Tom Hanks

Profile
Name: Tom Hanks
Birth Name: Thomas J. Hanks
Height: 5' 11''
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Birth Date: July 9, 1956
Birth Place: Concord, California, USA
Profession: actor, director, writer
Education: Chabot Junior College in Hayward, California (attended one year)
Skyline High School in Oakland (graduated)
California State University in Sacramento, California (majored in Theater; left before graduating to intern with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival)
Husband/Wife: Rita Wilson (actress; married on April 30, 1988), Samantha Lewes (married in 1980; separated in 1985; divorced in 1987)
Father: Amos Hanks (cook; divorced in 1961; died in 1992)
Mother: Janet Turner (hospital worker)
Sister: Sandra Hanks (writer; born on July 31, 1951)
Brother: Jim Hanks (actor; born on June 15, 1961) and Larry Hanks (professor; born in 1953)
Son: Truman Theodore (born on December 26, 1995; mother: Rita Wilson), Chester (born on August 4, 1990; mother: Rita Wilson), Colin Hanks (actor; born in 1978; mother: Samantha Lewes)
Daughter: Elizabeth Hanks (actress; born in 1982; mother: Samantha Lewes)
Claim to fame: as Kip Buffy Wilson in Bosom Buddies (1980)

Biography
Born in Concord, California on July 9, 1956 Thomas J. Hanks was the third of four children of Amos and Janet Hanks. His parents divorced when young Tom was 5 years old. His first gained prominence in the early eighties by landing a co-starring role in the TV series "Bosom Buddies," where he played a man forced to dress in drag in order to be able to stay at a women's-only hotel. The show was cancelled after only two seasons. After this inauspicious start, Hanks didn't make any real waves until 1984, when his big break came along in the form of a Disney film about a mermaid. The film was Splash!, and it was a tremendous box-office success. The young actor then starred in a string of unremarkable comedies such as Bachelor Party (1984), The Man with One Red Shoe (1985), and Volunteers (1985), and for a while it seemed like his career had reached a plateau. In 1988, however, Hanks starred in Penny Marshall's Big, which earned him an Oscar? nomination and many favorable reviews. In the film, Hanks displayed a more poignant side to his comedy that hadn't really been on display before, proving himself a versatile performer. This versatility was showcased even more in A League of Their Own (1992), where Hanks played an out-of-shape ex-baseball player coaching a women's team.

The very next year, Hanks went completely against character by playing a homosexual living with AIDS in Philadelphia (1993). His portrayal was a revelation, and showed audiences an entirely new facet of his considerable talent. He won the Academy Award for the role, and it was the turning point in his career. The next year Hanks achieved one of Hollywood's rarest doubles by earning back-to-back Oscars, only the second actor ever to do so. This time, the film was Forrest Gump, a picture which was notable not only for Hanks' memorable one-liners but for its clever special effects as well. Hanks was now officially A-list.

His run of successes continued with films like Apollo 13 (1995), Toy Story (1995), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), as well as a couple of very popular films with co-star Meg Ryan, Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998). All of these were both critical and commercial hits; another measure of Hanks' abilities. His most recent projects were The Green Mile (1999), Toy Story 2 (1999), and Cast Away (2000), for which he received his fifth Academy Award nomination. In addition, Hanks has found success wearing other hats, having executive-produced a pair of remarkable television miniseries: "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) and "Band of Brothers" (2001). He is married to actress Rita Wilson.

