Life taught it all very soon to this multifaceted actor who, before turning 10, had already had two stepmothers and had lived in 10 different houses in five different cities, which surely forced him to develop a capacity for emotional adaptation that he knew how to take advantage of in his performances, whether by getting into the shoes of the mythical “big boy” of Forrest Gump or in that of a ranger of the army in ‘Saving Private Ryan’.
His greatest success: when he met Rita Wilson, his second wife: “I don’t think I will ever feel alone again,” said this man, a distant relative of President Abraham Lincon, and to whom he professes true devotion.
Now, who already has everything, turns 70. And that “everything” includes from one day, Tom Hanks Day, which is celebrated on the Saturday closest to April 1, to a comet, 12818 Tomhanks, which was awarded to the actor for his role in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
From ‘Splash’ to two consecutive Oscars
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord (California). When he was four years old, his parents divorced and he was left in the care of his father, a chef by profession, with whom he experienced numerous moves and changes of schools, something that, as he has admitted on occasion, left a deep mark on his personality.
Knowing very clearly that acting was his thing, he enrolled very young in theater at Chabot College in Hayward (California) and two years later at Sacramento State University.
Already settled in New York and after playing several supporting roles, director Ron Howard contacted him to Splashhis first success and with whom he became known to the general public.
His consecration came with bigfor whose performance he earned his first Oscar nomination. But they were yet to come Philadelphia and Forrest Gumpfilms with which he won the best actor statuette for two consecutive years, 1994 and 1995, becoming the second actor to achieve that feat after Spencer Tracy.
“Life is like a box of chocolates”
His role in Forrest Gump – where he plays a man with an intellectual disability who goes through some of the main events in 20th century American history – was one of the biggest acting challenges of his career, far surpassed.
His character became one of the most emblematic of his filmography and phrases like Life is like a box of chocolates (Life is like a box of chocolates), in the sense that you never know what you’re going to get, became part of popular culture.
The extraordinary success at the box office definitely boosted Tom’s career and placed him among the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.
The long series of commercial and critical successes that followed thereafter, such as Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Castaway either The terminal They cemented his position as one of the most influential and respected figures in American cinema. And with the character of Woody in the animated saga toy storyto whom Tom gave voice, conquered new generations of viewers.
Rita Wilson, the person who transformed her life
The actor, who has also developed an important work as a producer and screenwriter, has combined his film career with active philanthropic work, collaborating with organizations dedicated to medical research, support for war veterans and education.
In this aspect he has had the constant support of his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, with whom he has been married since 1988 and forms one of the most stable couples in Hollywood. Considered by the actor as one of the pillars of his personal and family balance. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if I hadn’t met Rita,” is one of his most quoted phrases.
With it he will surely toast his 70th birthday, and probably with a glass of his peculiar Diet Cokagnethe mixture of Diet Coke and champagne that the actor himself claims to have invented by chance and that he himself popularized on television, making it one of the most unique anecdotes associated with his figure.
Together with Rita, he has also established the golden rule to continue working: that the project be very good or fun. If you don’t meet any of them, you prefer to stay home.