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Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9 1956) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actor who starred in family-friendly and screwball comedies before achieving notable success as a dramatic actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, with a combined gross of over USD$3.1 billion and an international gross of $5.7 billion. *

Hanks's early life

Hanks was born in Concord, California to Amos Mefford Hanks, a Southern cook of English and Welsh heritage, and Janet Merilyn Frager, a hospital worker who was also of mostly English descent. As a child, Hanks experienced a wandering, middleclass life with neither ambition nor talent much in evidence. By the time he was five, his parents had separated. They remarried several times before divorcing for good. His father later married an Asian woman with a large family. "Everybody in my family likes each other," Hanks told Rolling Stone. "But there were always about fifty people at the house. I didn't exactly feel like an outsider, but I was sort of outside of it." When his parents divorced, Hanks, his older brother Larry, and his sister went off with their father, a roving cook who rambled through various cities until settling in Oakland, California when Tom was eight. His younger brother stayed with his mother.

In school, Hanks also was unremarkable. "I was a geek, a spaz," he told Rolling Stone. "I was horribly, painfully, terribly shy. At the same time, I was the guy who'd yell out funny captions during filmstrips. But I didn't get into trouble. I was always a real good kid and pretty responsible." Although he acted in a few school plays (the names of which he says that he can't remember), acting never seemed a real possibility until Hanks transferred from San Francisco Bay Area junior college Chabot College to Sacramento State University. "Acting classes looked like the best place for a guy who liked to make a lot of noise and be rather flamboyant," Hanks told New York. "I spent a lot of time going to plays. I wouldn't take dates with me. I'd just drive to a theater, buy myself a ticket, sit in the seat, and read the program, and then get into the play completely. I spent a lot of time like that, seeing Bertolt Brecht, Tennessee Williams, Henrik Ibsen, and all that."

It was during these acting classes that Hanks met Vincent Dowling, head of the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland. At Dowling's suggestion, Hanks became an intern at the Festival, which stretched into a three-year experience that covered everything from lighting to set design to stage management. Such a commitment required that Hanks drop out of college. But by the end of the three years, he had decided that he wanted to become an actor. Part of the bug was due to the Cleveland Critics Circle Award, which he won as best actor for his performance as Proteus in Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of the few times that he played a villain.

Career

Early roles

In 1978 he moved to New York City, where he married actress-producer Samantha Lewes. Seven years and a son and daughter later they were divorced, but Hanks still sees his children regularly. While in New York City, Hanks acted for the Riverside Shakespeare Company. In addition, he made his film debut in a low-budget slasher movie and got a part in a television movie entitled Mazes and Monsters. He continued to audition and finally landed a role on an ABC television pilot called Bosom Buddies. "It was flukesville," Hanks told Newsweek about the show. Hanks flew to Los Angeles, California where he was teamed with Peter Scolari as a pair of young ad men forced to dress as women so they could live in an inexpensive all-female hotel. The series ran for two seasons, and, although the ratings were never strong, television critics gave the program high marks. "The first day I saw him on the set," the show's co-producer Ian Praiser told Rolling Stone, "I thought, 'Too bad he won't be in television for long.' I knew he'd be a movie star in two years." But if Praiser knew it, he wasn't able to convince Hanks. "The television show had come out of nowhere," Hanks's best friend Tom Lizzio told Rolling Stone. "Then out of nowhere it got cancelled. He figured he'd be back to pulling ropes and hanging lights in a theater."

But it was Bosom Buddies that drew director Ron Howard to contact Hanks. Howard was working on Splash, a romantic comedy about a mermaid who falls in love with a human. At first, Howard considered Hanks for the role of the main character's wisecracking brother, a role which eventually went to John Candy. Hanks instead got the lead and a career boost from Splash, which went on to become a box-office blockbuster, grossing more than $69 million.

