Fans on Twitter celebrated the birthday ofTom Hanksthis past weekend, as the two-time Oscar winner turned 65 years old. But only after worrying about the star when his name trended on Twitter. It seems that while some instantly knew the reason behind Hanks' name trending on the site, there were some who feared that something had happened to the beloved star ofToy Story, Forrest GumpandThe Green Mile. Thankfully, the trending hashtag was all good, and that meant that everyone could wish the legendary star a very happy birthday.
First up was his wifeRita Wilson, who took the iconic actor, and her longtime husband, on a bike ride, saying, “Riding into 65 better than ever! Happy Birthday to the love of my life! Xox.” His formerLarry Crowneco-star Julia Roberts also got into the celebratory spirit with her own message in the comments section, following up Rita Wilson’s Birthday wishes with, ““Happy Birthday to Tom!!! Love you both.”
Born in Concord, California, in 1956, Hanks made his breakthrough in cinema starring in comedy movies such asSplash,Bachelor PartyandBigin the mid to late 1980s. He has since gone on to become of the best known and highest paid actors in Hollywood, whose movies have grossed just shy of $10 billion worldwide, making him the fourth highest grossing actor in the USA. Those kind of stats don’t come easy, but when you look back at his career, then it is easy to see how he had achieved such a standing in the industry as could be seen from Films To Films' celebratory image of some of his best known roles.
While Hanks was initially known for his comedy roles, it was two drama roles that really sky rocketed his talents as a series actor. Playing an AIDS suffering gay lawyer inPhiladelphiaand the title role inForrest Gumpled to Hanks becoming only the second actor to ever win consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor, the other being Spencer Tracy back in 1937 and 1938. Hanks received huge acclaim for several collaborations with director Steven Spielberg, which includedSaving Private Ryan,The Terminal,The Postand the TV mini seriesBand of Brothers.
During the 1990s, Hanks also became well known for jumping between romantic comedies likeSleepless In SeattleandYou’ve Got Mail, to dramas such asApollo 13andThe Green Mile, but it was his voice role ofWoodyin Pixar movieToy Storythat endeared him to a whole new generation as cowboy Woody, a role that he has continued to play until the latest installment of the franchiseToy Story 4, which saw the franchise pass the $3 billion gross mark. While Hanks is now thought to be done with the franchise, unless Disney decide to produce any more shorts, it is certainly just one of his roles that will be remembered and loved by generations to come.
As well as the many genres he has worked in, there has been no type of film that Hanks hasn’t turned his talent to over the decades. He has played a gangster inThe Road To Perdition, real life heroes inCaptain PhillipsandSully, people from the industry he works in by portraying Walt Disney inSaving Mr Banksand children’s TV star Fred Rogers inA Beautiful Day In The Neighborhoodand his upcoming roles include Colonel Tom Parker in an Elvis Presley biopic and asGeppettoin the live action remake of the Disney animated classicPinocchio.
With over 90 acting roles to his credit, almost 200 award nominations and 91 award wins so far, it is not hard to see why Tom Hanks is one of the most loved and respected actors working in Hollywood, and why so many were happy to wish him many happy returns on his milestonebirthdaytoday.
