Tom Hanks at the Oscars 1994 for his role in “Philadelphia.” He would win again the next year for “Forrest Gump.”
With two academy awards and five total Best Actor nominations to his name, this performer is considered one of – if not the – best of his generation. Yet, while in school, he was a self-identified geek, extremely shy, unpopular, and average looking. He, however, has more than made up for his rocky start. Happy 68th birthday to Tom Hanks.
Hanks career began like many other actors: performing parts in plays in high school and in college. As connections were in the theater world, those led to television auditions. He landed a role alongside Peter Scolari in the 1981 sitcom Bosom Buddies, a show about two men who disguise themselves as women to secure inexpensive housing. Hanks TV career did not last long. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:
“After landing the role, Hanks moved to Los Angeles. Bosom Buddies ran for two seasons, and, although the ratings were never strong, television critics gave the program high marks. ‘The first day I saw him on the set,’ co-producer Ian Praiser told Rolling Stone, ‘I thought -Too bad he won’t be in television for long- I knew he’d be a movie star in two years.’ However, although Praiser knew it, he was not able to convince Hanks. ‘The television show had come out of nowhere,’ Hanks’ best friend Tom Lizzio told Rolling Stone.”
Hanks role on Bosom Buddies earned him a guest role on the immensely popular TV show Happy Days and drew the attention of up-and-coming director, Ron Howard. Howard encouraged Hank to audition for the role of the wisecracking brother in the 1984 film Splash. Instead, Hanks won the romantic lead role of Allen Bauer, a young man who falls in love with the mermaid (Daryl Hannah).
More leading roles followed. He was nominated for his first Academy Award for his portrayal of a 12-year-old boy who is transformed into an adult in the comedy Big. The true date of his stardom can be set as 1993 with the blockbuster film Sleepless in Seattle, followed immediately by his performance as a man dying of AIDS in the dramatic movie Philadelphia.
His performance in Philadelphia garnered a second Academy Award nomination and his first win. In 1995, Hanks became only the second actor in history to be awarded the Best Performance by an Actor in a lead role in consecutive years. Forrest Gump also earned the Academy Award for Best Picture, was the highest grossing US film of 1994, and second behind Disney’s The Lion King in the entire world.
“My name is Woody, and this is my spot.” The animated character even resembles Tom Hanks.
In subsequent years Hanks has been involved with innumerable projects both in front of and behind the camera as director and as a voice actor. One of his more memorable and enduring roles is that of Sheriff Woody in Toy Story and its sequels.
His work and legacy continue to the present. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:
“Hanks is ranked as the fourth highest all-time box office star in North America, with a total gross of over $4.5 billion at the North American box office, an average of $100.8 million per film. Worldwide, his films have grossed over $9.0 billion. (snip) As of January 2019, Hanks is currently voted #1 on Ranker’s ‘The Best Actors in Film History.’”
I think I first became aware of Tom Hanks in his role as Josh Baskin in Big. Although I had seen the movie Splash prior to viewing Big, I would not have been able to identify Hanks as the lead! But in Big, his every-man persona really shone through. By the time Sleepless in Seattle hit the big screen I, like so many others, was a fan.
Be careful what you wish for or you might end up just like Josh Baskin – a kid who wakes up and finds himself occupying a man’s body. Hanks embraced the role perfectly.
I find it difficult to identify just one of his performances as my favorite. But I do have a list and at the top of it is the romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle (is anyone surprised?). I covered it in a Tuesday Newsday blog several years ago: https://barbaradevore.com/2018/05/01/sleepless-in-seattle/)
Hanks with “Sleepless in Seattle” co-stars Meg Ryan and Ross Malinger in the scene at the top of the Empire State Building.
This is followed, in order, by Big, Toy Story, The DaVinci Code, and You’ve Got Mail
I share with you with this quote from Hanks and his philosophy on movies:
“A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we connect the extraordinary moments on film with the ordinary moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, ‘What am I going to do the next time I’m scared? What would it be like to say goodbye to my family for the last time?’”