Period of hits and misses

More comedies followed, but none clicked with audiences. With Nothing in Common (1986)—about a young man alienated from his parents who must re-establish a relationship with his father, played by Jackie Gleason—Hanks began to establish the credentials of not only a comic actor but of someone who could carry a serious role. "It changed my desires about working in movies," Hanks told Rolling Stone. "Part of it was the nature of the material, what we were trying to say. But besides that, it focused on people's relationships. The story was about a guy and his father, unlike, say, The Money Pit, where the story is really about a guy and his house."

After three more flops, Hanks succeeded again with Big (1988), both at the box office and within the industry, establishing Hanks as a major Hollywood talent. "It's not easy being successful in this town," his friend Scolari told Rolling Stone, "particularly for a man of conscience. You get fed a steady diet of adulation. You get fed things that aren't necessarily bad or poisonous or toxic in any way. But they're not really on your meal plan. You have to stop and say, 'Wait a minute—I didn't order this.' You have to take your life by the horns. You have responsibilities that have nothing to do with being an actor. Tom Hanks has dealt with his success. I have never known him to be happier."

Despite this success, Hanks's choice of roles again landed him in trouble with another string of box-office failures. First The 'Burbs (1989), then Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and finally the colossal bomb The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), which saw Hanks as a greedy Wall Street type who gets enmeshed in a hit-and-run accident.

Progression into dramatic roles

Hanks again climbed back to the top with his portrayal of an unsuccessful baseball manager in A League of Their Own (1992). In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hanks called the work that he's done since League his "modern era of moviemaking ... because enough self-discovery has gone on.... My work has become less pretentiously fake."

This "modern era" welcomed in a spectacular 1993 for Hanks, first with Sleepless in Seattle and then with Philadelphia. The former was a summer smash about a widower who finds true love over the airwaves. Richard Schickel of Time called his performance "charming," and most agreed that his portrayal ensured him a place among the premiere romantic-comedy stars of his generation. But it was in the latter film that Hanks truly made his mark. Playing a gay lawyer with AIDS who sues his firm for discrimination, Hanks proved that he had the depth and talent to be one of the greats. (To make his performance in the film even more realistic, Hanks lost thirty-five pounds and thinned his hair in order to appear sickly.) In a review for People, Leah Rozen praised Hanks's skill: "Above all, credit for 's success belongs to Hanks, who makes sure that he plays a character, not a saint. He is flat-out terrific, giving a deeply felt, carefully nuanced performance that deserves an Oscar." And Hanks's peers agreed, honoring him with the 1994 Academy Award for best actor.

Forrest Gump
Hanks followed Philadelphia with the 1994 summer blockbuster hit Forrest Gump. The film is a bittersweet tale of a simple-minded young man who finds himself in the middle of most of the major events of recent American history. In the process, the character's very real wisdom shines through and positively affects the lives that he touches. In Vanity Fair, the film's director Robert Zemeckis praised Hanks's performance: "* brings to this role what any great actor does--and I mean great actor--which is a real honesty."

In the same article, Hanks explained what appealed to him about the script: "When I read the script for Gump, I saw it as one of those kind of grand, hopeful movies that the audience can go to and feel ... some hope for their lot and their position in life.... I got that from the movies a hundred million times when I was a kid. I still do." What Hanks also got from his performance in the movie was a 1995 Academy Award, his second for best actor. In winning back-to-back Oscars, Hanks became only the second actor to have accomplished the feat. (Spencer Tracy was the first, winning in 1937-8.)

Apollo 13
Hanks's next project reunited him with director Ron Howard in a movie about Apollo 13, in which he played astronaut and commander James Lovell. In 1970, Apollo 13 was on its way to the Moon when an oxygen tank exploded, and the spacecraft almost failed to return to Earth. Critics applauded the film and the performances of the entire cast, which included actors Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. Audiences flocked to theaters to see Apollo 13 and to witness what was perhaps the American space program's greatest moment in the face of possible tragedy.

