Tom Hanks Biography

Tom Hanks stands out as one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood. Over the past three decades, he has earned the affection of millions with his exceptional performances on the silver screen.

From iconic portrayals in films like "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away" to powerful performances in dramas such as "Philadelphia" and "Saving Private Ryan," Hanks consistently delivers compelling characters that resonate with audiences globally. His acting ability goes above and beyond that of most actors and his incredibly long list of awards, including back-to-back Oscar Awards, proves it.

In an industry where actors often find themselves typecast, Hanks distinguishes himself as a performer capable of tackling any role. The impact he has had on audiences sticks with them long after the credits roll. Tom Hanks remains a paragon of cinematic excellence, and you can learn all about him here in his full biography.

Early Life/Education

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. After completing his education in Oakland, Hanks decided to pursue his passion for theater. He started off at a junior college before eventually ending up in the esteemed theater program at California State University. During the summer of 1977, an exciting opportunity came knocking for Hanks when he was invited to participate in the prestigious Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Lakewood, Ohio.

Over the following three years, Hanks found himself engrossed in countless Shakespearean productions during the summer and working backstage at a local community theater company in Sacramento during the winter. In 1980, Hanks made a bold choice to leave behind his academic pursuits and embark on a new journey to New York City.

Career

Source: The Numbers

Tom Hanks has had a massive career and to date he has at least 66 movies under his belt, taking the lead in 48 of them. The majority of them have brought in over $100 million at the box office too. However, when he started, Hanks was in the television industry. Tom Hanks got his start with a role in the popular show (at the time) Bosom Buddies (1980–82).

Right after that he got a big screen role in the hit movie Splash (1986). This earned him leading roles in other comedies, like The Money Pit, Volunteers, and Bachelor Party but also helped him gain recognition as a versatile actor.

Moving beyond just making people laugh, Hanks successfully captivated audiences with his talent for blending comedy and drama in movies such as Nothing in Common (1986) and Punchline (1988). However, it was his unforgettable portrayal of a young boy trapped in an adult body in Big (1988) that really put Hanks' status as a true Hollywood star on the map.

Hanks, who starred alongside Meg Ryan in the romantic comedy Joe Versus the Volcano, starred once again with her in Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.

He also starred as a drunken manager in A League of Their Own and delivered an Oscar-winning performance as a gay lawyer with AIDS in Philadelphia. His 1994 Oscar win for Forrest Gump made him the first actor to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars since Spencer Tracy.

Hanks won multiple Oscar nominations for lead actor in films like Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Apollo 13, The Green Mile, and Road to Perdition. He also voiced the animated cowboy Woody in the popular Toy Story series. In addition to his serious roles, Hanks also showed another side in films like The Terminal (2004) and The Ladykillers (2004).

Hanks also exhibited his talent as a leading man with films such as Cast Away (2000), where he delivered a powerful performance as a man stranded on a deserted island, and The Da Vinci Code (2006), where he portrayed the iconic character Robert Langdon. Regardless of the role, Hanks consistently captivated audiences with his charismatic presence and genuine portrayal of complex characters.

In 2002, Hanks starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and portrayed Robert Langdon in the 2006 film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.

He reprised the role in Angels & Demons and Inferno. Hanks later played Senator Charlie Wilson in Charlie Wilson's War and a father killed in the 9/11 attacks in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In 2012, he starred in the mystical epic Cloud Atlas, playing six roles, from a 19th-century surgeon to a postapocalyptic tribesman.

Tom Hanks made his Broadway debut in 2013 with Lucky Guy, a play based on journalist Mike McAlary. He won a Tony Award for his portrayal of a colorful newsman.

Captain Phillips is a gripping drama that tells the harrowing tale of an American cargo ship seized by Somali pirates in 2009. On the other hand, Saving Mr. Banks is a delightful comedy that depicts Walt Disney's humorous quest to secure the film rights for P.L. Travers' beloved novel Mary Poppins (1934).

Hanks also takes on the role of lawyer James B. Donovan in Steven Spielberg's tense Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies (2015), where he skillfully defends Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and masterminds his eventual release in exchange for American pilot Francis Gary Powers.

In 2016, Tom Hanks starred in A Hologram for the King, a 2016 adaptation of a Dave Eggers novel, and in 2016 as the title character in Clint Eastwood's drama, Sally.

He also starred in The Circle and reunited with Spielberg for The Post, a 2017 drama about the publication of the Pentagon Papers. In 2019, Hanks played the real person, Mr. Rogers, in the biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, earning him his sixth Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

In 2020, Hanks starred in the war drama Greyhound, based on the C.S. Forester novel The Good Shepherd. He also wrote the screenplay. In 2021, he starred in Finch, a postapocalyptic drama about an ailing man building a robot for his dog.

In 2022, he played Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic. In 2022, he adapted Fredrik Backman's novel A Man Called Otto.

Business Ventures

Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman founded Playtone, an American film and television production company, in 1998.

Personal Life

Hanks's first marriage was to actress and producer Samantha Lewes, whom he met during his college years. They tied the knot in 1978 and had two children, Colin and Elizabeth. They divorced in 1987.

The following year, Hanks married actress Rita Wilson, whom he starred alongside in the film Volunteers. Together, they have two children named Chester and Truman.

Net Worth

With his spectacular acting career, Tom Hanks has earned himself a net worth of $400 million. It would be even more if his roles were all taking place today with inflation. Still, making $400 million is something most of us will never see in our lifetimes, but he did it.

The Toy Story Franchise saw him making just $50,000 for the first film, and upwards to $15 million by the time the fourth came out. The hit movie Cast Away earned Hanks a $20 million payday, and Forrest Gump, in which Tom Hanks took a performance cut, got him $60 million. The performance cut is when actors make back-end deals and take a percentage of the films overall earnings.

Activism

Tom Hanks is actively involved with a number of cancer charities, including the Children's Health Fund, the Women's Cancer Research Fund, Stand Up to Cancer, and others.