Hanks was born inConcord, California,[11] on July 9, 1956,[12] to hospital worker Janet Marylyn (née Frager) and itinerant[13][14] cook Amos "Bud"[15][16] Hanks. His mother was from aPortuguese family; their surname was originally "Fraga".[17] His father had English ancestry,[18] and through his line, Hanks is a distant cousin of PresidentAbraham Lincoln[19][20][21][22][23] and children's hostFred Rogers (whom many years later he would portray in a film role).[24][25] His parents divorced in 1960.
One journalist characterized Hanks' teenage self as being a "Bible-totingevangelical" for several years.[31] In school, he was unpopular with students and teachers alike, later tellingRolling Stone magazine, "I was a geek, a spaz. 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."[32] Hanks acted in school plays, includingSouth Pacific, while attendingSkyline High School inOakland, California.[33]
Having grown up in theBay Area, Hanks says that some of his first movie memories were seeing movies in theAlameda Theatre.[34] Hanks studied theater atChabot College inHayward, California,[35] and transferred toCalifornia State University, Sacramento after two years.[36][37] During a 2001 interview with sportscasterBob Costas, Hanks was asked whether he would rather have anOscar or aHeisman Trophy. He replied that he would have rather won a Heisman by playing halfback for theCalifornia Golden Bears.[38] He toldNew York magazine in 1986, "Acting classes looked like the best place for a guy who liked to make a lot of noise and be rather flamboyant. 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, seeingBrecht,Tennessee Williams,Ibsen, and all that."[39]
During his years studying theater, Hanks metVincent Dowling, head of theGreat Lakes Theater Festival inCleveland, Ohio.[15] At Dowling's suggestion, Hanks became an intern at the festival. His internship stretched into a three-year experience that covered most aspects of theater production, including lighting, set design, and stage management, prompting Hanks to drop out of college. During the same time, Hanks won the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his 1978 performance asProteus inShakespeare'sThe Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of the few times he played a villain.[40]
In 1979, Hanks moved to New York City, where he made his film debut in the low-budgetslasher filmHe Knows You're Alone (1980)[15][41] and landed a starring role in the television movieMazes and Monsters (1982).[42] Early that year, he was cast as the lead, Callimaco, in theRiverside Shakespeare Company's production ofNiccolò Machiavelli'sThe Mandrake, directed by Daniel Southern.[43] The following year, Hanks landed one of the lead roles, that of character Kip Wilson, on theABC television pilot ofBosom Buddies. He andPeter Scolari played a pair of young advertising men forced to dress as women so they could live in an inexpensive all-female hotel.[15] Hanks had previously partnered with Scolari on the 1970s game showMake Me Laugh. After landing the role, Hanks moved to Los Angeles.Bosom Buddies 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," co-producer Ian Praiser toldRolling Stone, "I thought, 'Too bad he won't be in television for long.' I knew he'd be a movie star in two years."[44]
Hanks made a guest appearance on a 1982 episode ofHappy Days ("A Case of Revenge", in which he played a disgruntled former classmate ofFonzie) where he met writersLowell Ganz andBabaloo Mandel who were writing the filmSplash (1984), a romantic comedy fantasy about amermaid who falls in love with a human, to be directed by formerHappy Days starRon Howard. Ganz and Mandel suggested Howard consider Hanks for the film.[45][46][47] At first, Howard considered Hanks for the role of the main character's wisecracking brother, a role that eventually went toJohn Candy. Instead, Hanks landed the lead role inSplash, which went on to become a surprise box office hit, grossing more than US$69 million.[48] He had a sizable hit with the sex comedyBachelor Party, also in 1984.[49] In 1983–84, Hanks made three guest appearances onFamily Ties as Elyse Keaton's alcoholic brother Ned Donnelly.[50][51]
WithNothing in Common (1986)—a story of a young man alienated from his father (Jackie Gleason)—Hanks began to extend himself from comedic roles to dramatic. In an interview withRolling Stone, Hanks commented on his experience: "It changed my desires about working in movies. 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."[52] In 1987, he had signed an agreement withThe Walt Disney Studios where he had starred to a talent pool in an acting/producing pact.[53] After a few more flops and a moderate success with the comedyDragnet (1987), Hanks' stature in the film industry rose.
