Tom Hanks is a famous American actor and filmmaker born on July 9, 1956. He’s known for being in both funny and serious movies, and pretty much everyone knows who he is. His movies have made loads of money, almost $5 billion just in North America and nearly $10 billion worldwide. That’s a lot of cash! He’s one of the top money-making actors in North America.
Hanks got his big break with funny movies like Splash, The Money Pit, Big, and A League of Their Own. But he hit the jackpot when he starred in Philadelphia as a lawyer with AIDS and Forrest Gump as the main character. He even won two Oscars in a row for those roles!
He’s worked a bunch with famous director Steven Spielberg on movies like Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and The Post. They’ve also teamed up on TV shows about World War II, like Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
Apart from those, Hanks has been in loads of other movies, from romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail to dramas like Apollo 13, The Green Mile, and Cast Away. He’s even done some biographical dramas like Captain Phillips and Sully.
You might also recognize his voice as Woody in the Toy Story movies. Hanks has also tried his hand at directing, making movies like That Thing You Do! and Larry Crowne.
In 1998, he started his own production company called Playtone, which makes TV shows. Hanks has won a bunch of awards for his work on TV, including seven Emmy Awards. He even got nominated for a Tony Award for his work on Broadway in Nora Ephron’s play Lucky Guy in 2013.
| Full Name | Thomas Jeffrey Hanks |
| Date of Birth | July 9, 1956 |
| Place of Birth | Concord, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, Filmmaker |
| Height | 6 ft (1.83 m) |
| Spouse | Rita Wilson (m. 1988), Samantha Lewes (m. 1978–1987) |
| Children | Colin Hanks, Chet Hanks, Truman Hanks, Elizabeth Ann Hanks |
| Net Worth | $400 million |
Tom Hanks’s Early Life and Education
Tom Hanks was born in Concord, California, on July 9, 1956. His mom Janet Marylyn (née Frager) worked at a hospital, and his dad Amos “Bud” Hanks was a cook who moved around a lot. Tom’s mom’s family was Portuguese, and their original last name was “Fraga.” His dad had English roots, and he’s distantly related to President Abraham Lincoln and the famous children’s host Fred Rogers, both of whom he played in movies.
When Tom was a kid, his parents split up. He and his older siblings went with their dad, while his younger brother stayed with his mom in Red Bluff, California. Tom’s family moved a ton when he was growing up, so he lived in ten different houses by the time he was ten.
Even though Tom Hanks’s family used to be Catholic and Mormon, he became Greek Orthodox Christian after marrying Rita Wilson. As a teenager, he was really into religion and used to carry a Bible around. School wasn’t easy for him; he was shy and not very popular, but he loved cracking jokes during class. He also acted in school plays.
Tom’s first memories of movies were in a theater in Alameda, California. He studied theater at a couple of colleges in California. When asked if he’d rather win an Oscar or a Heisman Trophy, he joked that he’d prefer the Heisman and playing football for the California Golden Bears.
He spent a lot of time watching plays and decided to drop out of college to work in theater full-time. He did all sorts of jobs in theater production and even won an award for acting in a Shakespeare play. Despite dropping out, Time magazine later named him one of the “Top 10 College Dropouts.”
Career
1980–1989 Early work, sitcom and comedy films
In 1979, Tom Hanks moved to New York City. He started his movie career in a small horror film called He Knows You’re Alone and also got a big part in a TV movie called Mazes and Monsters. He also acted in a play by Shakespeare’s company. Then he got a lead role in a TV show called Bosom Buddies, where he and another guy had to dress as women to live in a cheap hotel. Even though the show didn’t get great ratings, critics liked it, and one of the producers thought Tom would become a movie star soon.
Later, Tom appeared in an episode of Happy Days and met some writers who were making a movie called Splash. They thought Tom would be good for the movie, and he ended up getting the main role. Splash was a big success. Tom also had another hit with a comedy called Bachelor Party. He appeared in a few episodes of Family Ties too.
Then Tom Hanks started doing more serious roles, like in Nothing in Common, where he played a guy who didn’t get along with his dad. This movie made him think differently about acting. He signed a deal with Disney and started getting more attention in Hollywood. His big breakthrough came with the movie Big, where he played a kid who becomes an adult overnight. He got nominated for an Oscar for that role. After that, he did a movie called Punchline with Sally Field.
But then he had some movies that didn’t do so well, like The ‘Burbs, Joe Versus the Volcano, and The Bonfire of the Vanities. The only successful one was Turner & Hooch in 1989.
1990–1999: Leading man stardom and acclaim
Tom Hanks bounced back to the top of Hollywood by playing a down-and-out baseball star turned coach in A League of Their Own (1992). He admitted that his earlier acting wasn’t great, but he got better over time. By the ’90s, he felt like he found his groove in movies. In Sleepless in Seattle, he played a grieving widower who finds love through radio chats. Critics praised his performance, calling him one of the best romantic comedy stars of his time.
