Tom Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker who has had an extensive career in film, television and stage. Hanks made his professional acting debut on stage, playing Grumio in a 1977 Great Lakes Theater production of The Taming of the Shrew. He made his film debut with a minor role in the 1980 horror film, He Knows You're Alone. In the same year, Hanks appeared in the television series Bosom Buddies, a role that led to guest appearances on several shows, including Happy Days with Ron Howard. Howard cast him in his first leading role in the Ron Howard-directed fantasy romantic comedy, Splash. His breakthrough role was in Penny Marshall's age-changing comedy, Big, for which he garnered his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 1993, Hanks starred with Meg Ryan in the Nora Ephron-directed romantic comedy, Sleepless in Seattle. Later that year, he starred in the drama Philadelphia as a gay lawyer with AIDS fighting discrimination in his law firm. For his performance, Hanks earned his first Academy Award for Best Actor. He followed with the 1994 romantic comedy-drama, Forrest Gump, winning a consecutive second Academy Award for Best Actor (the first actor since Spencer Tracy in 1938 to achieve this feat). In 1995, he played astronaut Jim Lovell in the Howard-directed historical drama Apollo 13, and voiced Sheriff Woody in the animated film Toy Story (a role that he would reprise in four sequels).
Hanks made his debut as a director and screenwriter with the 1996 musical comedy, That Thing You Do!. Later that year, he and Gary Goetzman founded the production company Playtone. In 1998, Hanks executive produced the Emmy Award-winning docudrama miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, and starred in the Steven Spielberg-directed epic war film, Saving Private Ryan, which earned him his fourth nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Later that year, he reunited with Ryan and Ephron for the romantic comedy, You've Got Mail. In 2000, Hanks starred in Cast Away, earning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, and a fifth nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2001, he executive produced the Emmy Award-winning World War II mini-series Band of Brothers and the romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The following year, at 45 years, Hanks became the youngest person to receive the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.
In 2006, he played Professor Robert Langdon in Howard's The Da Vinci Code, an adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name. In 2008, he served as executive producer for the musical comedy, Mamma Mia!, and the Emmy Award-winning mini-series, John Adams. Hanks made his Broadway debut in 2013 in Ephron's play Lucky Guy, which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He portrayed television personality Fred Rogers in the 2019 drama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, for which he garnered nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.
Film YearTitleCredited as Notes ActorProducerRole(s)1980He Knows You're AloneElliot 1984Splash Bachelor Party1985Volunteers1986Nothing in CommonEvery Time We Say Goodbye1987Dragnet1988Big Punchline1989Turner & Hooch1990Joe Versus the Volcano1992Radio Flyer1993Sleepless in SeattlePhiladelphia1994Forrest Gump1995Apollo 13Toy StoryVoice only 1996That Thing You Do!Also director and screenwriter 1997I Am Your ChildHost1998Saving Private RyanYou've Got Mail1999Toy Story 2Voice only 2000Cast Away2002My Big Fat Greek WeddingRoad to PerditionCatch Me If You Can2004Connie and CarlaElvis Has Left the BuildingMailbox ElvisVarious rolesVoice only 2005 NarratorDocumentary 2006CarsWoody CarVoice only Starter for 10 The Queen Himself Archive footage 2007Evan AlmightyCharlie Wilson's WarHimselfVoice only 2008Mamma Mia!City of Ember2009Where the Wild Things AreBeyond All BoundariesNarratorDocumentary My Life in RuinsAngels & Demons2010Toy Story 3Voice only 2011Hawaiian VacationShort film, voice only Larry CrowneAlso