Filmography
Actor
2010 Toy Story 3
2007 Charlie Wilson's War
2007 The Great Buck Howard
2006 The Da Vinci Code
2006 Cars
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
2004 The Polar Express
2004 The Polar Express
2004 The Polar Express
2004 The Polar Express
2004 The Polar Express
2004 The Ladykillers
2004 The Terminal
2003 Concert for George
2003 Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip
2003 The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch
2002 Catch Me If You Can
2002 Road to Perdition
2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes
2001 Band of Brothers
2000 The Directors: Robert Zemeckis
2000 The Directors: Steven Spielberg
2000 Cast Away
1999 Toy Story 2
1999 The Green Mile
1999 Saturday Night Live: 25 Years of Laughs
1998 Saving Private Ryan
1998 You've Got Mail
1998 American Experience: Return With Honor
1997 The Directors: Ron Howard
1997 I Am Your Child
1996 The Universal Story
1996 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [7]
1996 That Thing You Do!
1995 The Celluloid Closet
1995 Toy Story
1995 Apollo 13
1995 AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards: Steven Spielberg
1994 Forrest Gump
1993 Sleepless in Seattle
1993 Fallen Angels, Vol. 2
1993 Philadelphia
1992 A League of Their Own
1992 Radio Flyer
1992 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [6]
1990 Joe Versus the Volcano
1990 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [5]
1990 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [4]
1990 The Bonfire of the Vanities
1989 Turner and Hooch
1989 The 'Burbs
1988 Big
1988 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [3]
1988 Punchline
1988 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [2]
1987 Dragnet
1986 Every Time We Say Goodbye
1986 Nothing in Common
1986 The Money Pit
1985 Volunteers
1985 Saturday Night Live: Tom Hanks [1]
1985 The Man with One Red Shoe
1984 The Dollmaker
1984 Bachelor Party
1984 Splash
1982 Taxi: The Road Not Taken, Part 1
1982 Mazes and Monsters
1980 Bosom Buddies [TV Series]
1980 He Knows You're Alone
Fighting for Freedom: Revolution & Civil War
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tom Hanks

Director
2001 Band of Brothers: Crossroads
1998 From the Earth to the Moon, Part 1: Can We Do This?
1996 That Thing You Do!
1993 Fallen Angels, Vol. 2

Executive Producer
2008 Mamma Mia!
2006 Big Love [TV Series]
2004 The Polar Express
2002 The Making of What's Going On: All-Star Tribute
2001 Band of Brothers
1998 From the Earth to the Moon

Producer
2008 Surfer, Dude
2008 Where the Wild Things Are
2007 The Great Buck Howard
2007 Charlie Wilson's War
2006 The Ant Bully
2006 Big Love [TV Series]
2006 Starter for Ten
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
2002 My Big Fat Greek Wedding
2000 Cast Away

Screenwriter
2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
2001 Band of Brothers: Currahee
1998 From the Earth to the Moon, Part 6: Mare Tranquilitatis
1998 From the Earth to the Moon, Part 12: Le Voyage Dans la Lune
1998 From the Earth to the Moon, Part 11: The Original Wives Club
1998 From the Earth to the Moon, Part 7: That's All There Is
1996 That Thing You Do!

Trivia

Is the only actor to be named to the Ranger Hall of Fame. (June 29, 2006)

Admits he had an affair Rita Wilson while he was married his first wife Samantha Lewes. (May 19, 2006)

Was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the Actor With Most Consecutive $100 Million Grossing Movies. (2006)

Is in the process of bringing the worldwide hit Abba musical Mamma Mia to the big-screen. (April 21, 2006)

Favorite movies: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, ELEPHANT, THE GODFATHER, FARGO, BOOGIE NIGHTS

Stripped naked in front of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa during filming for new movie THE DA VINCI CODE, because he had nowhere else to undress. (April 15, 2006)

Hanks and Tom Cruise have topped the latest Ulmer Scale, which reveals the 10 most bankable actors and actresses in Hollywood. (April 11, 2006)

Is set to star in and produce a movie based on the novel How Starbucks Saved My Life. (March 29, 2006)

Hanks and Oprah Winfrey are the celebrities with the most selling power, according to a new index targeted at US advertising agencies. (February 15, 2006)

Is America's no.1 favorite movie star according to a poll released by Garris Interactive. (January 21, 2006)

Fears his days as an A-list Hollywood actor will be over soon. (December 17, 2005)

Is among the celebrities putting their own artistic spin on the classic Lacoste polo shirt in a bid to raise funds for the fight against pediatric AIDS. (October 10, 2005)

Has been voted in as vice-president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (August 27, 2005)

His production firm has signed a deal with the man known as Deep Throat to turn his story into a movie. (June 17, 2005)

Admitted he’s a huge fan of Agatha Christie's fictional sleuth Miss Marple. (June 10, 2005)

Is so impressed with Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette's comedy skills, he has signed on to produce We're With The Band - a reality-based sitcom she'll shoot for American cable network Comedy Central. (March 24, 2005)

When winning the best actor Oscar for PHILADELPHIA (1993), Hanks thanked his high school drama teacher and a former classmate, calling them two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with. The speech would inspire the Kevin Kline comedy In & Out.

