Tom Hanks
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- This article is about the actor Thomas Jeffrey Hanks. See Thomas Hanks for information about the scientist.
Tom_Hanks,_February_2004.jpg
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9 1956) is an American actor famous for playing notable roles in many popular and critically acclaimed movies. He is well known for his acting ability, and is able to play characters that range from the vulnerable Forrest Gump, to the inspirational lead in Philadelphia, to the never-say-die commander in Apollo 13. Hanks is generally known for his ability to imbue "nice-guy" roles with warmth, for example in the romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, but is quite capable of taking the role of a mob hitman in Road to Perdition.
Though Hanks starred mostly in comedies in the early part of his career—he first came to notice in the 1980-82 situation comedy Bosom Buddies—he later moved away from comedies and started making mostly more-serious dramas. In recent years, he has alternated between comedic and serious dramatic roles.
Hanks is currently one of the most sought-after leading men in Hollywood. His salary for two recent movies was USD$20 million each. His portrayal of the likeable lead in Forrest Gump earned him $70 million.
Born in Concord, California, Hanks later studied theatre at California State University, Sacramento. He couldn't get cast in a college play so he auditioned for community theater instead. He was invited by the director of that play to go to Cleveland, and it was there his acting career started.
Hanks is a member of the National Space Society 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 American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Hanks is liberal and he has supported many Democratic candidates during the last few elections.
Hanks has been married to actress Rita Wilson since 1988. They met while working on the movie Volunteers (1985). They have two children together. Hanks was married previously to Samantha 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.[1] (http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/127/Hanks.htm)
Hanks also won back-to-back Academy Awards for Best Actor for his roles in Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994). He was the youngest ever recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award on June 12, 2002.
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.
Filmography
- He Knows You're Alone (1980)
- Splash (1984)
- Bachelor Party (1984)
- The Man with One Red Shoe (1985)
- Volunteers (1985)
- The Money Pit (1986)
- Nothing in Common (1986)
- Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986)
- Dragnet (1987)
- Big (1988)
- Punchline (1988)
- The 'burbs (1989)
- Turner & Hooch (1989)
- Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
- The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
- Radio Flyer (1992)
- A League of Their Own (1992)
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- Forrest Gump (1994)
- Apollo 13 (1995)
- The Celluloid Closet (1995) (documentary)
- Toy Story (1995) (voice)
- That Thing You Do! (1996) (also director and writer)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- You've Got Mail (1998)
- Toy Story 2 (1999) (voice)
- The Green Mile (1999)
- Cast Away (2000) (also producer)
- Road to Perdition (2002)
- Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- The Ladykillers (2004)
- The Terminal (2004)
- Elvis Has Left the Building (2004) (Cameo)
- The Polar Express (2004) (also executive producer)
- A Cold Case (2005) (currently in pre-production) (also producer)
- The Da Vinci Code (2006) (currently in pre-production)
- The Risk Pool (2006) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)
TV work
- 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)
- The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2002) (Cameo)
External links
- Template:Imdb name
- Tom Hanks's (partial) family tree (links him to former US president Abraham Lincoln) (http://msn.ancestry.com/landing/msn/strange/hanks/familytree.gif)
- Tom Hanks DVDology (http://www.dvdark.co.uk/c/dvdology/MA4DzTm/)bg:Том Ханкс
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