As a fiction writer, this is the essence of the process one goes through. I must say, however, that it often involves hours and hours of introspection before the written word springs forth.
So cheers to Tom Hanks and all the fantastic movies he’s created both in front and behind the camera.
You can read all about Hanks long and continuing career here:
… a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. – Forrest Gump
July 9, 2019
With two academy awards and five total Best Actor nominations to his name, this performer is considered one of – if not the – best of his generation. Yet, while in school, he was a self identified geek, extremely shy, unpopular, and average looking. He, however, has more than made up for his rocky start. Happy 63rd birthday to Tom Hanks.
Hanks career began like many other actors: performing parts in plays in high school and in college. As connections were in the theater world, those led to television auditions. He landed a role alongside Peter Scolari in the 1981 sitcom Bosom Buddies, a show about two men who disguise themselves as women to secure inexpensive housing. Hanks TV career did not last long. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:
“After landing the role, Hanks moved to Los Angeles. Bosom Buddies ran for two seasons, and, although the ratings were never strong, television critics gave the program high marks. ‘The first day I saw him on the set,’ co-producer Ian Praiser told Rolling Stone, ‘I thought -Too bad he won’t be in television for long- I knew he’d be a movie star in two years.’ However, although Praiser knew it, he was not able to convince Hanks. ‘The television show had come out of nowhere,’ Hanks’ best friend Tom Lizzio told Rolling Stone.”
Hanks role on Bosom Buddies earned him a guest role on the immensely popular TV show Happy Days and drew the attention of up and coming director, Ron Howard. Howard encouraged Hank to audition for the role of the wisecracking brother in the 1984 film Splash. Instead, Hanks won the romantic lead role of Allen Bauer, a young man who falls in love with the mermaid (Daryl Hannah).
More leading roles followed. He was nominated for his first Academy Award for his portrayal of a 12 year old boy who is transformed into an adult in the comedy Big. The true date of his stardom can be set as 1993 with the blockbuster film Sleepless in Seattle, followed immediately by his performance as a man dying of AIDS in the dramatic movie Philadelphia.
His performance in Philadelphia garnered a second Academy Award nomination and his first win. In 1995, Hanks became only the second actor in history to be awarded the Best Performance by an Actor in a lead role in consecutive years. Forrest Gump also earned the Academy Award for Best Picture, was the highest grossing US film of 1994, and second behind Disney’s The Lion King in the entire world.
In the subsequent years Hanks has been involved with innumerable projects both in front of and behind the camera as director and as a voice actor. One of his more memorable and enduring roles is that of Sheriff Woody in Toy Story and its sequels.
His work and legacy continue to the present. According to the Infallible Wikipedia:
“Hanks is ranked as the fourth highest all-time box office star in North America, with a total gross of over $4.5 billion at the North American box office, an average of $100.8 million per film. Worldwide, his films have grossed over $9.0 billion. (snip) As of January 2019, Hanks is currently voted #1 on Ranker’s ‘The Best Actors in Film History.’”
I think I first became aware of Tom Hanks in his role as Josh Baskin in Big. Although I had seen the movie Splash I would not have been able to identify Hanks as the lead! But in Big, his every-man persona really shone through. By the time Sleepless in Seattle hit the big screen I, like so many others, was a fan.
I find it difficult to identify just one of his performances as my favorite. But I do have a list and it mostly involves the romantic comedy’s (is anyone surprised?).
I leave you with this quote from Hanks and his philosophy on movies: “A story has the opportunity to enlighten us, because as we connect the extraordinary moments on film with the ordinary moments of our lives, we ask ourselves, ‘What am I going to do the next time I’m scared? What would it be like to say goodbye to my family for the last time?’”
When this building opened on May 1, 1931 it was, at 1250 feet, the tallest in the world. More than that, however, it has become an iconic symbol of New York City and America.
