A lonely childhood didn’t stop Tom Hanks from achieving his goals. From
movie producing to Oscar winning performances as a loveable cowboy,
Tom Hanks transformation is nothing short of inspiring!
While we know him best as one of Hollywood’s favorite actors,
before he hit fame, Tom Hanks was just a little boy forced to face the harsh
reality of his parents' divorce. Hanks recalled on the "2 Dope Queens" podcast:
"My parents split up ... the first time when I was five."
The separation took a toll on Hanks and his siblings. During an appearance on "Desert
Island Discs," Hanks explained that he and his siblings were too young to understand
what was going on — and even worse, no one explained what was happening, adding,
"No one said, 'Hey listen, you guys are great. You haven't done anything wrong.'"
Following the divorce, Hanks lived with his father who didn’t make things easier.
Hanks’ father was a nomad that never really settled in one place. Sadly,
this lack of stability was the root of the young actor's struggles with loneliness.
To fight this, Hanks sought solace in acting. He’d often go to the American Conservatory Theatre by
himself, as he shared on "Desert Island Discs." Hanks described this experience of visiting
the theater alone as, quote, "incredibly important" to him and called acting his,
"Vocabulary of loneliness."
Prior to his breakout role on "Bosom Buddies" in 1980, Tom Hanks married his college sweetheart,
Samantha Lewes, and had two children: Colin and Elizabeth.
"Bosom Buddies" ran from 1980-1982, and a young Tom Hanks starred alongside Peter
Scolari. As fans of the show know, Hanks and Scolari disguised themselves as women
to live in an apartment in New York City that they were actually able to afford.
In all, Hanks appeared in 37 episodes of the series. MeTV reported that the legendary actor's
salary was modest at the time, with Hanks pulling in about $2,500 a week. The figure wasn't terrible
for the '80s, but it's just a drop in the bucket compared to some of his more recent paychecks,
including the $15 million he received for "Toy Story 4" playing the voice of Woody.
Although Hanks and Lewes would divorce in 1987, it was on-set for "Bosom Buddies" that he met
his now-wife, Rita Wilson. She appeared in the episode titled "All You Need Is Love." The show
was the first time the pair met in person, but Hanks admitted that he first laid eyes
on Wilson when she appeared as a cheerleader on "The Brady Bunch" in 1972. He told People,
"I was actually at a friend of mine's house when it aired,
and I remember thinking, 'That girl's cute.'"
Tom Hanks has had several memorable years in his life, but 1988 has to be
one of the ones that stick out most, both personally and professionally. That year,
Hanks starred alongside Elizabeth Perkins in "Big," one of the classic films that
helped launch him to superstardom. That same year, Hanks married Rita Wilson,
and they soon became one of the most adorable couples in Hollywood.
The pair have been together for almost 35 years,
and it's a true testament to their commitment, because marriages that
last that long don't happen too often in Tinseltown. The couple regularly spills
marriage secrets and they beam over one another in interviews and award acceptance speeches.
When Hanks was presented with the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2020 Golden Globes,
he got choked up as he thanked his family within the first two minutes of his speech. He shared,
"A man is blessed with a family sitting down front like that,
a wife who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is ... kids
who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is."
In true Hanks fashion, he rebounded with a
joke — saying cold medicine caused his tears and not his emotions.
During the earlier part of the '90s, Hanks and Wilson welcomed two sons, Chet and Truman,
and Hanks starred in several hits, including "A League of Their Own" and "Apollo 13." The
actor enjoyed a particularly packed year in 1993, when one of his most iconic films,
"Sleepless in Seattle," came out, making almost everyone in the world want to
call in to a radio program to find love. Hanks starred opposite the great Meg Ryan.
"If you get a new wife, I guess you'll get to have sex with her, huh?"
"I certainly hope so."
That same year, Hanks appeared in what would be his first Oscar-winning performance for
his role in "Philadelphia." The actor played the role of Andrew Beckett,
a gay man who was fired by his law firm for having HIV. He took his firm to court,
and in the process, Hanks gave the performance of a lifetime. In his acceptance speech,
the actor thanked his wife and two men who'd been a great influence on him, saying:
"I would not be standing here if it weren't for ... my high school drama teacher,
who taught me that 'act well the part, there all the glory lies,' and one of my classmates ... I
mention their names because they are two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that
I had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age."
The year after winning the Oscar for “Philadelphia”,
he nabbed another statue for "Forrest Gump."
In 1995, Tom Hanks delved into voice acting, making his debut as the voice of
the lead character Woody in "Toy Story." The movie, a stellar work of art, left a lasting
impact on the film industry, making history as the first-ever feature-length computer-animated film.
It grossed over $361 million worldwide, per The Independent. The film's success led to the release
of more sequels, and Hanks reprised his role in all three subsequent films. While he’s done a
great job bringing the Woody character to life, he admits that the role, like many others, came
with its own challenges. He delved into this in a conversation with the The New York Times, saying:
"There are times when my diaphragm is sore at the end of a four- or five-hour recording session,
just because the challenge is to wring out every possible option for every piece of dialogue."
In addition to "Toy Story," Hanks has a few more voice-acting credits under
his belt. The actor has lent his voice to such projects as "Magnificent Desolation:
Walking on The Moon 3D," "The Simpsons Movie," and "The Polar Express," to name just a few.
