Editorial Staff
Who is Tom Hanks?
Tom Hanks is a well-known American actor and ranks among the highest-paid movie actors of all time. His performance in Splash, a romantic comedy directed by Ron Howard, made him the focus of attention. His portrayal of Robert Langdon in the films ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels & Demons’ earned him widespread commercial success and made him one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.
His instant fame was fueled by his charm and positive outlook, and he was frequently compared to the likes of Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and Gary Cooper, all of whom were Hollywood icons. He has gained recognition as an actor, writer, and director with films such as ‘That Thing You Do!’ and ‘Larry Crowne’.
Many films and documentaries have been produced by him, including ‘From the Earth to the Moon’, ‘Band of Brothers’, and ‘The Pacific’. He has been awarded numerous awards and accolades for his exceptional work, which has included seven ‘Primetime Emmy Awards,’ two ‘Academy Awards,’ a ‘Tony Award,’ a ‘Legion of Honor,’ and a ‘Kennedy Centre Honor’ over the years.
In 2020, he was given the ‘Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award’ as well as the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom.’ As a humanitarian, he has been bold in expressing his opinions on same-sex marriages. He is an environmentalist who acknowledges the need for alternative fuels, and has expressed his interest in investing a significant amount of money to promote electric vehicles. He has been a fervent supporter of NASA’s manned space program since his initial intention to become an astronaut.
| Real Name/Full Name | Thomas Jeffrey Hanks |
| Date Of Birth | 9 July 1956 |
| Age | 69 years old |
| Birthplace | Concord, California, United States. |
| Nationality | American. |
| Religion | Christianity. |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer. |
| Father Name | Amos Mefford Hanks. |
| Mother Name | Janet Marylyn Frager. |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Green |
| Height | 6 feet 0 inch |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse Name | Rita Wilson (M. 1988), Samantha Lewes (M. 1978 TO Div. 1987). |
| Children Name | Chet Hanks, Colin Hanks, Elizabeth Ann Hanks, Truman Hanks, and Truman Theodore Hanks. |
| Siblings Name | Jim Hanks, Larry Hanks, and Sandra Hanks. |
| Profession | Actor, and Filmmaker. |
| Net Worth | $400 Million. |
Early Life & Education
Concord, California, United States welcomed Tom Hanks into the world on July 9, 1956. On July 9th, 1956, Amos Mefford Hanks (father) and hospital worker Janet Marylyn Frager (mother) were the parents of him. Tom Hanks’ parents split up in 1960. Their mother and the youngest child, Jim Hanks (who went on to become an actor and filmmaker), remained in Red Bluff, California.
Sandra (now known as Sandra Hanks), Larry Hanks (a professor of entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Tom Hanks were present with their father. Tom Hanks’ family moved frequently during his childhood; by the time he was 10, he had lived in ten different homes.
Tom Hanks’ Mormon and Catholic ancestry did not stop one journalist from describing him as a ‘Bible-toting evangelical’ for a few years during his teenage years. During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he admitted to being a spaz, declaring, “I was a geek at school.” My shyness was unbearable.
During film strips, I shouted out amusing captions simultaneously. Tom Hanks attended Chabot College in Hayward, California for two years before transferring to California State University in Sacramento.
Career
The Cleveland Critics Circle honored him with the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Proteus in The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, he participated in numerous summer productions of Shakespeare’s plays, while working for a theater company in Sacramento during the winter. His dream of performing on Broadway was fulfilled when he moved to New York in 1979. He made his first appearance on screen in the low-budget horror film ‘He Knows You’re Alone’ in 1980. In the same year, he was given the opportunity to perform in the television sitcom ‘Bosom Buddies’, which received critical acclaim.
In 1982, his guest appearance on the TV episode of ‘Happy Days’, impressed co-actor Ron Howard who invited him to star in the supporting role in ‘Splash’, a comic film in 1984, which became a great hit. His performance as a 13-year-old boy trapped in the body of a 35-year-old man in Penny Marshall’s ‘Big’ (1988) was highly acclaimed, and he quickly appeared in major hits. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award was given to him for his outstanding performance in ‘Punchline’, which was released in 1988.