It only took two years for the Empire State Building (ESB) to become an American movie favorite location when a rather large ape named King Kong was seen climbing the structure –Fay Wray grasped in his hairy paw – during the final scenes of the film which bore his name.
I will say that whoever wrote the article on the building for the Infallible Wikipedia had way too much time on their hands. In it there is an exhaustive history of the land beneath the building, what was there before, how they disposed of the materials from the structure they tore down, how tall the antenna on top of the ESB is, and a hundred other trivial facts.
For those who enjoy learning that much minutiae, knock yourself out. My eyes glazed over and I seriously considered consuming more coffee than I should just to get through it.
My interest is primarily on the cultural impact of the structure. From the Infallible Wikipedia:
“The Empire State Building is an American cultural icon and has been featured in more than 250 TV shows and movies since the film King Kong was released in 1933. A symbol of New York City, the tower has been named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Empire State Building and its ground-floor interior have been designated as a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and were confirmed as such by the New York City Board of Estimate. It was also designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and was ranked number one on the American Institute of Architects‘ List of America’s Favorite Architecture in 2007.”
A favorite, more recent, movie in which the ESB figures prominently is Sleepless In Seattle. The ESB becomes a main feature of the plot when Annie (Meg Ryan) watches the 1957 movie An Affair To Remember and is inspired to write a letter to the widower Sam (Tom Hanks) asking him to meet her on the observation deck of the ESB on Valentine’s Day just like in the Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr movie.
Through a series of plot twists and turns Annie decides to not go meet him but instead ends up in a Manhattan restaurant with her fiancé on February 14. As fate would have it they are seated near a window with a view of the ESB and Annie looks at the building and knows she must break off her engagement and take a chance with someone she’s seen but never met.
The movie is recognized by the American Film Industry as one of the top 10 in the category of romantic comedy movies. Although the plot is pretty obvious, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are just so adorable that they carry it off in a way that leaves women everywhere searching for a tissue.
Although I never saw the movie in the theater (it was released in June 1993 and I was kinda busy with a toddler and newborn) someone gave me the movie on VHS. Nowadays, it’s a perennial favorite on cable and if I happen to come across it, I’ll watch it. I am, after all, a sucker for a good romance.
Here are the links for the exhaustive history of the ESB and also for the three movies highlighted in the article:
With two academy awards and five total Best Actor nominations to his name, this performer is considered one of – if not the – best of his generation. Yet, while in school, he was a self identified geek, extremely shy, unpopular, and average looking. He, however, has more than made up for his rocky start. Happy 63rd birthday to Tom Hanks.
More leading roles followed. He was nominated for his first Academy Award for his portrayal of a 12 year old boy who is transformed into an adult in the comedy Big. The true date of his stardom can be set as 1993 with the blockbuster film Sleepless in Seattle, followed immediately by his performance as a man dying of AIDS in the dramatic movie Philadelphia.
In the subsequent years Hanks has been involved with innumerable projects both in front of and behind the camera as director and as a voice actor. One of his more memorable and enduring roles is that of Sheriff Woody in Toy Story and its sequels.
When this building opened on May 1, 1931 it was, at 1250 feet, the tallest in the world. More than that, however, it has become an iconic symbol of New York City and America.
It only took two years for the Empire State Building (ESB) to become an American movie favorite location when a rather large ape named King Kong was seen climbing the structure –Fay Wray grasped in his hairy paw – during the final scenes of the film which bore his name.
Through a series of plot twists and turns Annie decides to not go meet him but instead ends up in a Manhattan restaurant with her fiancé on February 14. As fate would have it they are seated near a window with a view of the ESB and Annie looks at the building and knows she must break off her engagement and take a chance with someone she’s seen but never met.
The movie is recognized by the American Film Industry as one of the top 10 in the category of romantic comedy movies. Although the plot is pretty obvious, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are just so adorable that they carry it off in a way that leaves women everywhere searching for a tissue.
barbaradevore.com 