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 relative of Abraham Lincoln, through Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks.
- Remembering Hanks from a 1982 episode of Happy Days, Ron Howard hired him for the 1984 comedy Splash. Howard later directed him in Apollo 13 (1995) and The Da Vinci Code (2006).
- Originally auditioned for the supporting role in 1984's Splash, but it eventually went to John Candy.
- In 2002, at age 46, became the youngest actor 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 teacher Hanks thanked during his Oscar acceptance speech for Philadelphia.
- Tom Hanks Relationships:
- Amos Hanks - Father
- Chester Marlon Hanks - Son
- Colin Hanks - Son
- Elizabeth Hanks - Daughter
- Janet Turner - Mother
- Jim Hanks - Brother
- Larry Hanks - Brother
- Rita Wilson - Wife
- Samantha Lewes - Ex-wife
- Sandra Hanks - Sister
- Truman Theodore Hanks - Son
- Tom Hanks Awards:
- 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
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Miniseries - Winner
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 1996 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Actor in a Dramatic Motion Picture - Winner
- 1996 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Actor - Winner
- 1995 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Actor in a Dramatic Motion Picture - Winner
- 2004 People's Choice Awards: Favorite All-Time Entertainer - Winner
- 2002 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Actor - Winner
- 2002 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Actor in a Dramatic Motion Picture - Winner
- 1999 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Motion Picture Actor - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Miniseries - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Miniseries - Winner
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (Informational) - Nominee
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special - Winner
- 1994 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
- College:
- Attended Chabot College, Hayward, CA; attended California State University, Sacramento, CA
