Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, better known as Tom Hanks, is an American-Greek actor and producer. Hanks is one of Hollywood’s best-known actors and he is recognized as one of the most successful actors in the international sphere for his work in both drama and comedy films.
He was born in 1956 in Concord, California and during his teenage years, he took theatre courses where he started to act in some local performances. He was awarded the prize for the best actor in his high school and soon started his career when his family moved to New York.
There, Hanks started having opportunities in TV shows and films in which he did not have a central role but in 1988 he played the main character in the fantasy comedy “Big” which made him successful and better known internationally.
He spent some years in minor roles but then in 1993 he won the Oscar for his role in Philadelphia acting as a gay lawyer with AIDS that sues his company after suffering discrimination. He followed this movie with Forrest Gump which was also a major success.
Since then he has performed in many successful movies including “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Terminal” or the “Da Vinci Code” or “Angels and Demons”. Apart from his acting career, Hanks has also produced many TV shows and films.
Hanks is also known for his activism in different spheres as he advocates for same-sex marriage, environmental protection and space exploration.