The broad success of the fantasy comedyBig (1988) established Hanks as a major Hollywood talent, both as a box office draw and within the industry as an actor.[49][15][54] For his performance in the film, Hanks earned his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.[55]Big was followed later that year byPunchline, in which he andSally Field co-starred as struggling comedians. Hanks then suffered a run of box-office underperformers:The 'Burbs (1989),Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) andThe Bonfire of the Vanities (1990).[15] In the last, he portrayed a greedyWall Street figure who gets enmeshed in a hit-and-run accident.Turner & Hooch (1989) was Hanks' only financially successful film of the period.
1990–1999: Leading man and acclaim
Hanks climbed back to the top again with his portrayal of a washed-up baseball legend turned manager inPenny Marshall'sA League of Their Own (1992).[15] Hanks has said that his acting in earlier roles had not been great, but that he later improved. In an interview withVanity Fair, Hanks called attention to what he called his "modern era of moviemaking ... because enough self-discovery has gone on ... My work has become less pretentiously fake and over the top". This "modern era" began in 1993 for Hanks, first withNora Ephron'sSleepless in Seattle and then withJonathan Demme'sPhiladelphia.
Sleepless in Seattle is a romantic comedy about a widower who finds true love over the radio airwaves. Hanks co-starred withMeg Ryan.[56]Richard Schickel ofTIME called his performance "charming", and most critics agreed that Hanks' portrayal ensured him a place among the premier romantic-comedy stars of his generation.[57] InPhiladelphia, he played agay lawyer withAIDS who sues his firm for discrimination.[15] Hanks lost 35 pounds (16 kg) and thinned his hair in order to appear sickly for the role. In a review forPeople, Leah Rozen stated, "Above all, credit forPhiladelphia'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." Hanks won the 1993Academy Award for Best Actor for his role inPhiladelphia.[15][58] During his acceptance speech, he revealed that two people with whom he was close, his high school drama teacher Rawley Farnsworth and his former classmate John Gilkerson, were gay.[59]
Hanks followedPhiladelphia withRobert Zemeckis'sForrest Gump (1994), playing the title character, a man with an IQ of 75 who happens to find himself involved with some of the major events in recent American history. It grossed a worldwide total of over $600 million.[60] Hanks remarked, "When I read the script forGump, 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." Hanks won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his role inForrest Gump, becoming only the second actor to have accomplished the feat of winning consecutive Best Actor Oscars.[61] (Spencer Tracy was the first, winning in 1937 and ‘38 forCaptains Courageous andBoys Town. Hanks and Tracy were the same age at the time they received their Academy Awards: 37 years old when they won their first and 38 when they won their second.)[62][63]
Hanks then executive produced, co-wrote and co-directed theHBO docudramaFrom the Earth to the Moon (1998). The 12-part series chronicled the space program from its inception, through the familiar flights ofNeil Armstrong andJim Lovell, to the personal feelings surrounding the reality of Moon landings. TheEmmy Award–winning project was, at $68 million (equivalent to $131 million in 2024), one of the most expensive ventures undertaken for television.[69][70]
Hanks reunited with Zemeckis forCast Away (2000), playing a maroonedFedEx systems analyst.Roger Ebert ofThe Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Hanks proves here again what an effective actor he is, never straining for an effect, always persuasive even in this unlikely situation, winning our sympathy with his eyes and his body language when there's no one else on the screen."[75] Hanks co-directed and produced the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseriesBand of Brothers (2001).[76] He also appeared in the September 11 television specialAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes and the documentaryRescued From the Closet.[77] In 2002, he teamed up withSam Mendes forRoad to Perdition, an adaptation of the adaptation ofMax Allan Collins's andRichard Piers Rayner'scomics, in which he played ananti-hero role as ahitman on the run with his son. Hanks reunited with Spielberg, starring oppositeLeonardo DiCaprio inCatch Me If You Can (2002), based on the true story of conmanFrank Abagnale, Jr. Hanks and his wifeRita Wilson producedMy Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).[78][79] In August 2007, Hanks, along with co-producers Wilson andGary Goetzman and writer and starNia Vardalos, initiated a legal action against the production company Gold Circle Films for their share of profits from the movie.[80][81][82] At the age of 45, Hanks became the youngest-ever recipient of theAmerican Film Institute's Life Achievement Award on June 12, 2002.[83][84]
Hanks at Post-Emmys Party, September 2008