director and screenwriter Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseSmall FryShort film, voice only 2012Partysaurus RexCloud AtlasVarious roles2013ParklandCaptain PhillipsSaving Mr. Banks2015Misery Loves ComedyHimselfDocumentary Bridge of SpiesIthaca2016My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2SullyCalifornia TypewriterHimselfDocumentary Inferno20172018Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again2019Toy Story 4Voice only 2020GreyhoundAlso screenplay Borat Subsequent MoviefilmHimselfNews of the World2021Finch 2022Elvis PinocchioGeppetto Otto Anderson 2023 Asteroid CityStanley Zak My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 2024 Freaky TalesHank HereRichard Young 2025 The Phoenician Scheme Leland John Candy: I Like Me HimselfDocumentary 2026 Toy Story 5 Voice only TBA Post-production, also screenwriter Abraham LincolnPost-production
Television Year(s)TitleCredited asNotesActorProducerOtherRole(s)1980 Episode: "Sergeant Bull/Friends and Lovers/Miss Mother"1980–1982Bosom Buddies 37 episodes 1982Mazes and MonstersTelevision filmTaxiGordonEpisode: "The Road Not Taken: Part 1"Happy DaysEpisode: "A Little Case of Revenge"1983–1984Family Ties2 episodes1985–2024Saturday Night LiveVarious characters10 times as host (1985–2020); 10 times as guest/cameo (2001–2024)1992Tales from the CryptBaxterEpisode: "None but the Lonely Heart"1993Fallen AngelsTrouble Boy #1Episode: "I'll Be Waiting"Episode: "The Monkey's Curse"199668th Academy AwardsTelevision special; voice role1998From the Earth to the Moon Director (1 ep) / Writer (4 eps) 2000Shooting WarDocumentary72nd Academy AwardsTelevision special; voice role2001Band of BrothersBritish Officer (cameo) Miniseries; Actor (1 episode); Director (1 ep) / Screenwriter (1 ep) We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy CompanyDocumentary2002Life with BonnieHimselfEpisode: "What If"2003Freedom: A History of US / / 7 episodes; voice roleHimselfTelevision film2006–2011Big Love 2008John Adams 2010Miniseries; 6 episodes201130 RockHimselfEpisode: "100"2012Electric CityWeb series; voice role2013Killing LincolnTelevision filmToy Story of Terror!Halloween special; voice roleDocumentary2014–2017Last Week Tonight with John OliverHimself 2 episodes2014Documentary seriesOlive KitteridgeMiniseriesHimselfEpisode: "Bosom Buddies"Toy Story That Time ForgotChristmas special; voice role2015Documentary series201688th Academy AwardsTelevision special; voice roleDocumentary seriesMaya & MartyGene the AstronautEpisode: "Jimmy Fallon & Miley Cyrus"2017Documentary seriesDavid S. PumpkinsTelevision special; voice role20181968: The Year That Changed AmericaDocumentary series20192020Big City GreensHimselfEpisode: "Cheap Show"; voice roleTelevision special20211883Episode: "Behind Us, A Cliff"2022Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music & LaughterHimselfTelevision special2023Documentary series2024Masters of the AirMiniseriesDocumentary filmHimselfEpisode: "Bart's Birthday"; voice role2025–presentDocumentary series2025Various rolesDocumentary series; voice roleCarrie Underwood: ReflectionTelevision special Billy Joel: And So It GoesDocumentary series2026World War II with Tom HanksDocumentary series2026Documentary series
Theatre
YearTitleRoleTheatreNotes1977GrumioLakewood Civic AuditoriumHamletSoldier, ReynaldoLakewood Civic Auditorium1978PollyHackerLakewood Civic AuditoriumProteusLakewood Civic AuditoriumMuzLakewood Civic AuditoriumKing JohnLakewood Civic Auditorium1979Twelfth NightFabianLakewood Civic AuditoriumJuno and the PaycockLakewood Civic AuditoriumDo Me a FavoriteHaroldLakewood Civic AuditoriumCallimacoRiverside Shakespeare Theater2013Lucky GuyBroadhurst Theatre, Broadway 2018Henry IVShakespeare Center of Los Angeles2025 This World of TomorrowBert Allenberry The Shed, Off-BroadwayAlso playwright
Music videos YearTitleArtist 1987"City of Crime"Hanks and Dan Aykroyd2015"I Really Like You""Girls Night In"
See also List of awards and nominations received by Tom Hanks
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