Not only did he made awesome movies but also directed many documentaries, namely From the Earth to the Moon, The Pacific as well as The Band of Brothers. We see most of the stars engaged only in their acting career. But our favorite Tom Hanks is not only a star in his acting career, but he also raises his voice and takes a firm stand for many social issues, mostly for same-sex marriage. He is also an environmental activist. he also raised his voice on the internet via post to express the need for alternative fuel. He also wanted to make the automobile electronic by investing some amount of money for promoting the same. With having a versatile acting career as well as being an environmental activist and an active humanitarian, he has a net worth of $400 million.
Early Life
Tom Hanks was born on the 9th of July in 1956. His father was named Amos Mefford Hanks, who by profession was a chef. His mother, Janet Marylyn, was by profession was a worker in a hospital in Concord in California. He was not the only child of his parents. Other than Hanks, his parents had 3 other kids, namely Sandra, Larry, and Jim, who was the youngest among all. But for some reason or other, his parents got legally separated in 1960. The custody of the children was separated as well. While Tom, Sandra, and Larry were being raised by their father, Amos. On the other hand, their mother got custody of Jim. Amos, Hanks’s father, got settles in Oakland when Hanks was in his late childhood. Before getting settled Hanks faced a lot of problems because they were moving from one place to the other now and then. He got admitted to a popular high school in Oakland from where he later graduated and completed his high school period in 1974. After that, he again moved to California to complete his education. At first, he was enrolled in Chabot College, which is in Hayward, California. But as it is said that passion never dies. To pursue his dreams of acting, he enrolled himself in one of the popular acting schools under the California State University. The name of the school in Sacramento. With his studies, he went to Ohio after he was offered an internship in one of the famous Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, which is held in Lakewood in Ohio. In the next few years, he worked different roles. In the summers of the three years, he used to work in the production team for the production of Shakespeare’s plays. In the other half of the year, he used to be a part of the backstage crew. In 1978, for the first time, he made his way and got nominated and won the Cleveland Critics Circle Awards for being the Best Actor. He played the role of Proteus, one of the important characters in the play named The Two Gentle Man of Verona.
Career
In 1980, he moved to New York, and by that time, Hanks had already completed somewhere around three seasons of the Great Lakes Festival, and he dropped out from his colleagues as well. He gave repeated auditions for being a part of any movie. He finally got the chance to play a small part in the movie named He knows You’re Alone, released in the year 1980. Doing only a small part he impressed the audience and made his way to catch the eye of the critics and talent hunters. He appeared in an ABC sitcom named Bosom Buddies. In that, he played the role of one of the main characters, who by profession is an advertising executive, who to find an apartment in an all-female building dresses up as a Drag Queen. But for some reason or the other, the show was called off. But it did not affect Hanks much rather got him some fame to rise to more success. He made some guest appearances in different television shows, namely Happy Days premiered in 1974, lasting for a year, and ended in 1984. He again appeared in Taxi premiered in 1978, which lasted for quite a few years. It ended in 1983. Later, he also did The Love Boat (1977-1987) and Family ties (1982-89). With having a guest appearance in some TV shows. In 1982, he got a call from one of his co-star friends named Ron Howard, who by then became a director. He asked him to play a part of a major supporting role in one of his very famous movies. But fortunately enough, the part of the supporting role was later assigned to John Candy, and Hanks was given the play the part of the lead character. The movie was named Splash released in the year 1984. In that movie, he drew the role of the character named Daryl Hannah, who later falls in love with a mermaid. The movie made a huge box-office success and was a super hit. With that, he became one of the most recognizable faces worldwide. He got several films back to back, starting from the Bachelor Party released in 1984, The Man With One Red Shoe, which was released in 1985, The Money Pit, released in 1986 to Dragnet, which was released in 1987. Though all the above movies did not gain a huge success. He was told by the critics that all the movies were a failure, but the only thing that stood out in the failed movies was his efficient acting skills and the way he essayed the roles in the movies. Read:
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Rising to success
After having some supporting roles and some lead roles. Finally, he appeared as part of the main casting role. The movie was directed by none other than very popular Penny Marshall named Big. In this movie, he very elegantly portrayed the role of a teenaged boy whose body gets transplanted overnight into the body of a 35-year old young man. With his performance not only did he caught the eye of the audience but also got praised by the critics. In his acting career for the very first time, he made his way and received the nomination for the Academy Award under the category of being the Best Actor. After the release of Big, Hanks became one of the successful actors in the box-office. He was also counted under the list of talented actors of all time. Even sometimes, he is still compared with the legends of the Hollywood industry. But after having a few back-to-back successful movies, both critically and commercially, he failed to get more success in few movies. Though the movies were not much successful, all the movies showed how much of a versatile actor Hanks can be. He played the role of having lighthearted comedies such as Turner and Hooch, released in 1989, and Joe Versus the Volcano, which was released in 1990. He also did many roles, which were much more dramatic than his other role but he never failed to carry out even those roles. The movies having more dramatic roles were Punchline which was released in 1988 and Bonfire of the Vanities, which was released in 1990. After having some less successful movies he was offered the role in a very popular movie named A League of Their Own. The movie was released in the year 1992. In that movie, he played the role of a major character who by profession was a manager of the all-women’s baseball team. Hanks got two movies back to back which made a huge box-office success. The other movie was released in 1993 named Sleepless in Seattle. It was under the genre of romantic comedy. The movie was scripted by none other than very popular Nora Ephron. The story was written in the way and the co-stars were selected were also the