In 2004, he appeared in three films: TheCoen brothers'The Ladykillers, Spielberg'sThe Terminal and Zemeckis'sThe Polar Express, a family film for which Hanks played multiplemotion capture roles. In aUSA Weekend interview, Hanks discussed how he chooses projects: "[Since]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". In August 2005, Hanks was voted in as vice president of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[85] Hanks next starred inThe Da Vinci Code (2006), which grossed over US$750 million worldwide.[86] In 2006, Hanks topped a 1,500-strong list of "most trusted celebrities" compiled byForbes magazine.[87] He produced the animated children's movieThe Ant Bully andStarter for Ten, a comedy about working-class students attempting to win onUniversity Challenge.[88]
Hanks did voice work forKen Burns's documentaryThe War (2007), reading excerpts fromWorld War II-era columns byAl McIntosh. Hanks voiced himself inThe Simpsons Movie (2007), in which he appeared in an announcement claiming that the U.S. government has lost its credibility and is hence buying some of his. He also made an appearance in the credits, expressing a desire to be left alone when he is out in public. He starred inMike Nichols'sCharlie Wilson's War (2007) asDemocratic Texas CongressmanCharles Wilson. In the comedy-drama filmThe Great Buck Howard (2008), Hanks played the on-screen father of a young man (played by Hanks' real-life sonColin) who chooses to work as road manager for a fadingmentalist (John Malkovich). His character was less than thrilled about his son's career decision.[89] In the same year, he executive produced themusical comedyMamma Mia! and the miniseriesJohn Adams.[90][91]
In 2014, Hanks' short story "Alan Bean Plus Four" was published inThe New Yorker.[110] Revolving around four friends who make a voyage to the moon, the short story is titled after theApollo 12 astronautAlan Bean.Slate magazine's Katy Waldman found his first published short story "mediocre", writing that "Hanks' shopworn ideas about technology might have yet sung if they hadn't been wrapped in too-clever lit mag-ese".[111] In an interview withThe New Yorker, Hanks said he has always been fascinated by space. He told the magazine that he built plastic models of rockets when he was a child and watched live broadcasts of space missions back in the 1960s.[112]
On April 11, 2020, Hanks made his first television appearance since hisCOVID-19 diagnosis by hostingSaturday Night Live.[124] Hanks delivered an opening monolog via his house but did not appear in any of the sketches. This is the first episode ofSNL to debut after the show's hiatus due to theCOVID-19 pandemic; it features different sketches filmed remotely from the cast members' homes. This is also a first inSNL history, for the show to be made up entirely of prerecorded content before airing, and the second to not be filmed atStudio 8H. Hanks had two films released in 2020. Hanks starred inGreyhound, a war film which he also wrote the screenplay for.[125][126] Initially set to be theatrically released in June 2020 bySony Pictures, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, distribution rights to the film were bought byApple TV+, where it was released in July 2020.[127] He reunited with Paul Greengrass for theWesternNews of the World.[128][129] David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised Hanks' performance: "Hanks has built a career out of playing thoroughly decent men, so his casting here is entirely to type. But the soulfulness and sorrow, the innate compassion that ripple through his characterization make this an enormously pleasurable performance to watch, with new depths of both kindness and regret that keep revealing themselves."[130]
In 2021, Hanks starred in the science fiction dramaFinch, directed byMiguel Sapochnik,[131][132][133] and released byApple TV+.[134] On March 2, 2022,Connor Ratliff appeared as a guest onLate Night With Seth Meyers,[135] where he revealed that Hanks would at last be interviewed for the season three finale of Ratliff's podcastDead Eyes. The conversation between Hanks and Ratliff took place 22 years after Ratliff was about to begin filming an episode ofBand of Brothers, when he was subsequently fired, allegedly because Hanks believed Ratliff had "dead eyes". The 90 minute interview was hailed as a momentous achievement in podcasting, a "rare show that gives you a perfect conclusion",[136] "surprisingly funny and empathetic",[136] and an eventPaul Scheer called "thrilling".[137]
Hanks at the 80thD-Day Ceremony inNormandy, France in 2024
HBO confirmed in January 2013 that it was developing a third World War IIminiseries based on the bookMasters of the Air byDonald L. Miller with Hanks and Spielberg, to followBand of Brothers andThe Pacific.[147]NME reported in March 2017 that production was progressing under the working titleThe Mighty Eighth.[148] On October 11, 2019, it was announced that the series would keep the title from the book and that the miniseries would stream onApple TV+ due to budget constraints at HBO.Masters of the Air was expected to cost $200 million with a duration of at least eight hours.[149] The series premiered on January 26, 2024. In October 2024, a feature adaptation ofRichard McGuire's graphic novelHere was released reuniting Hanks withForrest Gump co-starRobin Wright and directorRobert Zemeckis.[150] Hanks attended theSaturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special where he acted in theBlack Jeopardy sketch reprising his role as Doug.[151]