Was voted America's 2004 favourite movie star by The Harris Poll.

Russell Crowe, George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Hugh Jackman are battling for the lead role in movie adaptation of best-seller The Da Vinci Code. (2004)

Has ruled out the possibility of embarking on a political career because he'd much rather spread his message through acting. (June 17, 2004)

Teams up with Imax Corp. to produce a 3D documentary about NASA's historic lunar voyages called MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION. (March 4, 2004)

His production company Playtone is teaming up with HBO again for a drama series pilot Big Love. (January 7, 2004)

Was one of the most powerful celebrity according to 2003 Forbes Top 100 Celebrity List (#9)

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are furious with a construction company they hired to build their hideaway in Idaho -- The actors were hoping to keep their 10-acre Ketchum home a super secret, and were horrified when Storey Construction revealed all in a $1.9 million suit, which claims Hanks and Wilson owe them $1.9 million for work they completed on the hideaway. (June 21, 2003)

Reunited rockers Phish have apologized for duping fans into thinking Tom Hanks was part of their New Year's Eve show in New York -- The group announced the movie star at the start of their Madison Square Garden set and a man with Hanks' features stepped onto the stage to wish fans a happy new year. (January 8, 2003)

Hanks tops Entertainment Weekly's 2002 Power Issue list of the most formidable entertainers in Hollywood for delivering strong grosses for the atypically dark ROAD TO PERDITION, snagging Emmys for BAND OF BROTHERS, and even having the savvy to coproduce the surprise smash MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. (October 11, 2002)

Presented Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for Oprah Winfrey at the 54th annual Emmys. (September 2002)

Hanks hankers there's only one role he'd still love to play - James Bond.

Says he's not letting his young kids see his screen performance as a gun-toting mobster in ROAD TO PERDITION because it's too violent.

Hanks said he was leaving the Deauville Festival of American Cinema to be home in time for his children's first day of school.

Has a private exhibition of snapshots from the sets of his films in his Hollywood home.

Wilson, the volleyball that kept Tom Hanks' character company on a deserted island in the hit CAST AWAY (2000), sold for $18,400 in an online auction of movie props in 2001.

FALL (1999): Dislocated his shoulder when he fell through a rotting floor in building in Germany while scouting locations with Steven Spielberg for prospective HBO series, BAND OF BROTHERS.

After a one-shot guest appearance on HAPPY DAYS (1974), producer Ron Howard asked him to read for a secondary part in SPLASH (1984), and he got the lead instead.

Asked to play the title role in Gerry Maguire (1996).

He is a direct descendant of Nancy Hanks, Abraham Lincoln's mother.

Received emergency treatment for serious staph infection in leg in summer, 1999 after returning from overseas location shoot.

Received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the U. S. Navy's highest civilian honor, on Veterans Day 1999 for his work in the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998).

Voted best actor by the readers of the US Magazine in 1995.

Was only first actor to win back-to-back Oscars since Tracy Spencer for CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937) and BOYS TOWN (1938).

In BIG (1988), to give star Hanks an idea of how a 12 year-old would behave, director Penny Marshall, filmed each grown-up scene with David Moscow (Young Josh) playing Hanks's part. Hanks then copied Moscow's behavior.

Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Steven Ambrose passed each of the scripts around to real-life soldiers of Easy-Company to guarantee the authenticity of the mini-series BAND OF BROTHERS (2001).

Was the first choice to replace Michael Keaton as Batman in BATMAN FOREVER (1995).

Several actors from APOLLO 13 (1995) including: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Sinise visited U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp program and worked on their simulators before production of the movie began to help them get a feel for what it would be like to work in zero gravity.

In interviews for APOLLO 13 (1995), the real Jim Lovell had said that he thought Kevin Costner looked a little bit like him, but Costner was never cast. When Brian Grazier and Imagine Entertainment got the rights to the script, Ron Howard signed on to direct and knowing that Tom Hanks was an Apollo/space buff, sent the script to him. They set a meeting and Hanks agreed to play Jim Lovell during Hanks' and Howard's first meeting about the film.

Considered for the role of Larry Flynt in THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (1996).

Gained 30 pounds in preparation for his role in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992). He attributed the weight he gained to a nearby Dairy Queen.

