Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks - American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer

Date of birth: 07.09.1956

Thomas Jeffrey (Tom) Hanks is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. Some of the best films featuring Tom Hanks include: 'Big' (1988), 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993), 'Philadelphia' (1993), 'Forrest Gump' (1994), 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998), 'The Green Mile' (1999), 'Cast Away' (2000), 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002), 'Angels & Demons' (2002), 'The Terminal' (2004), 'Cloud Atlas' (2012), 'Bridge of Spies' (2015).

Place of Birth. Education. Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. His father was English, and his mother was Portuguese. His father worked as a chef at a local restaurant, and his mother worked at a hospital. His parents divorced when he was five years old, and he was raised by his father.

Childhood and Career Beginnings

While still in high school, Tom became interested in the stage. He participated in school productions and, after graduating, enrolled at California State University to study drama. During his university years, Tom participated several times in the annual 'Shakespeare Festival' held in Ohio. However, as soon as he received an offer from a Cleveland theater troupe, Tom left his alma mater without hesitation and went on to conquer theater stages.

Film Career

Hanks appeared in several TV series: 'Taxi', 'Happy Days', and 'Family Ties'. He began acting in films in 1980. His debut was the film 'He Knows You're Alone'. But his true 'breakthrough' came four years later when the romantic comedy 'Splash' (1984) was released, in which he fell in love with a mermaid (Daryl Hannah) who appeared in a big city's harbor.

Hanks began to be actively filmed, but it took another four years before Tom Hanks became the subject of widespread discussion again. This happened with the film 'Big' (1988), where he played a character with the body of a man and the mind of a child. The unusual plot allowed the actor to demonstrate the gentle humor and warmth that are inherent in his creative personality. The role earned him a 'Golden Globe' and his first 'Oscar' nomination. Another significant success was the film 'Turner & Hooch' (1989), where his co-star was a magnificent dog.

Despite appearing in more than a dozen films during the 1980s, his most successful roles came in the 1990s. A series of creative triumphs began with the film 'Sleepless in Seattle' (1993), where he played a single father who finds new love under the influence of his young son, and a young lawyer dying from AIDS in the film 'Philadelphia' (1993), which shocked audiences with its physiological realism and brought Hanks an 'Oscar'. In 1994, with the release of 'Forrest Gump', Hanks became a true triumphator. Playing an autistic man who lives through the second half of the 20th century and meets many charismatic personalities, Hanks transformed into a true national hero along with his character. For this role, he received an 'Oscar', becoming the second actor (after Spencer Tracy) to be awarded this honor two years in a row.

Following his triumphant walk down the red carpet, Hanks could choose the strongest offers. Consequently, several more outstanding works followed, becoming some of the best films in Hanks' career. 'Apollo 13' (1995) - a film about the most dramatic moment in human space exploration, 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998) - a legendary film that was later included in the U.S. cultural heritage list and the most notable film of the actor's career. 'You've Got Mail' (1998) - a charming romantic comedy. In 1999, Hanks starred in 'The Green Mile' directed by Frank Darabont, based on the novel by Stephen King. The actor played Paul Edgecomb, a guard in a prison for criminal elements.

In 2000, Tom starred in the film 'Cast Away' directed by Robert Zemeckis. The actor played Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems analyst who ends up on a deserted island following a plane crash.

In the new century, Tom Hanks' success did not wane. His new films continued to be popular. He starred alongside many of Hollywood's top stars: with Leonardo DiCaprio in the adventure comedy 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002), with Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'The Terminal' (2004), with Julia Roberts in 'Larry Crowne' (2011), with Hugh Grant in the historical and fantasy film 'Cloud Atlas' (2012), and with Emma Thompson in the biographical film 'Saving Mr. Banks' (2013), about Pamela Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins books, among other well-known actors.

His films were based on the novels of Jonathan Safran Foer 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' (2011) and Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' (2006), 'Angels & Demons' (2009). 'Inferno' (2016) is the latest film based on Brown's book.

In April 2017, the premiere of the film 'The Circle' took place, in which Tom Hanks starred.