Tom Hanks Biography
Tom Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker of Portuguese and English descent famed for both his comedic and dramatic roles. Further, he began his acting career in 1977.
Tom Hanks Age
Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, United States. He is 66 years old as of 2022.
Tom Hanks Height
Hanks stands at an approximate height of 6 feet and 0 inches.
Tom Hanks Family
Hanks was born to Janet Marylyn (née Frager) and Amos “Bud” Hanks. His mother served as a hospital worker while his father served as an itinerant cook. Marylyn hails from a Portuguese family while Amos has English ancestry.
Through his father’s line, Hanks serves as a distant cousin of President Abraham Lincoln and children’s host, Fred Rogers. However, his parents divorced in 1960. They had 4 kids before their divorce counting Hanks; Sandra, Larry, and Jim. Following their divorce, the oldest three i.e. Sandra, Larry, and Hanks went with their father while the youngest, Jim remained with their mother in Red Bluff, California
Often the family migrated when Hanks was younger such that by age 10, Hanks had lived in 10 different houses. The family was Catholic and Mormon. In 1965, his father tied the knot with Frances Wong, a San Francisco native of Chinese descent. He had three children with her, two of whom lived with Hanks during his high school years.
Sandra went on to serve as a writer, Larry as an entomology professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Jim served as an actor and filmmaker. Further, Jim was born on June 15, 1961, in Shasta County, California. He is 61 years old as of 2022. On the other hand, Larry was born on January 26, 1953, and is 69 years old as of 2022.
Tom Hanks Wife
Hanks exchanged vows with his wife and actress, Rita Wilson in 1988. As of 2022, they celebrated their 34th anniversary. Additionally, the couple met on the set of the TV comedy, Bosom Buddies (1980–1982). In 1989, they reunited on the set of Volunteers. Wilson is of Greek and Bulgarian descent and serves as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Before their marriage, Hanks converted to her faith. The couple has two sons, Chester Marlon Hanks, and Truman Theodore. Marlon was born on August 4th, 1990, and is 32 years old as of 2022.
Further, he serves as an actor and musician who had recurring roles in Empire and Shameless. In 2011, he released a rap song. Moreover, Marlon has a daughter who was born on April 2016, with his previous partner Tiffany Miles.
In 2020, he attained Greek citizenship alongside his parents in acknowledgment of his parents’ work raising awareness for the 2018 Attica wildfires. On the other hand, Truman was born in 1995 and is 27 years old as of 2022. The family resides in Los Angeles, California, and Ketchum, Idaho.
Prior to this, Hanks exchanged vows with his ex-wife and actress, Samantha Lewes in 1978. After their decade-long marriage, they divorced in 1987. Before their divorce, they had a son, Colin, and a daughter, Elizabeth. Colin was born on November 24, 1977, in Sacramento, California, and is 45 years old as of 2022.
He serves as an actor who starred in films such as King Kong, Orange County, The House Bunny, The Great Buck Howard, and the Jumanji film series. Clin tied the knot with his wife and New York publicist, Samantha Bryant on May 8th, 2010, in Los Angeles. As of 2022, they celebrated their 12th anniversary. They have two daughters together. One was born in 2011 while the other was born in 2013.
Unfortunately, Lewes passed away as a result of bone cancer in 2002 at the age of 49. On December 27th, 2019, the President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, signed an honorary naturalization order for Hanks and his family, invoking their “exceptional services to Greece.”
Hanks alongside his family brought attention to a ruinous wildfire that ripped through the seaside village of Mati, near Athens, in July 2018, which claimed the lives of over 100 people. To boot, he made them Greek citizens. On July 26th, 2020, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, alongside his wife, gave Greek passports to both Hanks and Wilson.
Tom Hanks Net Worth
Hanks has an estimated net worth of between $1 Million-$5 Million which he has earned through his successful career as an actor and a filmmaker.
Tom Hanks Education
When he completed his high school education at Skyline High School in Oakland, California, Hanks joined Chabot College in Hayward, California where he studied theatre. Later, he transferred to California State University, Sacramento after two years there.
While studying theatre, he met the head of the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, Vincent Dowling. He made the suggestion that Hanks serve as an intern at the festival. For three years, he detailed most aspects of theater production, counting lighting, set design, and stage management and thus prompting him to drop out of college.
Further, he attained the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his 1978 performance as Proteus in Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. In 2010, Time magazine dubbed him one of the “Top 10 College Dropouts.” While attending Skyline, he served as an actor in school plays, counting South Pacific.
Tom Hanks Career
In 1977, Hanks debuted his professional acting career when he starred on stage playing Grumio in a 1977 Great Lakes Theater production of The Taming of the Shrew. However, he debuted his film career through a minor role in the 1980 horror film, He Knows You’re Alone. In 1980, he made an appearance in the TV series Bosom Buddies. His role in the series led to him realizing guest appearances on a number of shows counting Happy Days with Ron Howard. Howard cast him in his initial leading role in the fantasy romantic comedy, Splash.