Playing an attorney with AIDS in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia film in 1993 was his major breakthrough. His weight loss for the film resulted in him winning an Oscar and an MTV Movie Award. He played the main character in ‘Forrest Gump’, an epic romantic comedy-drama that was based on Winston Groom’s eponymous novel. For his role in the movie, he was awarded the Academy Award. He teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the first time in 1998 and played a tough role in ‘Saving Private Ryan’, which led to him being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Hanks advanced his successful career with The Green Mile (1999) and teamed up with many renowned directors. The Golden Globe award was given to him for his work on films such as Cast Away (2000), The Terminal (2004), and The Da Vinci Code (2006). His performance in Cast Away resulted in him being nominated for another Academy Award.
‘The Great Buck Howard’ (2008) was produced by him and starred his son Colin Hanks alongside him. In 2009, he reprised the role of famous Robert Langdon in ‘Angels and Demons’, a sequel to ‘The Da Vinci Code’, which made him famous. Game Change, a 2012 film about the 2008 presidential campaign, was produced by him as the executive producer. He went on to star in films such as ‘Captain Phillips’ (2013), ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ (2013), ‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015), ‘Ithaca’ (2015), and ‘The King’s Hologram’ (2016).
He was next seen in films such as ‘The Circle’ (2017), ‘The Post’ (2017), ‘Toy Story 4’ (2019), ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ (2019), ‘Greyhound’ (2020), ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ (2020), ‘News of the World’ (2020), ‘Finch’ (2021), ‘Elvis’ (2022), ‘Pinocchio’ (2022), and ‘A Man Called Otto’ (2022). The 2023 American comedy-drama film ‘Asteroid City’, which Wes Anderson wrote and directed, featured him as Stanley Zak. At the 76th Cannes Film Festival, the film made its debut and received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Filmography
Movies
- 1980 He Knows You’re Alone
- 1984 Splash
- 1984 Bachelor Party
- 1985 The Man with One Red Shoe
- 1985 Volunteers
- 1986 The Money Pit
- 1986 Nothing in Common
- 1986 Every Time We Say Goodbye
- 1987 Dragnet
- 1988 Big
- 1988 Punchline
- 1989 The ‘Burbs
- 1989 Turner & Hooch
- 1990 Joe Versus the Volcano
- 1990 The Bonfire of the Vanities
- 1992 Radio Flyer
- 1992 A League of Their Own
- 1993 Sleepless in Seattle
- 1993 Philadelphia
- 1994 Forrest Gump
- 1995 Apollo 13
- 1995 Toy Story
- 1996 That Thing You Do!
- 1997 I Am Your Child
- 1998 Saving Private Ryan
- 1998 You’ve Got Mail
- 1999 Toy Story 2
- 1999 The Green Mile
- 2000 Cast Away
- 2002 My Big Fat Greek Wedding
- 2002 Road to Perdition
- 2002 Catch Me If You Can
- 2004 The Ladykillers
- 2004 Connie and Carla
- 2004 Elvis Has Left the Building
- 2004 The Terminal
- 2004 The Polar Express
- 2005 Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
- 2006 Cars
- 2006 The Ant Bully
- 2006 The Da Vinci Code
- 2006 Starter for 10
- 2007 Evan Almighty
- 2007 Charlie Wilson’s War
- 2007 The Simpsons Movie
- 2008 Mamma Mia!