Hanks is often compared toJames Stewart,[217] and has also frequently been referred to as "America's Dad".[218] In 2013, when he was starring in Nora Ephron'sLucky Guy on Broadway, he had crowds of 300 fans waiting for a glimpse of him after every performance. This is the highest number of expectant fans post-show of any Broadway performance.[219]
Hanks is ranked as the fifth-highest all-time box office star in North America, with a total gross of over $4.9 billion at the North American box office, an average of $100.8 million per film.[220] Worldwide, his films have grossed over $9.96 billion.[221] Asteroid12818 Tomhanks is named after him.[222]
Hanks was interviewed five times onWHYY-FM byTerry Gross on the radio showFresh Air in Philadelphia. Topics included two segments on his lead role inCaptain Phillips, a movie about the real life story of a ship's captain hijacked by Somali pirates. Two interviews are about the 12 part miniseriesFrom Earth to the Moon, for which Hanks was executive producer and which was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards. The last interview segment comprises anecdotes shared by Hanks about his acting career.[228]
Roger Ebert wrote "of actors who are not 'bigger than life,' but somehow just like life—people who we feel we know and understand, and are comfortable with. We sense that these actors embody not our fantasies, but our lives. Watching them we feel congratulated, because we are watching ourselves. They reassure us that in our ordinariness we also have a kind of importance. The actors who can do that—Buster Keaton,Spencer Tracy,James Stewart,Henry Fonda,Robert Duvall,Gene Hackman, and Tom Hanks, occupy a special category... The central triumph of Tom Hanks as a movie actor is that, most of the time, we believe he thinks a lot like us, and does more or less what we would do, but that he somehow does it on a larger or more ennobling scale. It is the James Stewart quality. But few actors can obtain it; with most, you see their egos peeking through, or you catch them trying too hard. The camera is a lie detector, and Hanks must be a fundamentally good person to play such roles—either that, or he is an even better actor than we think."[229]
Hanks married American actress Samantha Lewes (1952–2002) in 1978. They had one son, actorColin (b. 1977),[230] and one daughter, Elizabeth (b. 1982).[49] Hanks and Lewes divorced in 1987.[49][231] Lewes died in 2002 at the age of 49 frombone cancer.[232]
In 1981, Hanks met actressRita Wilson on the set of TV comedyBosom Buddies (1980–1982). They were reunited in 1985 on the set ofVolunteers.[49] Wilson is of Greek and Bulgarian descent, and a member of theGreek Orthodox Church. Before marrying her, Hanks converted to her faith.[233][234] He actively attends church and has commented, "I must say that when I go to church—and I do go to church—I ponder the mystery. I meditate on the 'why?' of 'why people are as they are' and 'why bad things happen to good people,' and 'why good things happen to bad people'... The mystery is what I think is, almost, the grand unifying theory of all mankind."[31] Hanks and Wilson married in 1988 and have two sons.[235] Their older son,Chet, released a rap song in 2011 and had recurring roles inEmpire andShameless.[236][237] Their younger son,Truman, was born in 1995, and portrayed the younger version of his father's character inA Man Called Otto (2022).[238] Hanks lives with his family in Los Angeles, California,[239] andKetchum, Idaho.[240]
In October 2013, onLate Show with David Letterman Hanks said he hastype 2 diabetes. The CBS News medical contributor said significant weight fluctuations for various film roles such asA League of Their Own andCast Away might have contributed to the diagnosis.[241] In a 2018 interview, Hanks further attributed his condition to a combination of genetics and lifestyle choices. He has since made lifestyle changes to manage his condition, such as maintaining a healthier diet and avoiding film roles that require drastic weight changes.[242]
Despite being a fan of theOakland Athletics and theRaiders when they were based in Oakland, Hanks stated in April 2017 he would boycott the NFL for two years after the Raiders filed for relocation to Las Vegas.[243] Since 1984, Hanks has been a fan of the EnglishPremier League clubAston Villa.[244]
On December 27, 2019, thePresident of Greece,Prokopis Pavlopoulos, signed an honorary naturalization order for Hanks and his family, citing their "exceptional services to Greece", thus making him and his immediate familyGreek citizens.[216][1][247] Hanks, along with Wilson and their children, were conferred honorary citizenship for their role in bringing global attention and appealing for aid after a devastating wildfire that ripped through the seaside village of Mati, near Athens, in July 2018, which killed more than 100 people.[248][247]Greece's Interior Minister Takis Theodorikakos said Hanks "showed real interest in the people who suffered from the fire in Mati and promoted this issue in the global media".[247] In July 2020, Hanks and Wilson were photographed with their Greek passports alongside thePrime Minister of Greece,Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife.[248][249]