In Philadelphia, he took on the role of a gay lawyer battling AIDS. Hanks transformed his appearance for the part, losing weight and thinning his hair. Critics raved about his performance saying he portrayed a real character, not just a saint. He won an Oscar for Best Actor for this role.
Forrest Gump in 1994 was another huge success, making over $600 million worldwide. Hanks loved the hopeful message of the film. He won his second Best Actor Oscar for this role, joining a select group of actors who achieved this back-to-back.
In Apollo 13, he played astronaut Jim Lovell. The movie was a hit, earning praise for the whole cast. Hanks also voiced Sheriff Woody in the animated film Toy Story.
He tried his hand at directing with That Thing You Do! in 1996, a film about a ’60s pop group. He also started a production company called Playtone.
Tom Hanks worked on From the Earth to the Moon, a series about the space program. It was a costly project but won awards for its portrayal of the journey to the moon.
Saving Private Ryan released in 1998 was a collaboration with Steven Spielberg. It received critical acclaim for its portrayal of wartime struggles. Hanks got another Best Actor nomination for this.
He reunited with Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail, a modern take on a classic romance. And in 1999, he starred in The Green Mile based on a Stephen King novel. He also returned as the voice of Woody in Toy Story 2.
2000–2009: Established star and expansion
In 2000, Tom Hanks starred in a movie called Cast Away, where he played a FedEx worker who gets stranded on a deserted island. He did such a good job that he won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award.
The famous movie critic Roger Ebert praised Hanks for his performance, saying he’s a great actor who doesn’t have to try too hard to make us believe his character, even in such an unusual situation.
The next year, Hanks helped make a TV show called Band of Brothers, which won an Emmy Award. He also appeared in a special show about September 11 and a documentary called Rescued From the Closet.
In 2002, Tom Hanks got a special award from the American Film Institute for his lifetime achievements, becoming the youngest person ever to receive it.
In the years that followed, Hanks appeared in several movies, including The Da Vinci Code, which was a big hit, and The Terminal. He also did voice work for a documentary about World War II and produced a kids’ movie called The Ant Bully.
He made cameo appearances in The Simpsons Movie and produced a British comedy called Starter for Ten. In 2007, he starred in a movie called Charlie Wilson’s War and executive produced the musical comedy Mamma Mia.
In 2009, Hanks was in another Dan Brown adaptation, Angels & Demons, and made his 10th appearance on Saturday Night Live. He also produced a movie called Where The Wild Things Are.
2010–2019: Broadway debut and other roles
In 2010, Tom Hanks voiced Woody again in Toy Story 3. The movie made over $1 billion worldwide, a first for animated films. He also helped produce The Pacific.
In 2011, he directed and starred in Larry Crowne with Julia Roberts, but it didn’t do well. He was also in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In 2012, he made a web series called Electric City and starred in Cloud Atlas.
In 2013, he starred in Captain Phillips and Saving Mr. Banks getting praised for both. He played Captain Phillips in a movie about a ship hijacking and Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks. He also debuted on Broadway in Lucky Guy.
In 2014, he wrote a short story called Alan Bean Plus Four, but it got mixed reviews. He’s always been into space stuff since he was a kid.
In 2015, he was in Carly Rae Jepsen’s music video and then played a lawyer in Bridge of Spies, which was well-liked. He was also in A Hologram for the King.
In 2016, he played Sully in a movie about a plane landing on the Hudson River. He also played Robert Langdon again and starred in The Circle. He voiced David S. Pumpkins in a Halloween special.
In 2019, he voiced Woody in Toy Story 4 and played Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, earning an Oscar nomination.
2020–present
On April 11, 2020, Tom Hanks appeared on Saturday Night Live, marking his first TV appearance since getting COVID-19. He did his opening talk from home and didn’t join any sketches. This SNL episode was unique because it was made during the pandemic, with the cast filming their parts from home. It was also the first SNL episode with only pre-recorded sketches and not filmed in Studio 8H.
In 2020, Hanks had two movies released. He starred in Greyhound, a war film he also wrote released on Apple TV+ due to the pandemic. Later, he starred in News of the World which was praised by critics.
In 2021, Tom Hanks starred in Finch, a sci-fi drama on Apple TV+. In 2022, he appeared on a podcast Dead Eyes talking about a moment when he fired someone years ago.
Hanks had three movies out in 2022. He played Elvis’s manager in Elvis, Geppetto in Pinocchio, and a role in A Man Called Otto.
In 2023, Hanks was in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, his first time working with the director.
HBO announced in 2013 that Hanks and Spielberg would work on another WWII series called Masters of the Air. It premiered in 2024 on Apple TV+.
Awards
In Tom Hanks’ career as an actor and producer, he’s been recognized for his work with loads of award nominations. Let’s break it down:
Academy Awards: He’s been nominated for an Oscar six times. He won twice in a row for Best Actor, once for Philadelphia in 1993, and again for Forrest Gump in 1994.
