA; attended California State University, Sacramento, CA
