Early Life
Hanks grew up in several California towns and studied theater at Chabot College and California State University, Sacramento, before moving to New York to act.
Career
He rose to fame in the sitcom Bosom Buddies and the comedy Splash (1984), then earned an Oscar nomination for Big (1988). He won consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994), and later starred in Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away and The Green Mile, and voiced Woody in the Toy Story films.
Legacy
Hanks co-produced the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2014 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. He has been married to the actress Rita Wilson since 1988.
Sources and further reading
Last updated: 2026-09-24