1998 and on

Hanks turned to the role of executive producer (and co-writer and co-director) for the HBO docudrama From the Earth to the Moon. The twelve-part series chronicles the space program from its inception, through the familiar flights of Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell, to the personal feelings surrounding the reality of moon landings. The Emmy Award-winning $68 million project is one of the most expensive ventures taken for television. Hanks' next project was no less expensive. He teamed up with Steven Spielberg to make a film about D-Day, the landing at Omaha Beach, and a quest through war-torn France to bring back a soldier who has a ticket home. Saving Private Ryan earned the praise and respect of the film community, critics, and the general public; it was labeled one of the finest films ever made, earning Spielberg his second Academy Award for direction and Hanks a Best Actor nomination. Later in 1998, Hanks co-starred with his Sleepless in Seattle counterpart Meg Ryan for another romantic comedy. The two made You've Got Mail, a remake of the 1940 movie The Shop Around the Corner which starred Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan.

In 1999, Hanks starred in an adaption of Stephen King's novel The Green Mile. The following year he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and an Academy nomination for his portrayal of a shipwrecked FedEx systems analyst in Robert Zemeckis' Cast Away. In 2001, Hanks helped direct and produce the acclaimed HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. He also appeared in the September 11 television special A Tribute to Heroes and the documentary Rescued From the Closet.

Next he teamed up with American Beauty director Sam Mendes for the adaptation of Max Allan Collins' and Richard Piers Rayner's graphic novel Road to Perdition, in which he played an anti-hero role as a hitman on the run with his son. That same year, Hanks collaborated with director Spielberg again, starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the hit crime-comedy Catch Me if You Can, based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr.

Hanks was subsequently absent from films until 2004, when he appeared in three films: The Coen Brothers' The Ladykillers (2004 film), yet another Spielberg helmed film The Terminal, and The Polar Express, a family picture from Robert Zemeckis.

In a USA Weekend interview, Hanks talked about how he chooses projects: "* A League of Their Own, it can't be just another movie for me. It has to get me going somehow.... There has to be some all-encompassing desire or feeling about wanting to do that particular movie. I'd like to assume that I'm willing to go down any avenue in order to do it right."

He became the youngest ever recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award on June 12, 2002.

In August 2005 Hanks was voted in as vice-president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. *

Hanks also starred in the highly anticipated film The Da Vinci Code, based on the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. The film was released May 19 2006 in the US and had grossed over USD$685 million worldwide by the end of June 2006.

Personal life

Hanks has been married to actress Rita Wilson since 1988. They became involved while working on the movie Volunteers (1985), although they first worked together in an episode of Bosom Buddies. (Wilson guest starred as a romantic interest of Peter Scolari's Henry Desmond character.) They have two children together. Hanks was married previously to Lewes from 1978 to 1987. That union also produced two children (one of whom is actor/son Colin Hanks). Through his contact with Wilson, Hanks joined the Greek Orthodox Church.*

Hanks claims to be a relative of James Hanks, one of several possible fathers of Nancy Hanks, mother of United States president Abraham Lincoln. A map of his family tree showing the purported connection can be found in the External links section.

Hanks is a fan of the Cleveland Indians baseball team and English Premier League football (soccer) team Aston Villa.

Other activities

Hanks is a Democrat and has supported many candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Dianne Feinstein, Al Gore, and John Kerry. Hanks is also a noted environmentalist who drives a hybrid car and is a member of the Nature Conservancy. He has appeared in radio and television public service announcements for the organization and even serves on the board of trustees in Idaho, where he has a home.

Hanks is a member of the National Space Society, serving on the Board of Governors of the nonprofit educational space advocacy organization founded by Dr. Wernher von Braun and was the producer of the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon about the Apollo program to send astronauts to the moon. Hanks also provides the voice over for the Hayden planetarium show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

In June 2006 Hanks was inducted as an honorary member of the US Army's Ranger Hall of Fame for his accurate portrayal of a commander in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Besides his role in Saving Private Ryan, Hanks was cited for serving as the national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial Campaign, for being the honorary chairperson of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign, and for his role in writing and helping to produce the Emmy Award-winning miniseries, Band of Brothers.

