Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks Born

Jul 9, 1956

Hanks was born in Concord, California.

Tom Hanks in his early years

Sep 19, 1972

Hanks acted in school plays, including South Pacific, while attending Skyline High School in Oakland, California.Hanks studied theater at Chabot College in Hayward, California, and after two years, transferred to California State University, Sacramento.

First Major Award

Dec 22, 1978

Tom Hanks won the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor for his 1978 performance as Proteus in Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, one of the few times he played a villain.

First Film Debut

Mar 24, 1979

In 1979, Hanks moved to New York City, where he made his film debut in the low-budget slasher film He Knows You're Alone and got a part in the television movie Mazes and Monsters.

Flops in his early Career

May 19, 1986

With Nothing in Common was about a young man from his parents who must reestablish a relationship with his father, played by Jackie Gleason. Hanks began to establish the credentials of not only a comic actor but of someone who could carry a serious role. It wasn't all that popular in the movie industry.

First Oscar Award

May 11, 1993

In Philadelphia, he played a gay lawyer with AIDS who sues his firm for discrimination against Aids. Hanks lost thirty-five pounds and thinned his hair in order to appear sickly for the role. Tom Hanks won the 1993 Academy Award for Best Actor in Philadelphia

Winning his Second Consective Oscar

Apr 19, 1994

Hanks followed Philadelphia with the 1994 hit Forrest Gump. Of the film, Hanks won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Forrest Gump, becoming only the second actor to have accomplished the feat of winning consecutive Best Actor Oscars two years in a row.

Apollo 13 and Toy Story

Aug 9, 1995

Hanks' next role astronaut and commander Jim Lovell, in the 1995 film Apollo 13 reunited him with Ron Howard. Critics generally applauded the film and the performances of the entire cast, which included actors Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. The movie also earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning two. Later that year, Hanks starred in the Disney/Pixar animated blockbuster, Toy Story, as the voice of the toy Sheriff Woody.

Tom Hanks Begins Directing, Acting, and Writing

Jan 9, 1996

Hanks turned to directing with his 1996 film "That Thing You Do!" about a 1960s pop group, also playing the role of a music producer. Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman went on to create Playtone, a record and film production company named for the record company in the film.

Emmy Award Winning "Earth to the Moon"

Apr 22, 1998

Hanks executive produced, co-wrote, and co-directed the HBO docudrama From the Earth to the Moon. The twelve-part series chronicles the space program from its inception, through the familiar flights of Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell, to the personal feelings surrounding the reality of moon landings. The Emmy Award-winning project was, at US$68 million, one of the most expensive ventures taken for television.

Hanks Best Actor nomination

Jun 20, 1998

For Saving Private Ryan he teamed up with Steven Spielberg to make a film about a search through war through France after D-Day to bring back a soldier. It earned the praise and respect of the film community, critics, and the general public. It was labeled one of the best war films ever made and earned Spielberg his second Academy Award for direction, and Hanks another Best Actor nomination.

Tom Hanks is one of the most respected Actors of all time!

Apr 22, 2013

He is ranked as the highest all time box office star with over $3.639 billion total box office gross, an average of $107 million per film.He has been involved with seventeen films that grossed over $100 million at the worldwide box office, the highest grossing of which was 2010's Toy Story 3.As of 2012, Hanks' films have grossed over $4.2 billion at the United States box office alone, and over $8.5 billion worldwide making him the highest all time box office star.