Tony Awards: He got a nod for his performance in Nora Ephron’s play Lucky Guy in 2013.
Primetime Emmy Awards: On the TV front, he’s got 12 nominations. He’s won 7 times as a producer for various limited series and TV films like From the Earth to the Moon (1998), Band of Brothers (2002), John Adams (2008), The Pacific (2010), Game Change (2012), and Olive Kitteridge (2015).
Personal life
Tom Hanks the famous actor has had quite a journey in his personal life. He first married Samantha Lewes back in 1978 and they had two kids Colin and Elizabeth. Sadly, they divorced in 1987 and Samantha passed away in 2002 because of bone cancer.
In 1981, Tom met Rita Wilson on the set of a TV show called Bosom Buddies. They got closer during another project in 1985 and eventually tied the knot in 1988. They have two sons together, Chet and Truman. Chet even released a rap song and acted in shows like Empire and Shameless. Truman followed in his dad’s footsteps and played a younger version of his dad’s character in a movie called A Man Called Otto in 2022.
Tom and his family live in both Los Angeles and Ketchum, Idaho. He’s pretty religious and likes to think about life’s big questions when he goes to church. He even ponders why good and bad things happen to people.
In 2013, Tom Hanks revealed that he has Type 2 diabetes. Despite being a big fan of the Oakland Athletics and Raiders, he decided to boycott the NFL for two years when the Raiders moved to Las Vegas.
Tom has been a huge fan of the English Premier League club Aston Villa since 1984. Interestingly, he found out in 2019 that he’s distantly related to Fred Rogers and Abraham Lincoln.
In December 2019, Tom and his family became honorary citizens of Greece for their efforts in helping after a wildfire in a village near Athens. The Greek Prime Minister even personally handed them Greek passports in July 2020.
Political views and activism
Tom Hanks has supported many Democratic politicians over the years. In 2008, he publicly endorsed Barack Obama for president, even uploading a video on his MySpace account to show his support. He also lent his voice to a documentary made by Obama’s campaign team in 2012.
During the 2016 presidential election, Hanks backed Hillary Clinton. He’s been vocal about his disagreement with Proposition 8, a California law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Along with others, he raised millions to fight against it. At one point, he criticized supporters of the proposition, calling them “un-American,” but later apologized, acknowledging the importance of voting based on personal beliefs.
Tom Hanks is big on environmentalism and invests in electric vehicles. He’s owned models like the Toyota RAV4 EV and the AC Propulsion eBox. He’s even featured in a documentary questioning the demise of electric cars.
He’s deeply involved in supporting military and veteran caregivers through the Hidden Heroes Campaign. This campaign aims to better assist those who care for our veterans.
In a lighter gesture, Hanks donated espresso machines to the White House press corps after learning they didn’t have one during his visit in 2004. He did it again in 2010 and 2017, with a note emphasizing the importance of truth in journalism. In the 2020 presidential election, Hanks endorsed Joe Biden.
Other activities
Tom Hanks loves space! He’s a big fan of NASA and wanted to be an astronaut when he was younger. He’s involved with the National Space Society and even sits on their board. Tom has done a lot to promote space exploration, like producing shows and movies about astronauts going to the moon.
He’s also been recognized for his work in raising awareness about space. In 2006, he got an award from the Space Foundation for helping people learn more about space programs.
But it’s not just space stuff that Tom’s into. He’s also been honored by the United States Army Rangers for his role in “Saving Private Ryan.” Even though he couldn’t make it to the ceremony, he was the first actor to be made an honorary member.
Tom Hanks’s interests aren’t all about space and war movies, though. He’s really into typewriters and even made an app to recreate the typewriter experience on iPhones. It became super popular quickly.
When Tom and his wife got sick with COVID-19, they donated their blood to help with research on the virus. And did you know Tom Hanks is also ordained as a minister? He recently officiated a wedding in Pittsburgh. He’s a man of many talents!
Legacy
Tom Hanks is like the modern version of James Stewart and is often called “America’s Dad“. When he was in a play called Lucky Guy, loads of fans would wait outside the theater just to catch a glimpse of him after the show. This happened more with him than with any other Broadway show ever.
He’s also a big star in the movies. In North America, he’s one of the top five actors when it comes to making money at the box office. His movies have earned almost $5 billion there. Worldwide, it’s close to $10 billion!
There’s even an asteroid named after him which is pretty cool. Plus, he’s been recognized as one of the greatest movie stars and pop culture icons. Forbes has even listed him as one of the most powerful celebrities in the world.
On a radio show called Desert Island Discs, he shared his favorite song, book, and luxury item. He picked a song by Richard Strauss, a book by William Manchester, and a vintage typewriter as his luxury item.
He’s been on the radio a bunch of times, talking about different things like his role in Captain Phillips and a miniseries he helped make called From Earth to the Moon. He’s even shared stories about his life as an actor.
Net Worth
Tom Hanks’s Net Worth is estimated to be $400 Million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