Hanks, who was unable to attend the induction ceremony, becomes the first actor to receive such an honour. Source

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Mamma Mia! Unknown (Director)
2006 The Great Buck Howard Unknown (in production) Director Sean McGinley
The Risk Pool Sam Hall (producer; film just announced)
A Cold Case Andy Rosenzweig (producer; pre-production)
Charlie Wilson's War Charlie Wilson (pre-production)
The Ant Bully (producer)
The Da Vinci Code Robert Langdon
Cars Sheriff Woody Car (Station Wagon) (cameo - voice only)
2004 The Polar Express Older Hero Boy, Father, Conductor, Hobo, Scrooge, & Santa Claus (executive producer; voices only)
Elvis Has Left the Building Mailbox Elvis (cameo)
The Terminal Viktor Navorski
The Ladykillers Professor G.H. Dorr
2002 Catch Me If You Can Carl Hanratty
Road to Perdition Michael Sullivan
2000 Cast Away Chuck Noland (producer)
1999 The Green Mile Paul Edgecomb
Toy Story 2 Sheriff Woody (voice only)
1998 You've Got Mail Joe Fox
Saving Private Ryan Captain John H. Miller
1996 That Thing You Do! Mr. White (writer and director)
1995 Toy Story Sheriff Woody (voice only)
The Celluloid Closet Himself (documentary)
Apollo 13 Jim Lovell
1994 Forrest Gump Forrest Gump (received Academy Award-Best Actor for his role)
1993 Philadelphia Andrew Beckett (received Academy Award-Best Actor for his role)
Sleepless in Seattle Sam Baldwin
1992 A League of Their Own Jimmy Dugan
Radio Flyer Older Mike (uncredited)
1990 The Bonfire Of The Vanities Sherman McCoy
Joe Versus The Volcano Joe Banks
1989 Turner & Hooch Det. Scott Turner
The 'Burbs Ray Peterson
1988 Punchline Steven Gold
Big Josh Baskin
1987 Dragnet Pep Streebeck
1986 Every Time We Say Goodbye David Bradley
Nothing in Common David Basner
The Money Pit Walter Fielding, Jr.
1985 Volunteers Lawrence Whatley Bourne, III
The Man With One Red Shoe Richard Harlan Drew
1984 Bachelor Party Rick Gassko
Splash Allen Bauer
1980 He Knows You're Alone Elliot

Television

  • Bosom Buddies (1980-1982)
  • Mazes and Monsters (1982)
  • Vault of Horror I (1994) (also director)
  • From the Earth to the Moon (1998) (miniseries) (also executive producer/director/writer)
  • Band of Brothers (2001) (miniseries) (producer, director)
  • Can't Buy Me Lunch (2002) (Cameo)

Top worldwide film grosses

These figures do not account for inflation.

Total 16 Over $100,000,000 Grossing Films
Year Title Gross
2006 The Da Vinci Code $729,067,983 (as of 7/13/2006)
2004 The Polar Express $297,775,955
2004 The Terminal $218,686,156
2002 Catch Me If You Can $351,112,395
2002 Road To Perdition $181,001,478
2000 Cast Away $429,632,142
1999 The Green Mile $286,801,374
1999 Toy Story 2 $485,015,179
1998 You've Got Mail $250,821,495
1998 Saving Private Ryan $481,840,909
1995 Toy Story $361,958,736
1995 Apollo 13 $355,237,933
1994 Forrest Gump $677,386,686
1993 Philadelphia $206,678,440
1993 Sleepless In Seattle $227,799,884
1992 A League of Their Own $132,440,069
1988 Big $151,668,774

See boxofficemojo.com. Figures are subject to minor adjustments (usually upwards) when studios release revised official figures, which sometimes occurs years after first release.

Academy Awards and nominations

  • 1988 Nominated Best Actor for Big
  • 1993 Won Best Actor for Philadelphia
  • 1994 Won Best Actor for Forrest Gump
  • 1998 Nominated Best Actor for Saving Private Ryan
  • 2000 Nominated Best Actor for Cast Away

Trivia

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Tom Hanks".

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