Regardless, his breakthrough role was in the age-changing comedy Big (1988). Through the role, he attained his initial nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1993, he alongside Meg Ryan in the Nora Ephron-directed romantic comedy, Sleepless in Seattle.
Later that year, he starred in the drama, Philadelphia in the role of a gay lawyer afflicted with AIDS who fights discrimination in his law firm. For his performance, he attained earned his initial Academy Award for Best Actor. Following this, he starred in the 1994 romantic comedy-drama, Forrest Gump as the title character, Forrest Alexander Gump.
Thus, he attained his consecutive second Academy Award for Best Actor. Since Spencer Tracy in 1937–1938, he served as the initial actor to realize this. In 1995, he played astronaut, Jim Lovell in the Howard-directed historical drama, Apollo 13. Also, he voiced Sheriff Woody in the animated film, Toy Story. Later, he reprised his role in the film in its three sequels.
Acting aside, he debuted his directing and screenwriting career with the 1996 musical comedy, That Thing You Do! In late 1996, he alongside Gary Goetzman founded the production company, Playtone. In 1998, he served as the executive producer of the Emmy-awarded docudrama miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon.
Hank collaborated with Steven Spielberg on five films. Including, Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies (2015), The Post (2017), and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). Saving Private Ryan (1998), attained him his fourth nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.
The Pacific (2010) launched his directing, producing, and screenwriting career. During his acting career, he has garnered a number of awards and accolades. For instance, he attained two Academy Awards out of six nominations.
Further, he attained seven Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a producer of several limited series and television movies. In 2013, he attained a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy.
Additionally, he received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002 thus making him the youngest person, at 45, to receive the award. To boot, he attained the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004.
In 2014, he gained a Kennedy Center Honor while in 2016, he gained a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Else, he attained the French Legion of Honor. In 2020, he attained the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Tom Hanks-Cast Away
In 2000, Hanks starred in the American survival drama film, Cast Away in the role of a FedEx troubleshooter. Hanks stars alongside his fellow actors and actresses including Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy. In the film, the FedEx troubleshooter(Tom Hanks) is stuck on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific. The film’s plot concentrates on his desperate trials to survive and return home.
Tom Hanks-Forrest Gump
In 1994, Hanks starred in the comedy-drama film, Forrest Gump in the role of the title character, Forrest Alexander Gump. The film follows various decades in the life of a slow-witted and kindhearted Alabama man, Forrest Gump. Hanks stars alongside his fellow actors and actresses, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field.
Tom Hanks-Elvis
In 2022, Hanks starred in the biographical drama film, Elvis in the role of Presley and Hanks in the role of Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Parker is on his deathbed after suffering from a stroke. With a gambling addiction that left him poor, he narrates how he initially met Presley. The film shadows the life of the American rock and roll singer and actor Elvis Presley, narrated from the viewpoint of Parker.
Tom Hanks 2022 Movies
In 2022, Hanks in various films counting; Pinocchio, A Man Called Otto, Elvis, and Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter. In February 2022, it was declared that he will star in the feature adaptation of Here, a graphic novel by Richard McGuire, directed by Robert Zemeckis
Tom Hanks Legacy
Often, Hank is compared to James Stewart and frequently referred to as “America’s Dad.” In North America, he’s ranked as the fifth-highest all-time box office star with a total gross of over $4.9 billion at the North American box office, an average of $100.8 million per film. Globally, his films realized a gross of more than $9.96 billion. Dubbed after him is Asteroid 12818 Tomhanks. In 2003, he was chosen Number 3 in Channel 4’s countdown of the 100 Greatest Movie Stars of All Time. Also, he’s number 22 on VH1’s list of the “200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time.“
On Forbes’ list, he counted in 2000, 2002, and 2003 as the top ten most powerful celebrities in the world. As of January 2019, he is currently voted #1 on Ranker’s “The Best Actors in Film History.” In 2013, when he starred in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy on Broadway, he had crowds of 300 fans waiting for a peek of him after every performance. This served as the highest number of expectant fans post-show of any Broadway performance.
Tom Hanks Other Films and TV Shows
During his career, Hanks has starred, directed, produced, and served as a host of other films and TV shows such as;
- Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D(2005)
- Cars(2005)
- Saturday Night Live(1985–2021)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2(2016)
- 1883(2021)
- The Love Boat(1980)
- A Man Called Otto(2022)
- Pinocchio(2022)
- Greyhound(2020)
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again(2018)
Tom Hanks Social Media Platforms
He is active on his social media accounts and is often seen posting on his Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. He has over 9.4M followers on Instagram.