Hanks was outspoken about his opposition to the 2008Proposition8, an amendment to theCalifornia constitution that defined marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. Hanks and others raised over US$44 million to campaign against the proposition.[253] While premiering a TV series in January 2009, Hanks called supporters of Proposition8 "un-American" and criticizedLDS Church members, who were major proponents of the bill, for their views on marriage and role in supporting the bill.[254][255] About a week later, he apologized for the remark, saying that nothing is more American than voting one's conscience.[256]
A proponent of environmentalism, Hanks is an investor inelectric vehicles and owns aToyota RAV4 EV and the first productionAC Propulsion eBox. He was a lessee of anEV1 before it was recalled, as chronicled in the documentaryWho Killed the Electric Car?[257] He was on the waiting list for anAptera2 Series.[258] Hanks serves as campaign chair of the Hidden Heroes Campaign of theElizabeth Dole Foundation. The stated mission of the campaign is to inspire a national movement to more effectively support the military and veteran caregivers.[259][260]
In 2004, while touring theWhite House, Hanks learned that thepress corps did not have a coffee pot, and shortly thereafter he donated anespresso machine. He again donated new machines in 2010 and 2017. His 2017 donation was accompanied by a note that read "To the White House Press Corps, Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially for the truth part."[261][262] He endorsed former Vice PresidentJoe Biden in the2020 presidential election.[263]
In 2006, theSpace Foundation awarded Hanks the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award,[267] given annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness of space programs.[268]
In June 2006, Hanks was inducted as an honorary member of theUnited States Army Rangers Hall of Fame for his accurate portrayal of acaptain in the movieSaving Private Ryan; Hanks, who was unable to attend the induction ceremony, was the first actor to receive such an honor. In addition to his role inSaving Private Ryan, Hanks was cited for serving as the national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial Campaign, for being the honorary chairperson of theD-Day Museum Capital Campaign, and for his role in writing and helping to produce the Emmy Award-winning miniseries,Band of Brothers.[269] On March 10, 2008, Hanks was on hand at theRock and Roll Hall of Fame to inductThe Dave Clark Five.[270]
Hanks is a collector of manualtypewriters and uses them almost daily.[271][272] In August 2014, Hanks released Hanx Writer, aniOSapp meant to emulate the experience of using a typewriter; within days the free app reached number one on theApp Store.[273][274] After contracting and recovering from aCOVID-19 infection early in thepandemic, Hanks and his wife donated their blood antibodies for virus research.[275] Hanks is an ordained minister, and on March 24, 2022, CBS News reported that he had recently officiated a wedding inPittsburgh.[276] In 2023, Hanks founded Hanx for the Troops, a coffee company that supports veterans and military families through a portion of its profits and various initiatives.[277]
Bibliography
Hanks wrote a collection of short stories inspired by his typewriter collection,Uncommon Type, which was published in 2017.[278][279]The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, his debut novel, was published in May 2023.[280]
Further reading
Gardner, David (1999),Tom Hanks: The Unauthorized Biography, London,ISBN978-1-85782-327-1
^"Honor: Portuguese American actor Tom Hanks awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom—Washington, DC".Portuguese American Journal. November 23, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2018....Tom Hanks was born in Contra Costa county, California, in 1956, of Portuguese, British, and Irish descent. His maternal ancestors were Portuguese pioneers in California with roots in the Azores. His mother Janet Marylyn Frager (Fraga) was a hospital worker...
^BBC program: Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, January 2008
a "Famous alumni*: Actor Tom Hanks... *Includes former students who attended—but didn't graduate from—the university"—¶ 67.
^"Tom Hanks [interview]".Genesis. February 1987. RetrievedMay 4, 2020.He attended Chabot Junior College in Hayward for two years, then spent a year at California State University in Sacramento, majoring in theater arts.
^Aquilina, Tyler (March 17, 2021)."Pinocchio: Erivo, Gordon-Levitt & More Join Disney's Live-Action Film".Entertainment Weekly. RetrievedMarch 19, 2021.After an unusually long and bumpy road to the screen, production is finally underway on Disney's live-action remake of the animated classic Pinocchio.
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