best. The co-star list was Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. In the movie that is Sleepless Seattle, he portrayed the role of a major character who by profession is a lawyer but later gets fired from his job as his medical report shows he has aids. He got into the role and gave his best shot. He again won the Academy Award for being the best actor. The prodigious year of 1994 gave Hanks a lot of success in his career. In that very year, he played a major role in one of the famous movies of Robert Zemeckis named Forrest Gump. It revolved around the plot of a character who goes through recent American history that is of the 20th Century. Like his other movies as well, this movie made a booming success in the box office. Not only that, the movie also won the most prestigious award of all time, The Oscar. The movie was nominated and won the award under the category of Best picture and having the best direction. Not only was the movie got the awards but Hanks also got the reputation of being an Oscar winner. He won the award for being the best lead actor becoming the first person in the span of Semi centennial. By the end of the decade not only did he become one of the leading stars of that time but he also became an awesome voice artist. He became the voice of one of the major characters in the famous animated film named Toy Story 2. He became the voice of the character named Woody which was one of the lead characters in the story. He was the leader of the cowboy dolls. The movie made a huge box-office success and earned somewhere around $80.8million. After a few years and working on and off in different movies he collaborated with the very popular Steven Spielberg. He was handed one of the most challenging roles of all time in one of the famous movies of Steven Spielberg named Saving Private Ryan. For being the most versatile actor he again earned the nomination for the Academy Awards for being the Best Actor. After a few years again in 2001, he was cast in a mini television series of the HBO named Band of Brothers. He also made his appearance in a patriotical concept movie named A Tribute to Heroes. In the following year that is in 2002, he appeared in another popular movie named Apollo 13. The plot of the story portrayed the story of a lunar mission. The movie was premiered in the IMAX format and got huge success as well. The movie earned somewhere around $500million.From 2002 to 2004 he did many on and off scenes in different movies. In 2004 he portrayed the roles of the different lead characters in a series of movies namely The lady Killers directed by the Coen Brothers Terminals directed by Spielberg. He also played a part in the movie named The Polar Express which was directed by Robert Zemeckis. After doing a few movies in 2006 he collaborated with Ron Howard and got a chance to be a part of another blockbuster movie named The Da Vinci Code. The movie was a successful adaptation of the novel written by Dan Brown even the name was the same. The movie was a huge success. It made a huge box-office amount as well which was somewhere around $750million. In 2008 he was worked as both producers as well as an actor in a movie named The Great Buck Howard. In that movie, he had his son as his co-star. His son’s name is Colin Hanks. In the following year, he played the role of one of the major in the famous directed movie named Angels and Demons which was made as a continuation of the movie named The Da Vinci Code. Not only did he impressed everyone with his acting skills but also showcased the way he produced movies. He did his major production with the movie named Game Changes. The story revolves around the presidential campaign of 2008.
Personal Life
I would say that Hanks’s life like a few of the Hollywood stars that is not much complicated. His first wife was also an awesome actress and producer like Hanks. His first wife’s name was Samantha Lewes. They tied the knot in 1978. After a few years, they became parents to two children namely Colin and Elizabeth. After a decade for some reason or the other, they got legally separated in 1978. After some years he fell for one of his co-stars in one of his famous movies named Volunteers. His co-star was Rita Wilson. They got married in 1988. They became parents of two beautiful children whom they named Chester and Truman. He appeared in one of the famous 2013 premiered shows named The Late Show with David Letterman. In that show, Hanks told about his physical problems and how the doctor has warned him to be careful. He even told that the doctor told him that he had diabetes from the mid-age of 36 and by 2013 his diabetes has now grown to the second stage. The saddest part is at the start of the deadly pandemic that is in March 2020 both Hank and his wife took the test of covid-19. Unfortunately, they both were tested positive for the deadly virus. At that time they both were in Australia.
Awards
With being such a versatile actor. He is a voice artist as well. Even the list of his awards is never-ending. With his extravagant acting skills, he earned the nominations and won the nominations for the Academy Awards twice in 1994 and 1995 for the movies namely Philadelphia and Forest Gump respectively. Not only did he won the awards twice but also received nominations for the Academy Awards in 1989, 1999, 2001, and 2020 for the movies namely Big, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood respectively. He earned the nomination for the BAFTA Awards a total of five-time that is in 1995,1999,2001,2014 and 2020 for the movies Forest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Captain Philips, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood respectively. He is a seven times Primetime Award winner. He earned the award for the movies namely From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers John Adams, The Pacific, Game Change, Olive Kitteridge in the years 1998, 2002, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 respectively. He also earned the Golden Globe Awards four times is in 1989, 1994, 1995, and in 2008 for the movies namely Big, Philadelphia, Forest Gump, and Cast Away respectively. He won the Screen Actor Guild Awards twice is in 1995 and 1996 for the movies namely Forest Gump and Apollo 13 respectively. He also has three American Comedy Awards in the years 1989,1993 and 1995 for the movies namely Big, A League of their own, and Forrest Gump respectively. Again in 1988 for his awesomeness acting in the movie Big he earned another award which is the Saturn Awards. He also holds the top place that is the winning place in the Chicago Films Critics Association Awards twice in 1994 as well as in 2000 for the movies namely Forest Gump and Cast Away respectively. After few years he won another award in 2002. The award was one of the most prestigious awards named the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. It was presented by Steven Spielberg. He received such a prestigious award at a very early age and became the youngest artist to receive the award. We can see his picture on the Hall of Fame of the Army Rangers in the United. He was added to the wall in 2006. Read: The 15 Best Thanksgiving Movies to Watch Online
