Tom Hanks

09 July, 1956

| 1.83 m

Producer

Actor

Writer

Biography

Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born in Concord, California, to Janet Marylyn (Frager), a hospital worker, and Amos Mefford Hanks, an itinerant cook. His mother's family, originally surnamed "Fraga", was entirely Portuguese, while his father was of mostly English ancestry. Tom grew up in what he has called a "fractured" family. He moved around a great deal after his parents' divorce, living with a succession of step-families. No problems, no alcoholism - just a confused childhood. He has no acting experience in college and credits the fact that he could not get cast in a college play with actually starting his career. He went downtown, and auditioned for a community theater play, was invited by the director of that play to go to Cleveland, and there his acting career started.Ron Howard was working on Plusk (1983), a fantasy-comedy about a mermaid who falls in love with a business executive. Howard considered Hanks for the role of the main character's wisecracking brother, which eventually went to John Candy. Instead, Hanks landed the lead role and the film went on to become a surprise box office success, grossing more than $69 million. After several flops and a moderate success with the comedy Dziennik sierżanta Fridaya (1987), Hanks' stature in the film industry rose. The broad success with the fantasy-comedy Duży (1988) established him as a major Hollywood talent, both as a box office draw and within the film industry as an actor. For his performance in the film, Hanks earned his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor.Hanks climbed back to the top again with his portrayal of a washed-up baseball legend turned manager in Ich własna liga (1992). Hanks has stated that his acting in earlier roles was not great, but that he subsequently improved. In an interview with Vanity Fair,...

Movies

A young man is reunited with a mermaid he briefly encountered as a boy and falls in love with her without knowing her secret.

A detective must adopt a rambunctious dog in order to help him find a killer.

A local Pennsylvania band scores a one-hit wonder in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as they can, with lots of help from their manager.

After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.

A young couple struggles to repair a hopelessly dilapidated house.

A failed American sales rep looks to recoup his losses by traveling to Saudi Arabia and selling his company's product to a wealthy monarch.

A soon-to-be-married man's friends throw him the ultimate bachelor party.

A puppet is brought to life by a fairy, who assigns him to lead a virtuous life in order to become a real boy.

When a hypochondriac learns that he is dying, he accepts an offer to throw himself in a volcano at a tropical island, and along the way there, learns to truly live.

The equally strait-laced and "by-the-book" nephew of Joe Friday must work with his more laid-back partner to solve a mystery.

After his mistress runs over a young teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight and attracts the interest of a down-and-out reporter.

A man picked randomly out of a crowd is made the target of CIA survelliance and pursuit.

A young man, much to the chagrin of his father, becomes the new assistant to an illusionist in decline.

A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.

1962, after Yale graduation, womanizing Lawrence flees a gambling debt that his rich dad won't pay. He takes his roomie's place as Peace Corps Volunteer in Thai Golden Triangle with 2 other PCVs. Will he survive 2 years?

A medical school dropout and a housewife/mom try to make it as stand-up comedians. They become friends and help each other out at an NYC comedy club.

A successful advertising executive finds his freewheeling life crashing to a halt when his parents end their longtime marriage.