Tom Hanks

From ArticleWorld

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor who is famous for playing lead roles in a wide array of popular and critically acclaimed films. He is well known for his acting talent and the ability to play a variety of roles.

Tom Hanks was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California. Hanks attended Chabot College then transferred to California State University, Sacramento to study theater. Throughout college he couldn’t land a role in a college play so he went to the community theater where the director invited him to Cleveland, and so begins his acting career. Hanks ended up in New York and then Los Angeles, California, where he was cast in his first film, Bosom Buddies.

Acting Career

Most of Hanks early roles were in comedies, he later switched to making mostly dramas. Hanks is now one of the best and most wanted actors in Hollywood and receives an average of $20 million per movie.

Personal Life

Hanks is a Democrat and is vocal in his support of candidates such as Hilary Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry. He is a member of the National Space Society and is an avid environmentalist. He married actress Rita Wilson in 1988 and had two children. He was also married to Samantha Lewis; they also had two children. Hanks is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Films & Achivements

Hanks began releaseing a string of movies in the late 1980’s and hasn’t slowed down yet. Some of his biggest hits of the 1990’s include A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, and voive-overs for Toy Story and Toy Story 2. He began producing in 2000 with Cast Away and The Polar Express. He also starred in Road to Perdition, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal. He is currently filming The Da Vinci Code and The Risk Pool, both of which are scheduled for release in 2006. Hanks won Academy Awards for Best Actor in both Philadelphia and Forrest Gump and was the youngest ever to win the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award.