Tom Hanks

Biography: Hanks' career track is the stuff of showbiz legend. After two seasons on the silly sitcom Bosom Buddies (in drag, no less), the affable actor came to prominence with the 1984 romantic comedy Splash. Then a string of big-screen flops (Turner & Hooch, The Money Pit and Bonfire of the Vanities, to name just a few) tarnished Hanks' reputation. Aside from his Oscar-nominated turn as an overgrown kid in 1988 dramedy Big---as well as an underrated performance in the stand-up comedy drama Punchline that same year---he seemed washed up by the early '90s. But by mid-decade, Hanks had finally scored a slew of commercial and critical hits, earning two successive Oscars (as a gay lawyer dying of AIDS in 1993's Philadelphia and as a mentally challenged man in 1994's Forrest Gump), along with the respect of his peers, the public's love and a hefty per-project pay raise. Dubbed a latter-day James Stewart because of his everyman likability, the actor was careful to avoid typecasting. AlthoughHanks' career track is the stuff of showbiz legend. After two seasons on the silly sitcom Bosom Buddies (in drag, no less), the affable actor came to prominence with the 1984 romantic comedy Splash. Then a string of big-screen flops (Turner & Hooch, The Money Pit and Bonfire of the Vanities, to name just a few) tarnished Hanks' reputation. Aside from his Oscar-nominated turn as an overgrown kid in 1988 dramedy Big---as well as an underrated performance in the stand-up comedy drama Punchline that same year---he seemed washed up by the early '90s. But by mid-decade, Hanks had finally scored a slew of commercial and critical hits, earning two successive Oscars (as a gay lawyer dying of AIDS in 1993's Philadelphia and as a mentally challenged man in 1994's Forrest Gump), along with the respect of his peers, the public's love and a hefty per-project pay raise. Dubbed a latter-day James Stewart because of his everyman likability, the actor was careful to avoid typecasting. Although Hanks played plenty of heroes (including Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story franchise), they were usually complicated and flawed, and he never portrayed outright villains---though his turn as a mob enforcer in the 2002 period drama Road to Perdition came close. He also branched out into writing, producing and directing with the 1996 feature That Thing You Do! and, a few years later, the Emmy-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers. The quintessential nice guy counted several A-list directors among his friends/fans, and he collaborated multiple times with Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, The Pacific, Bridge of Spies) and Ron Howard (Splash, Apollo 13, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Inferno). Hanks also distinguished himself from other megastars by staying in the spotlight but out of the tabloids, with a stable off-screen life with his actor wife, Rita Wilson, and their children. Expand

Tom Hanks' Scores

Average career score: 61
Highest Metascore: 96 Toy Story
Lowest Metascore: 27 The Bonfire of the Vanities
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 78
  2. Negative: 9 out of 78
78 movie reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
78 Apollo 13 Jun 30, 1995 Jim Lovell 8.0
82 Forrest Gump Jul 6, 1994 Forrest Gump 7.9
66 Philadelphia Dec 23, 1993 Andrew Beckett 7.7
72 Sleepless in Seattle Jun 25, 1993 Sam Baldwin 7.1
69 A League of Their Own Jul 1, 1992 Jimmy Dugan / Jimmy Dugan 7.7
27 The Bonfire of the Vanities Dec 21, 1990 Sherman McCoy 3.5
45 Joe Versus the Volcano Mar 9, 1990 Joe / Joe 5.5
36 Turner & Hooch Jul 28, 1989 Scott Turner / Scott Turner 8.3
45 The 'Burbs Feb 17, 1989 Ray Peterson / Ray Peterson / Ray Peterson tbd
52 Punchline Oct 7, 1988 Steven Gold 6.8
73 Big Jun 3, 1988 Josh Baskin / Josh Baskin tbd
62 Dragnet Jun 26, 1987 Streebek 6.1
44 Every Time We Say Goodbye Nov 14, 1986 David tbd
62 Nothing in Common Jul 30, 1986 David Basner 7.3
49 The Money Pit Mar 26, 1986 Walter Fielding / Walter Fielding / Walter Fielding tbd
55 Volunteers Aug 16, 1985 Lawrence Bourne III / Lawrence Bourne III 5.5
31 The Man with One Red Shoe Jul 19, 1985 Richard 4.5
56 Bachelor Party Jun 29, 1984 Rick Gassko / Rick Gassko 6.4
71 Splash Mar 9, 1984 Allen Bauer 7.5
41 He Knows You're Alone Aug 29, 1980 Elliot tbd