- 2008 City of Ember
- 2009 The Great Buck Howard
- 2009 Where the Wild Things Are
- 2009 Beyond All Boundaries
- 2009 My Life in Ruins
- 2009 Angels & Demons
- 2010 Toy Story 3
- 2011 Hawaiian Vacation
- 2011 Larry Crowne
- 2011 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
- 2011 Small Fry
- 2012 Partysaurus Rex
- 2012 Cloud Atlas
- 2013 Parkland
- 2013 Captain Phillips
- 2013 Saving Mr. Banks
- 2015 Misery Loves Comedy
- 2015 Bridge of Spies
- 2015 Ithaca
- 2016 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
- 2016 A Hologram for the King
- 2016 Sully
- 2016 California Typewriter
- 2016 Inferno
- 2017 The Circle
- 2017 The Post
- 2018 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
- 2019 Toy Story 4
- 2019 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- 2020 Greyhound
- 2020 Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
- 2020 News of the World
- 2021 Finch
- 2022 Elvis
- 2022 Pinocchio
- 2022 A Man Called Otto
- 2023 Asteroid City
- 2023 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
- 2024 Freaky Tales
- 2024 Here
- 2025 The Phoenician Scheme
- 2025 John Candy: I Like Me
TV Series
- 1980 The Love Boat (TV Series)
- 1980–1982 Bosom Buddies (TV Series)
- 1982 Mazes and Monsters (TV Series)
- 1982 Taxi (TV Series)
- 1982 Happy Days (TV Series)
- 1983–1984 Family Ties (TV Series)
- 1985–2024 Saturday Night Live (TV Series)
- 1992 Tales from the Crypt (TV Series)
- 1993 Fallen Angels (TV Series)
- 1993 A League of Their Own (TV Series)
- 1998 From the Earth to the Moon (TV Series)
- 2000 Shooting War (TV Series)
- 2001 Band of Brothers (TV Series)
- 2002 Life with Bonnie (TV Series)
- 2003 Freedom: A History of US (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2003 The Rutles 2: Can’t Buy Me Lunch (TV Series)
- 2006–2011 Big Love (TV Series)
- 2008 John Adams (TV Series)
- 2010 The Pacific (TV Series)
- 2011 30 Rock (TV Series)
- 2012 Electric City (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2013 Killing Lincoln (TV Series)
- 2013 Toy Story of Terror! (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2013 The Assassination of President Kennedy (TV Series)
- 2014–2017 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (TV Series)
- 2014 The Sixties (TV Series)
- 2014 Olive Kitteridge (TV Series)
- 2014 The Greatest Event in Television History (TV Series)
- 2014 Toy Story That Time Forgot (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2015 The Seventies (TV Series)
- 2015 The Eighties (TV Series)
- 2015 Maya & Marty (TV Series)
- 2017 The Nineties (TV Series)
- 2017 The David S. Pumpkins Animated Halloween Special (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2018 1968: The Year That Changed America (TV Series)
- 2018 The 2000s (TV Series)
- 2019 The Movies (TV Series)
- 2020 Big City Greens (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2020 A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood (TV Series)
- 2021 1883 (TV Series)
- 2022 Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & Laughter (TV Series)
- 2024 Masters of the Air (TV Series)
- 2024 The Bloody Hundredth (TV Series)
- 2024 The Simpsons (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2025 The Americas (TV Series)
- 2025 The American Revolution (TV Series) (Voice)
- 2025 Carrie Underwood: Reflection (TV Series)
- 2025 Billy Joel: And So It Goes (TV Series)
Personal Life
Tom Hanks married Samantha Lewes, an American actress, in 1978. Colin Hanks, whom they had as their first child, was born in 1977, and Elizabeth Ann Hanks, their second child, was born in 1982.
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes ended their relationship in 1987. Samantha Lewes, who was 49 years old, succumbed to bone cancer in 2002.
During their time working on Bosom Buddies (1980–1982), Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks made their first meeting. On the Volunteers set in 1985, they reunited. Rita Wilson is of Greek and Bulgarian heritage and adheres to Greek Orthodoxy. Tom Hanks converted to her religion before tying the knot with her. In 1988, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson wed, and they currently have two children: Truman Hanks and Chet Hanks.
Their first rapper child was given the name Chet Hanks. In 2011, he made a rap song and appeared in several episodes of Empire and Shameless. Truman Hanks became their second child in 1995.
Net Worth
Tom Hanks has been estimated to have a net worth of around $400 million as of 2026. His wealth is largely based on his successful acting career, production ventures, and endorsements. Hanks owns a mansion in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, which was only partially damaged during recent wildfires.
