Tom Hanks is 70 years old: the path of an actor who became a true legend of cinema
Tom Hanks is one of the most famous and sought—after actors in Hollywood. He starred in many cult films such as "Forrest Gump", "Saving Private Ryan", "Catch Me If You Can", "Terminal" and others. His talent allows him to embody a variety of images — from a naive and simple-minded guy to a modern Robinson Crusoe. On July 9, 2026, the actor turns 70 years old. By this date, Izvestia recalls his life and career.
Tom Hanks: childhood and the beginning of his acting career
Tom Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California. When the boy was about five years old, his parents divorced. The three eldest children, Sandra, Larry, and Tom— went with their father, while the youngest, Jim, stayed with his mother. The family moved frequently, and by the age of ten, the future artist had changed ten houses. In high school, he became interested in theater and began participating in plays.
After high school, Hanks enrolled at Chabot College in Hayward, and then transferred to the University of California, Sacramento, where he studied theater. There he gained his first professional experience: he participated in productions, including the Shakespeare Festival. However, the actor soon became disillusioned with the teaching methods of the professors, who did not want to support the bold experiments of the students. As a result, he left the university.: He was offered to join a theater company that toured in Cleveland.
At first, the actor played in a regional theater and auditioned for television series. Among his early TV work are cameo roles in the TV series "Happy Days", "Love Boat" and "Taxi". In 1980, Hanks made his film debut in the low—budget horror film He Knows You're Alone. Then the actor got the main role in the TV movie "Mazes and Monsters", based on the popular board game Dungeons & Dragons.
The breakthrough came thanks to the sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980-1982), in which Hanks played one of two men who disguised themselves as women in order to get housing in a women's dormitory. The show lasted only two seasons, but it attracted the attention of Hollywood directors. One of the producers predicted at the time: "Tom won't be on TV for long: in a couple of years he'll be a movie star."
A shot from the movie "Splash" (1984)
Soon the prediction came true — Hanks got the lead role in the romantic comedy Splash (1984) directed by Ron Howard. He played a salesman who fell in love with a mermaid. The film suddenly became a hit and vividly demonstrated the actor's comedic talent. After that, his career took off: in 1988, the fantasy comedy "The Big One" was released, where Hanks played a 12‑year-old boy trapped in the body of an adult. This role earned him his first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
How Tom Hanks became a global movie star
In the early 1990s, Hanks deliberately chose complex dramatic images instead of light comedies. A pivotal role in his career was his role in the 1993 legal drama Philadelphia. For this work, the actor received his first Oscar.
The following year, Hanks took the second statuette in a row for the film "Forrest Gump." The image of a simple, kind guy who unwittingly found himself at the center of the most important events of the 20th century captivated both viewers and critics. Hanks became the second actor in history after Spencer Tracy to win the Oscar for Best Actor two years in a row.
A shot from the movie "The Green Mile" (1999)
After the double Oscar, Hanks finally entered the top acting league. Other iconic works from the mid and late 1990s include Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg (1998) and The Green Mile (1999) by Stephen King. Both films have cemented Hanks' reputation as an actor who is trusted with starring roles in large-scale, emotionally powerful projects. In 2000, the role of a modern-day Robinson Crusoe in "Rogue One" once again showed that he knows how to handle the entire film almost alone.
The best Tom Hanks movie roles
Tom Hanks plays both touching simpletons and complex, morally ambiguous characters with equal conviction.
The role of the naive, kind and sincere Forrest Gump in the 1994 film of the same name became one of the most iconic in the actor's career. Hanks showed how his hero, living with the country in the second half of the 20th century, remains a child at heart, but at the same time performs amazing deeds. The film allowed the actor to demonstrate a rare ability to balance between sad and funny.
In Steven Spielberg's epic 1998 war film Saving Private Ryan, Hanks played Captain John Miller. His hero is not just a fearless commander, but a man who, in the inhumane conditions of war, tries to preserve humanity, motivates soldiers and makes difficult moral decisions. Miller's image turned out to be multifaceted: it combines firmness and vulnerability, duty and compassion.
A shot from the movie "Saving Private Ryan" (1998)
In the 2000 film Rogue, Hanks played the role of Chuck Noland, an inspector at a logistics company who finds himself stranded on a desert island after a plane crash. The actor masterfully conveyed the evolution of the character — from despair and struggle for survival to a slow inner transformation under the influence of isolation. For the role, he first gained weight, and then, after a break from filming, he dropped it and grew his hair and beard. For this work, the actor received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
In the 1999 film The Green Mile, Hanks played Paul Edgecombe, the head of the death row unit at the prison. His character encounters a mysterious prisoner, John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), who possesses supernatural powers. Hanks' character goes from distrust to deep empathy, doubts, makes mistakes, but in the end remains a man of high morality.
In Apollo 13 in 1995, Hanks portrayed astronaut Jim Lovell, a participant in an unsuccessful lunar mission. The actor conveyed the tension and drama of a situation where the fate of the crew depends on everyone's composure and professionalism.
A shot from the movie "Inferno" (2016)
In the 2013 film Captain Phillips, Hanks played the captain of a merchant ship who was captured by Somali pirates. He did not show the image of a superhero, but of an ordinary person trying to keep his cool in an extreme situation.
In Steven Spielberg's historical drama Bridge of Spies, released in 2015, Hanks played the role of James Donovan, an insurance lawyer who defended Soviet spy Rudolf Abel and participated in an intelligence exchange.
The personal life of Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks was married twice. In 1978, he married his classmate at the University of California, actress Samantha Lewis. Two children were born in this marriage.: son Colin (born 1977) and daughter Elizabeth Ann (born 1982). The marriage broke up in 1987.
Tom met his second wife, actress Rita Wilson, back in 1981, on the set of the sitcom "Bosom Friends." They officially formalized their relationship in 1988. Two sons were born in this marriage: Chester Marlon (born 1990) and Truman Theodore (born 1995).
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson
The family has been through difficult periods more than once. One of them was related to the eldest son, Chester, who was faced with a drug addiction problem and was undergoing rehabilitation. Rita's illness became another serious challenge: in 2015, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In general, Tom Hanks is considered an exemplary family man in Hollywood: he rarely gets into scandalous chronicles and spends a lot of time with his loved ones.
Interesting facts about Tom Hanks on his 70th birthday
- Hanks has dramatically changed his weight for filming more than once, gaining and losing tens of kilograms.;
- The actor collects typewriters, he has more than 250-300 copies in his collection, and about 90% of them are in working condition.;
- Astronomers named the asteroid 12818 Tomhanks in honor of Tom Hanks.;
- The actor is a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney and George Clooney.;
- Tom Hanks is Orthodox, and the actor also received Greek citizenship in 2020.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
