When journalists write about the biography and work of actor Tom Hanks, they do not hesitate to use such epithets as “idol” and “god.” Indeed, the actor, with his work, talent and charisma, deserved all these words addressed to him.
The films he has starred in in recent decades have always been a hit with audiences. Now Hanks appears less often in new films, but he is trying his hand at producing. And he succeeds in doing this just as well.
Art is a life's work
Tom Hanks was born into a large family. He was the third child of four children. In addition to him, the family raised two more sons and a daughter. The boy's parents were far from the world of creativity. His father worked as a chef, and his mother was a hospital employee, but Tom fell in love with the theater from childhood.
Four children did not keep their parents from separating. After the divorce, Tom stayed with his father. From childhood, he remembered frequent moves, changing schools and new acquaintances. Due to his young age, the boy coped with frequent changes of residence without any problems. The only thing that remained unchanged was Tom's participation in theater studios. Every time he came to a new place, he always became a member of the creative team of the studio.
The young man never doubted that he would connect his future with acting, but he could not imagine that it would be so successful. After graduating from school, Tom entered the University of California at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. He sought not only to gain knowledge, but also to gain experience working on stage. To this end, he annually took part in the traditional Shakespeare Festival.
One of these festivals completely changed the life of Tom Hanks. A theater troupe from Cleveland saw his performance on stage. After the end of the festival, the director of the theater invited the young man to become a participant. Tom, who always believed that practice is more important than theory, agreed to go with the theater to Cleveland. He left the university and began the road to fame and popularity.
Personal life of Colin Hanks
The personal life of Colin Hanks is no less successful - he had many affairs, including with Rachel Leigh Cook and Busy Philipps, and in 2010 he married publicist Samantha Bryant, who became not only his loving wife, but also a good friend.
In the photo: Colin Hanks with his wife
In February 2011, Samantha gave birth to her first child, daughter Olivia Jane, and two years later the actor’s family already had two children; his wife gave Colin a second daughter, Charlotte Bryant.
Colin's father Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, are always happy to babysit their granddaughters, whom their eldest son and his wife often bring to them.
Sadly, Colin's mother Samantha Lewis died of cancer in 2002, before her son became a father himself. But he has developed an excellent relationship with his father’s second wife, who treats him like her own son and loves to babysit her granddaughters.
Difficult relationships
Tom and his father moved often. This taught him to quickly meet new people. This came in handy for the actor in his personal life. He met his first wife while studying at the university. Young Samantha Lewis fell in love with a charming young man and in 1978 they decided to get married.
The actor later admits that his first marriage was doomed to failure from the very beginning. They got married too young and everyone wanted to prove themselves. While the actor was realizing his creative ambitions, Tom Hanks' wife Samantha was raising children. During the marriage, the couple had two children.
To provide for his family, Tom took any job that was offered to him. He spent almost the whole day on film sets. While working, he missed the moment when his children grew up and became estranged from his wife. Constant filming involved moving from place to place. While Tom was no stranger to this lifestyle, Samantha refused to “roam” all over America.
Gradually, disagreements led to the fact that the couple began to live separately. Soon the divorce was not long in coming.
Nomadic childhood
The childhood years of the life of Hollywood star Tom Hanks were not happy and cloudless. “My own parents can hardly be called exemplary. I was the third child in the family, there were four of us in total, and my mother and father divorced when I was five years old. The children were divided, I stayed with my father, he worked as a cook. Then he and my mother married seven more times in total, and as a result, by the age of 16, I had three mothers, four fathers, five schools and ten houses, which changed every now and then. So I received almost no upbringing, so in my youth I made a vow to myself that everything would be different for me,” the artist admitted in one of his interviews.
Screen love
Tom Hanks first saw his second wife when he was only 16 years old. He was watching the series “The Brady Bunch” and saw a charming blonde. This was Rita Wilson. The actress did not play the main role in the series and appeared on screen for only a few minutes. But this was enough to win the guy's heart.
Rita and Tom first met on the set in 1981. They played together in the series. At that time, both were in a relationship and things did not go beyond a simple acquaintance. The second meeting decided the personal lives of the actors.
After filming several small projects, Rita's career began to decline. She was invited to participate only in small episodes. At the same time, Tom Hanks became a recognizable actor, having several leading roles to his name. Rita was very happy when she was offered to work together with Tom. For her, this meant the opportunity to return to the ranking of popular actors. But filming brought her not only popularity, but also happiness in her personal life.
