Tom Hanks Biography Quotes 32 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, to Janet Marylyn, who worked in healthcare, and Amos Mefford Hanks, a traveling cook. After his parents divorced when he was a child, he lived primarily with his father and siblings, moving frequently around California. The constant change fostered a self-reliance and curiosity that later informed his character work. In high school he gravitated toward drama classes and community theater. He studied acting at Chabot College, a community college in the San Francisco Bay Area, and later at California State University, Sacramento. A formative step came with an internship at the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, where he spent multiple seasons learning stagecraft and acting, an apprenticeship that gave him a professional foothold and a disciplined approach to work.

Career Beginnings
Hanks moved to New York City, appearing in stage productions before landing a lead role on the television sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980-1982) alongside Peter Scolari. He made his film debut in the thriller He Knows You're Alone (1980) and picked up guest spots on series such as Happy Days. Director Ron Howard noticed him, casting Hanks in Splash (1984), a breakout hit opposite Daryl Hannah. A string of comedies followed, including Bachelor Party (1984), The Money Pit (1986), and Nothing in Common (1986) with Jackie Gleason. His first major critical milestone came with Penny Marshall's Big (1988), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination and established his deft mix of humor and emotional authenticity.

Breakthrough and Stardom
In the early 1990s Hanks broadened his range. He charmed audiences in A League of Their Own (1992) for director Penny Marshall and then paired memorably with Meg Ryan in Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle (1993). That same year he delivered a landmark performance in Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia (1993), playing a lawyer with AIDS opposite Denzel Washington, and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He followed with another Oscar-winning turn in Robert Zemeckis's Forrest Gump (1994), a cultural phenomenon. Hanks reunited with Ron Howard for the space drama Apollo 13 (1995), and began a defining voice role as Woody in Pixar's Toy Story (1995), directed by John Lasseter. With Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998), he led an ensemble that reshaped the modern war film, and he again teamed with Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail (1998). Frank Darabont's The Green Mile (1999) and Zemeckis's Cast Away (2000), the latter earning him another Oscar nomination, underscored his stature as a leading man capable of carrying both intimate and expansive stories.

Acclaimed Dramatic Roles and Collaborations
Hanks continued to pursue complex roles with acclaimed directors. He worked with Sam Mendes on Road to Perdition (2002) alongside Paul Newman and Jude Law; rejoined Spielberg for Catch Me If You Can (2002) opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and later The Terminal (2004); partnered with the Coen brothers for The Ladykillers (2004); and embarked on the Robert Langdon trilogy with Ron Howard in The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016). He starred in Mike Nichols's Charlie Wilson's War (2007) with Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In the 2010s he collaborated with Paul Greengrass on Captain Phillips (2013) and News of the World (2020), with Clint Eastwood on Sully (2016), with Steven Spielberg on Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017) opposite Meryl Streep, and portrayed Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks (2013) with Emma Thompson. His portrayal of Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), directed by Marielle Heller and co-starring Matthew Rhys, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Voice Work and Family Films
Beyond live-action roles, Hanks is closely identified with family storytelling. As Woody, he anchored Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019), helping to define the emotional core of Pixar's signature franchise. He explored performance-capture with Zemeckis in The Polar Express (2004), playing multiple characters through voice and motion-capture techniques. His credibility with audiences across generations strengthened his cultural image as a trustworthy, avuncular figure.

Producer, Director, and Playtone
Hanks expanded into writing, directing, and producing. He wrote and directed the music-infused feature That Thing You Do! (1996), then co-founded the production company Playtone with Gary Goetzman in 1998. With Playtone, Hanks helped produce prestige television and films, notably the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon (1998), Band of Brothers (2001), The Pacific (2010), and later Masters of the Air (2024), projects frequently mounted in partnership with Steven Spielberg. He and Rita Wilson championed and produced the sleeper-hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), reflecting Wilson's support of Nia Vardalos's work. On stage, Hanks made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy (2013), earning a Tony Award nomination. He returned to directing and co-writing with Larry Crowne (2011), reuniting on-screen with Julia Roberts.

Later Career
Hanks continued to balance mainstream and auteur-driven projects. He portrayed Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in The Post (2017), played a world-weary mariner in Greengrass's News of the World (2020), and wrote and starred in the World War II naval drama Greyhound (2020). He headlined the sci-fi drama Finch (2021), collaborated with Baz Luhrmann as Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis (2022) opposite Austin Butler, and appeared in Wes Anderson's ensemble film Asteroid City (2023). Beyond screen roles, he published the short story collection Uncommon Type (2017) and the novel The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (2023), revealing his long-standing interests in typewriters, storytelling, and the mechanics of film production.

Personal Life
Hanks married actress and producer Samantha Lewes in 1978; they had two children, actor Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks, before divorcing in 1987. Samantha Lewes died in 2002. He married actress and producer Rita Wilson in 1988, and they have two sons, Chester Marlon (Chet) Hanks and Truman Theodore Hanks. Through his marriage to Wilson, Hanks is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, and the couple obtained Greek citizenship in 2020, reflecting their ties to Wilson's heritage and their support for Greek causes. Hanks's brother Jim Hanks is also an actor and voice performer who has occasionally voiced Woody in ancillary projects. In March 2020, while in Australia for film work, Hanks and Wilson publicly announced COVID-19 diagnoses, recovering under medical supervision and using their experience to encourage public health practices. Known for his collection of vintage typewriters and his enthusiasm for American history and space exploration, Hanks has often aligned personal passions with professional projects.

Philanthropy and Public Image
Hanks has supported veterans' initiatives, literacy programs, medical research, and arts education, frequently leveraging his platform through Playtone-produced historical works that honor service and civic ideals. His association with space exploration runs from Apollo 13 to documentary and museum projects, reflecting a sustained admiration for NASA and scientific achievement. A frequent and generous host on Saturday Night Live, he has cultivated a reputation for steadiness, humor, and empathy, popularly earning the nickname "America's Dad". Collaborations with filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, Nora Ephron, Paul Greengrass, and Clint Eastwood, and with co-stars including Meg Ryan, Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Robin Wright, Emma Thompson, and Mark Rylance, have reinforced his standing as a trusted creative partner.

Honors and Legacy
Hanks's accolades include two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor (Philadelphia and Forrest Gump), additional Oscar nominations (including Big, Cast Away, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), multiple Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and numerous Primetime Emmys for producing. He received the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award (2002), the Kennedy Center Honors (2014), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016), and the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes (2020). Across decades, he has remained a model of integrity and versatility, transitioning seamlessly between comedy and drama, front-of-camera performance and behind-the-scenes leadership. Through enduring partnerships with Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman, and sustained collaborations with top directors and craftspeople, Tom Hanks has built a body of work that is both popular and foundational to contemporary American film and television.

Our collection contains 32 quotes who is written by Tom, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Never Give Up - Parenting - Nature.

Other people realated to Tom: Rob Reiner (Director), Alexandra Paul (Actress), Aaron Sorkin (Producer), Halle Berry (Actress), Conrad Hall (Artist), Bradley Whitford (Actor), Emma Watson (Actress), John Candy (Comedian), Sally Field (Actress), Zoe Saldana (Actor)

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