Tom Hanks is probably the most likable star of his generation. No matter what role he is playing, be it a 35 year old kid or a mobster hit man, he draws you in and makes you root for him.
Thomas Jefferson Hanks was born on July 9th, 1956, in Concord, California. In 1979, Tom headed for New York City, to kick start his career. Shortly after arriving in New York, Hanks landed the lead role in The Mandrake with the Riverside Shakespeare Company. While performing Off Broadway he caught the eye of agent Joe Ohla with the J. Michael Bloom Agency. The next year, Hanks grabs the role of Kip Wilson in Bosom Buddies.
Hanks moved back to California for the shooting of Bosom Buddies. The role of a man who dressed as a woman to get cheap rent gave Hanks a boost toward his goal of stardom. The show only lasted two seasons, but the producers new that Hanks would be fine.
Tom Hanks did various guest roles on shows such as Happy Days and Family Ties. His guest spot on Happy Days is what made Ron Howard think of him for the movie, Splash, in 1984.
In 1986, Hanks took a role along side Jackie Gleason in Nothing in Common. Sudenly people began to notice he could do both comedy and drama. During the late 1980s Hanks stared in hit after hit, including Big and The Money Pit.
The 1990s started of with a bang for Hanks. Tom was steadily appearing in movie after movie. In 1993, he made his mark as a serious dramatic actor, when he took the lead role in Philadelphia, where he played a gay lawyer with AIDS. Tom won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Philidelphia. During his acceptance speech he revealed that his high school drama teacher was gay. This speech inspired the movie In & Out.
In 1994, Tom took on the legendary role of Forrest Gump. Hanks won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Forrest Gump. Hanks continued to create amazing movies, well into 2000. He soon became a producer and started making his way back to television.
Hanks and his wife Rita have produced such hits as HBO’s Big Love, The Pacific, John Adams and Band of Brothers, which Hanks wrote and directed. Hanks has been a big supporter of various political issues and private programs. He took a stand against Proposition 8, in California, in 2009. He is also a big supporter of NASA’s manned space program. In 2006, the Space Foundation awarded Hanks the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award. The award is given annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness of space programs. That same year he became an honorary member of The United States Army Rangers Hall of Fame, for his role in Saving Private Ryan.
Tom Hanks has been nominated for more than 100 awards and has won 55 of them as of this writing. He is truly a national treasure.
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