While working on the film, Rita and Tom realized that they wanted to be together. Tom Hanks' wife admits that she then felt love on a cellular level. The feeling consumed her and has not let go for many years. Tom felt the same. For the sake of the woman he loved, he was ready to do anything.
Family idyll
Before starting a new family, Tom needed to resolve the issue of divorce. He had not lived with Samantha for several years; all that remained was to formalize the documents. This procedure took three long years, but when the divorce was finalized, the actor immediately proposed to his beloved.
Rita did not hesitate for a second and agreed to the proposal. The wedding took place in 1988. Many years have passed since then, but the couple admit that a complete idyll reigns in their family. They became not only spouses for each other, but also friends and helpers. They have two sons, Chester Marlon Hanks and Truman Theodore Hanks.
Tom and Rita joke that if they quarrel, it is only because of who loves whom more. But, seriously, they have repeatedly proven their love for each other.
The couple had several difficult situations in their lives, but they were able to go through all the difficulties together. And not just together, but also preserving their feelings as on the day they met.
Tom Hanks career
Early works
The guy moved to New York in 1979 to try his hand at big cinema. Previously, he managed to qualify exclusively for episodic roles in TV series. His debut work was a film called “He Knows How Lonely You Are,” which was released exactly a year after the move.
The young man gained his first serious success thanks to filming in the romantic fantasy film about the love of a mermaid and a man, “Splash.” Over the next few years, Hanks continued to appear in many films, but world recognition came to him only in the late eighties of the last century.
"Big" breakthrough
In 1988, the film “Bolshoi” debuted in US cinemas. Hanks managed to shine as a little boy who magically turned into an adult. Film critics praised Tom's efforts; he was nominated for an Oscar for the first time. Also, the first Golden Globe appeared in his collection.
Large works
It was during this period of time that many filmmakers became interested in the services of the star. He starred in the film Turner and Hooch, where he played a police detective investigating crimes together with his faithful dog. You can also note his work in the projects “Highlight” and “Sleepless in Seattle.”
Oscar-winning films
"Philadelphia".
The 1993 legal drama Philadelphia won Hanks his first Oscar. In the film, the man played a truly provocative role. This work became very atypical for the United States in the early nineties, because previously screenwriters were hesitant to make films about issues related to homophobia and the fight against AIDS.
Tom managed to appear before the audience as a young lawyer who faced obvious discrimination. The specialist was fired because of his sexual orientation and HIV-positive status. The lawyer is trying to defend his status in court in order to restore justice.
The film is based on real events, some plot elements are borrowed from the life story of lawyer Geoffrey Bowers. Hanks prepared well for this role; he lost 11 kilograms especially for filming.
"Forrest Gump".
The very next year, the famous drama Forrest Gump debuted on the big screens, based on the novel of the same name. The plot tells the life story of the main character Forrest, who suffers from mental retardation. The guy finds himself in a huge number of difficult situations, but thanks to his determination and good nature he comes out of them with dignity. The hero manages to accomplish an amazing military feat, and also become a real hero. Hanks played the role of Gump perfectly, for which he received his second Oscar in a row.
Great talent
Tom is known to the world community not only because of several iconic acting works. He managed to become famous as a film director, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. For example, Hanks can be heard in the Toy Story cartoon series (he gave the voice to Sheriff Woody).
Other significant roles
Almost every Hanks film that was released in the late nineties eventually became a cult classic. The brightest diamonds of cinema were the works “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Green Mile”. A special place is occupied by the adventure drama called “Outcast”, when in preparation for filming the man lost as much as 22 kilograms! Many movie lovers were filled with the joint project of Hanks and DiCaprio called “Catch Me If You Can.”
Hanks also played a professor of religious symbology working at Harvard University. He played the role of specialist Robert Langdon in films based on several novels by writer Dan Brown.
Awards and nominations
Hanks is one of the most awarded actors of our time. He managed to win almost all the cult awards of world cinema: Oscar (2 nominations and 2 wins), Golden Globe, Emmy and US Screen Actors Award. He was also one step away from receiving a BAFTA award a couple of times.
In 2021, Tom received the prestigious Medal of Freedom, the award was presented to him by current US President Barack Obama. In addition, Hanks is a Knight of the French Legion of Honor.
