Biographic - Sunday January 27, 2008 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Born in CConcord, California, on July 4, 1956, Thomas Jeffrey Hanks developed an interest in acting while still at high school. Majoring in Drama at CSU Sacramento. He was frustrated at failing to land a role in University stage productions, so he began to act in community theater. This led to an invitation to intervin with the great lakes theater in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was immersed in all aspects of acting. Moving to New York, he made his screen debut in 1980s low-budget slasher movie "He Knows You're Alone" the same year he got his big break with a lead role in the sitcom "Bosom Buddies" he went on to make appearences on "Family Ties," and guested on "Happy Days" -which led to actor-turned-director Ron Howard casting him in 1984's "Splash" The story of an ordinary guy who falls in love with a mermaid, "Splash" was a box office hit, and established Tom as a movie star. He went on to make a string of hits that included "Dragnet" "Turner And Hooch" and "Big" a $100 million hit that also earned him a first Oscar Nomination. But there were also disappointments, both personal and professional. His marriage to actress Samantha Lewes ended in divorce- they had two children together- and 1990s "Bonfire Of The Vanities" was poorly received. Tom married actress Rita Wilson in 1988. The couple have two children together. In the early 1990s, he went on a run of hits that elevated him to megastar status. "A League Of Their Own" and "Sleepless in Seattle" were followed by his Oscar-Winning performance in "Philadelphia" his next movie, "Forrest Gump" made him the first consecutive best actor Academy Award-winner in 55 years. The likes of "Apollo 13" "Saving Private Ryan" "Cast Away" and "The Davinci Code" as well as such animated fare as "Cars" "The Polar Express" and "Toy Story" movies and his successes as a producer and director, have cemented his place in the pantheon of Hollywood legends. For his first movie, he was paid the princely sum of $800. Since then, Tom Hanks movies has grossed more than 56 billion worldwide!

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