"Christmas may not be important to some people, but it is very important to the rest of us!"
After many years of gracing the big screen, Tom Hanks soon decided he had just as much
talent to offer behind the scenes. In 1996, the actor made his directorial debut with
"That Thing You Do!" — a comedy flick that chronicled the life of a famous pop rock band.
At the box office, the film did okay and grossed over $25 million in domestic numbers
according to Box Office Mojo. With his impressive entry into the directing scene,
Hanks only further cemented the idea that he is a man of many talents.
In 2011 — nearly two decades after his directorial debut — Hanks found himself
behind the camera yet again for "Larry Crowne," a romantic comedy where he
starred opposite actors Julia Roberts, Roxana Ortega, and Bryan Cranston.
Along with acting in and directing "Larry Crowne," Hanks also served
as a writer and producer on the movie. Although his directorial efforts have
been few and far between, we hope he'll make a return to behind the camera soon.
There were years when Tom Hanks had a few hit movies come out at once,
and 1998 was definitely one of them. That year, Hanks showed off his versatility, starring in both
"You've Got Mail" and "Saving Private Ryan," which are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum.
"You've Got Mail" was special for the actor because it meant a reunion with
Meg Ryan. The same year, he starred in the iconic World War II epic,
"Saving Private Ryan." According to NBC News, "Saving Private Ryan" was a box office smash,
earning $481.8 million, in addition to five Oscars.
Hanks even went through boot camp to star in the film, giving him a taste of what it
would be like to be in the conditions he was put in during the film. During the late '90s,
he appeared in a few other smashes like "The Green Mile." His role as
Paul Edgecomb in that film will forever be one of his most memorable performances.
"May God have mercy on your soul."
The '90s might have been a good era for Tom Hanks, but this, as it now appears,
was only the beginning of a rather impressive and successful career. In 2000's "Cast Away,"
Hanks portrayed the role of Chuck Noland, a FedEx analyst who must go through the hurdle of fending
for himself on a deserted island after the plane he was on crashed into the ocean.
With the role so excellently delivered,
Hanks earned himself a Golden Globe award as well as an Oscar nomination — both
in the Best Actor category. But while this film brought some great rewards, it took a
heavy toll on Hanks. He told Entertainment Weekly of his many solo scenes, saying,
"It was a burden. And it was a burden because I knew when the
time came there wasn't going to be anyone else to work off of."
"Fire!"
In the remaining years of the early aughts, Hanks continued to be cast in more films, including Sam
Mendes' "Road to Perdition" and Steven Spielberg's 2002 crime comedy flick "Catch Me If You Can."
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are a couple that has, through the years,
wormed their way into all of our hearts. But when Hanks and Wilson are not serving couple goals,
these two are teaming up to bring us some masterpieces.
In 2002, Wilson and Hanks teamed up with Gary Goetzman to produce "My Big Fat
Greek Wedding." The independent romantic comedy would later go on to become the
highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Given how well they worked together as co-producers, it's not surprising to learn that,
only a few years later, the couple was at it again. This time the couple produced
the 2008 musical "Mamma Mia." In 2016, Wilson and Hanks also reprised their
roles as co-producers for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2," a sequel to the 2002 release.
In 2006, Tom Hanks appeared in "The Da Vinci Code," the film adaptation of Dan
Brown's 2003 novel of the same name. In the mystery thriller, Hanks portrayed
lead character Robert Langdon. Though it was met with mixed reviews, "The Da Vinci Code"
went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2006, according to Box Office Mojo.
Nearly three years later, Hanks reprised his role as Langdon in
"Angels & Demons" — also adapted from Dan Brown's novel of the same name. In 2016,
Hanks once again reprised his role in "Inferno," the third sequel of the Robert Langdon franchise.
Speaking a few months after its release, Hanks shared that his favorite part of
playing the fictional symbologist was getting a chance to be smart.
"The gift that Dan Brown gave me as an actor is to play a guy who's always curious,
who's always opinionated and who's always searching for an answer."
But while there was an upside to acting in the franchise, Hanks was not particularly pleased
with the quality of the films. In a June 2022 interview with The New York Times, Hanks described
the movies as "hooey," adding that they were really nothing except a commercial enterprise.
Following a long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,
"Saturday Night Live" returned in April 2020 with a virtual episode that had
Tom Hanks hosting from his home. During his monologue he joked that,
since being diagnosed with the coronavirus, he's been more like America's dad than ever before.
"Since no one wants to be around me very long and I make people uncomfortable."
Despite the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Hanks had a good 2020,
with two major acting credits to his name. In July, "Greyhound" — a war flick that saw Hanks
in the lead role as Commander Ernest Krause — was released on Apple TV+.
Later in December, Paul Greengrass's "News of the World" — a Western drama — was also
released. Hanks starred as the titular character in 2021's "Finch" and in 2022
came "Elvis," the much-anticipated biopic of rock & roll legend Elvis Presley,
where Hanks portrayed the singer's manager.
With a career spanning several decades,
Hanks will always be a great example of what consistency and hard work looks like. And the
best part? His career is nowhere near over. Tom Hanks is simply not done yet!