Hanks For The Memories: As Hollywood Legend Tom Hanks Turns 65, We Look Back At His Many Roles

Jul 09, 2021 by apost team

If you can believe it, one of America’s most respected actors of all time, Tom Hanks, turns 65 years old today. It seems like just yesterday that a 32-year-old Hanks was onscreen playing Josh Baskin in the unforgettable 1980s comedy “Big.” And no matter how much time flies, moviegoers will never forget Hanks’ performance in classics like “Forrest Gump,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Toy Story” or “Castaway.” All of these films — not to mention the movies on the horizon, like an “Elvis” biopic slated for 2022 — will forever mark American culture.

Although Hanks is now considered one of Hollywood’s finest, the 65-year-old actor comes from humble beginnings. Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, the oldest of three children, was born in Concord, California on July 9, 1956, to Amos Hanks, a cook, and Janet Turner, a hospital worker. Life at home wasn’t always easy for Hanks, who had had to move with his family 10 times by the time he was 10 years old. Eventually, however, Hanks and his father would settle down in Oakland, California, where the young man acted in school plays. After a stint at community college, Hanks transferred to California State University, Sacramento. But Hanks, who at the time was acting in a variety of Shakespeare productions, dropped out and moved to New York to try to make it as an actor.

He nabbed some smaller roles on TV and in movies, but it wasn’t until “Splash” in 1984 that Hanks’ career took off. Since “Splash,” which became an unlikely hit, Hanks has become one of the most well-liked and respected actors in show business. To celebrate Hanks’ birthday, we’ll take a look back at his illustrious career, including some of his most famous, as well as underrated, roles.

Despite its ridiculous plot — a young boy falls into the ocean and is saved by a mermaid, only to fall in love with her 20 years later — critics considered “Splash” one of the best films of the year in 1984. And for Hanks, it was his biggest role yet, propelling his acting career into the mainstream. For that reason, “Splash” was a career-defining moment for Hanks, even if fans might not always remember the flick.

“‘Splash,’ an aquacade of myth and laughter, glimmers like moonlit tide. It's an enrapturing underwater romance pairing dry-lander Tom Hanks with mermaid Daryl Hannah (not an easy affair for a nonswimmer),” Rita Kempley wrote in her 1984 review of the film for the Washington Post.

Another early career hit for Hanks was Penny Marshall’s “Big,” which again had the effect of making a star out of a young Tom Hanks. But unlike “Splash,” which Hanks fans might not remember, no one is likely to forget the fortune teller machine Zoltar, which is equal parts creepy and fascinating. A 12-year-old Josh Baskin, the movie’s main character, wishes that he was “big,” only to have his wish come true the next day — Josh has grown into an adult, played none other than by 32-year-old Hanks. The movie was a hit, and it led to Hanks’ first Academy Award nomination.

“Big may well be a formula fantasy movie, but Penny Marshall's polished direction combined with Hanks's gauche charm make it the best of the spate of body-swap movies turned out by Hollywood in the late 1980s,” Peter Freedman writes in his Radio Times review of the film.

apost.com

While Hanks continues to make well-received movies today like “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” in which the actor plays Fred Rogers, the golden age of Hanks’ career was in the 1990s. Not only does that decade include “Forrest Gump,” perhaps Hanks’ most famous film to date, but it also saw the actor star in classics like “Philadelphia,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Apollo 13,” “Toy Story,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “The Green Mile.”

The ‘90s also saw Hanks win his first Academy Award for his lead role in “Philadelphia,” wherein Hanks plays a gay lawyer who hides his HIV-positive status from the law firm that he works for. The film was significant not just for Hanks’ performance, but also because it was one of the first Hollywood movies that addressed issues like homophobia and HIV/AIDS. 

“Toy Story,” which came out two years later in 1995, was pathbreaking for different reasons. The Pixar movie was the first entirely computer-animated feature film — and audiences loved it. Hanks, as most fans of the actor know, voiced Woody, while Tim Allen voiced his sidekick, Buzz Lightyear. “Toy Story” was such a success that the fourth installment of the series came out in 2019. 

“The Toy Story films accomplish what timeless classics aim for,” Hanks said of the movies. “They are full of innocent characters who face an endless trail of adventures. We all know the likes of Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and we wonder who we would be if we were toys.”

Regardless of which of the above movies is your favorite, it’s clear that Hanks has had one amazing career in show business. And the best part? Even as Hanks enters into his twilight years, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Happy Birthday, Tom Hanks! What’s your favorite Hanks film? Let us know — and pass this on to friends and family members.