Guide Note

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks began his career on the early 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies. Although it appeared as though he may have been typecast as a strictly comedic actor during his early career, his dramatic roles in the 1990s brought him critical and popular acclaim. He is one of only two actors in Academy history to win back to back "Best Leading Actor" Oscars, which he did in 1994 and 1995 for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump respectively. Hanks became the youngest ever recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award in 2002.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Thomas Jeffrey Hanks
2. Birth date: July 9, 1956
3. Birth place: Concord, California
4. Wife: Rita Wilson (1988-present)
5. 4 children
6. Earned an estimated $74 million in 2006

"I've made over 20 movies, and five of them are good."¹

On committing to a project: "The responsibility is to go into whatever it is full-bore. You can't have a passing interest. Because once I give them a yes, the trucks start pulling up and it starts costing money."²

"But here is my mark, and there is where I'm supposed to look, and believe me, the power and the pleasure and the emotion of this moment is as constant as the speed of light. It will never be diminished, nor will my appreciation."—1994 Oscar acceptance speech for Philadelphia³