His character in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, Jimmy Dugan, is loosely based on real-life baseball slugger Jimmie Foxx.

In the scene in which his character tells the rest of the unit what he does for a living back at home, Hanks' speech was much longer in the original script. But Hanks felt that his character wouldn't have said so much about himself, and he told director Steven Spielberg so. Spielberg agreed, and the speech was shortened. (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN)

Initially opposed to hiring Everett Scott in THAT THING YOU DO! because of Scott's strong resemblance to a younger Hanks; but he was convinced by his wife, Rita Wilson, who thought Scott was cute.

Lost 12kg during his role for PHILADELPHIA (1993)

Met his wife Rita Wilson while making VOLUNTEERS (1985).

Originally considered for the role of Zephram Cochrane in STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT (1996).

Was originally going to play the Old Paul Edgecomb but the makeup tests didn't make him look credible enough to be an elderly man. Dabbs Greer was cast instead as the older Paul Edgecomb. (THE GREEN MILE (1999).

Slinky's line, I may not be a smart dog, but I know what road kill is is a reference to FORREST GUMP which starred Hanks the voice of Woody. (TOY STORY 2 (1999).

Written and directed by Hanks THAT THING YOU DO! (1996) contains characters named James Mattingly and Leonard Haise. Hanks previously played James Lovell in APOLLO 13 (1995), which had other characters named Ken Mattingly, John Leonard Swigert, and Fred Haise.

In FORREST GUMP (1994), his younger brother Jim doubles for him in many of his mindless running sequences.

In FORREST GUMP (1994) Hanks patterned his accent after the little boy who played young Forrest, who actually talked that way.

FORREST GUMP (1994): The girl in the school bus with the red hair is his daughter Elizabeth.

Production of CAST AWAY (2000) was halted for a year so Hanks could lose fifty pounds and grow out his hair for his time spent on the deserted island.

A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) is reportedly his favorite film.

Hanks said that he would make FORREST GUMP (1994) only if all the events that took place were true to historical reality.

On the day that he shot the football running scenes in FORREST GUMP (1994) he had been suffering from influenza.

Has had 11movies that have grossed over $100 million at the US box office. These are; SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2, YOU'VE GOT MAIL, THE GREEN MILE, APOLLO 13, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, PHILADELPHIA, BIG, CAST AWAY, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and the most famous- FORREST GUMP.

Is now paid $20million per movie

One of his childhood dreams was to be an astronaut. The closest he has felt to acheiving this is playing Jim Lovell in APOLLO 13.

Played two successful romantic commedy with Meg Ryan, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993) and YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998). Both movies about blind date, one in radio era and in 1998, Hanks met Ryan through the internet.

In the popular UK film magazine 'Empire' Tom Hanks was voted the 17th Best Actor of all time

Nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (Informational) at Emmy Awards for We Stand Alone Together (2002)

Nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special at Emmy Awards for BAND OF BROTHERS (2002)

Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for CAST AWAY (2001) - shared with Helen Hunt

Nominated for Best On-Screen Team at MTV Movie Awards for CAST AWAY (2001) - shared with Wilson

Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for CAST AWAY (2001)

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for CAST AWAY (2001)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role at BAFTA Awards for CAST AWAY (2001)

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at Screen Actors Guild Awards for CAST AWAY (2001)

Nominated for Best On-Screen Duo at MTV Movie Awards for TOY STORY 2 (2000) - shared with Tim Allen

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for THE GREEN MILE (2000)

Nominated for Best Action Sequence at MTV Movie Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role at BAFTA Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama at Golden Globe Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast at Screen Actors Guild Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at Screen Actors Guild Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1999)

Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie at Emmy Awards for FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON (1998)

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for APOLLO 13 (1996)

Nominated for Best On-Screen Duo at MTV Movie Awards for TOY STORY (1996) - shared with Tim Allen (voice)

Nominated for Best Actor Leading at BAFTA Awards for FORREST GUMP (1995)

Nominated for Best Male Performance at MTV Movie Awards for FORREST GUMP (1995)

Nominated for Best On-Screen Duo at MTV Movie Awards for SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1994) - shared with Meg Ryan

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical at Golden Globe Awards for SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1994)

Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1993) - shared with Pauline Brailsford

Nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Academy Awards for BIG (1989)