By Wonderwall.com Editors
3:30am PDT, Jul 9, 2023
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Remember the show "Bosom Buddies"? Did you catch the first run of the TV movie "Mazes and Monsters"? Tom Hanks, who starred in both of those for-the-ages projects, long ago went on to become a certified A-list talent. In celebration of his 67th birthday on July 9, 2023, we're taking a look back at some historical photos of the biggest — and most likable — Hollywood movie star in history.
Keep reading for a nice trip down memory lane…
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Tom Hanks hasn't always been married to Rita Wilson: He wed actress Samantha Lewes in 1978 before he made it big (they're seen together here in 1983) but by 1987, they were divorced. They had two kids together: actor Colin Hanks and writer Elizabeth Hanks. Samantha lost her battle with bone cancer in 2002.
MORE: Older leading men when they were young, hot stars
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"Bosom Buddies," a sitcom with a shaky premise (cross-dressing to get cheap rent!), only lasted a couple seasons, but if you go back and watch it now, you can see Tom Hanks brimming with potential. He landed that role in 1980, and it wouldn't take Hollywood long to figure out that he could be way more than a sitcom cut-up.
MORE: See all the actors who've played Elvis over the years
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In 1984, Tom Hanks starred opposite sexy mermaid Daryl Hannah in "Splash." The comedy was a big hit, and Tom proved he had a rare talent — the ability to play a normal guy who's also a leading man. Who also gets the super-beautiful mermaid.
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Tom Hanks is seen here with Jared Rushton, the young actor who played his best friend in the 1988 movie "Big." This was another huge hit, not to mention a timeless film, and Tom scored his first Oscar nomination for his performance in the flick. Nobody plays a giant kid better than Tom Hanks. We're talking to you, Adam Sandler.
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Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who met on the set of "Bosom Buddies" and co-starred in 1985's "Volunteers," are seen here at the 1987 AMPAS Governors Ball following the Oscars. They tied the knot in 1988, welcomed sons Chester and Truman and are still going strong!
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Tom Hanks proved his dramatic chops playing a gay attorney with AIDS in 1993's "Philadelphia." Here he is hoisting the Oscar he received for that performance. Of course, that would be far from his last award.
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Let's not forget that in 1993, Tom Hanks also starred in a little charmer called "Sleepless in Seattle" alongside Meg Ryan. Here he is with co-star Rob Reiner.
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Run, Forrest, run! In 1994, Tom Hanks starred in the epic drama "Forrest Gump" — and scored another Academy Award for his performance the following year. The win was remarkable in that it made him only the second actor, after Spencer Tracy, to win back-to-back Oscars.
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Next up, Tom Hanks starred as astronaut Jim Lovell in 1995's "Apollo 13." The movie was a huge box office success, grossing more than $355 million on a $30 million budget. "Apollo 13" was also nominated for nine Academy Awards including best picture. It ultimately won for best film editing and best sound.
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Also in 1995, Tom Hanks starred in one of the most popular animated films of all time — "Toy Story" — voicing Sheriff Woody. The movie went on to earn more than $373 million at the worldwide box office and three Academy Award nominations (including best original screenplay) and spawn multiple successful sequels.
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In 1996, Tom Hanks co-starred alongside Johnathon Schaech, Liv Tyler, Ethan Embry, Tom Everett Scott and Steve Zahn in the "That Thing You Do!" The comedic movie, which tells the story of the rapid rise and fall of a fictional 1960s pop band, marked Tom's writing and directorial debut.
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In July 1998, Tom Hanks was honored with a hand and footprint ceremony outside Hollywood's famed Chinese Theatre. Wife Rita Wilson was by his side.
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Tom Hanks earned his fourth best actor Academy Award nomination for his work in 1998's "Saving Private Ryan." Tom starred as a WWII Army Rangers captain leading his squad to find a paratrooper who's the last living brother of four soldiers. The heartfelt Steven Spielberg film — one of the best war movies ever made — was also a box office hit, earning $481 million worldwide.
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A few months after 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" hit theaters, Tom Hanks re-teamed with Meg Ryan for the December 1998 rom-com "You've Got Mail." It would mark the pair's third of four on-screen collaborations.
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Tom Hanks lost 50 pounds to play a FedEx engineer who's stranded on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific following a plane crash in the 2000 movie "Cast Away" directed by Robert Zemeckis. Tom earned his fifth Oscar nomination for his work in the flick.
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In 2002, Tom Hanks became the youngest ever recipient of AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to him by Steven Spielberg.
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Tom Hanks clutched the two trophies he won — for directing and producing the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" — alongside collaborator Steven Spielberg at the Emmy Awards in 2002. Over the course of his career, Tom's won seven Primetime Emmys for his work making projects that also include "From the Earth to the Moon," "John Adams" and "The Pacific."
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In 2006, Tom Hanks starred with Audrey Tautou in "The Da Vinci Code" — they're seen here together at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The movie made $758 million at the worldwide box office, but we can't quit staring at Tom's hair.
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In 2007, Tom Hanks starred in the wonderful film "Charlie Wilson's War." He's seen here at the movie's premiere hanging out with his mom, Janet Turner.
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In 2008, Tom Hanks co-starred with son Colin Hanks in "The Great Buck Howard." Here they are together at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Three years later in 2011, Tom became a first-time grandma when Colin and wife Samantha Bryant welcomed daughter Olivia Jane.
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In 2010, Tom Hanks reprised his role as Sheriff Woody in the critically acclaimed "Toy Story 3" (he's seen here at its premiere). The film was the first animated movie to cross the $1 billion mark and was the highest grossing animated film of all time until it was surpassed by "Frozen" in 2014.
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In 2013, Tom Hanks starred in "Captain Phillips," which was nominated for a slew of Oscars. Wife Rita Wilson's dress exploded with pride on the red carpet at the film's London premiere.
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Tom Hanks chatted with President Barack Obama and fellow Kennedy Center Honors recipients Al Green and Patricia McBride during a reception in their honor at White House in Washington, D.C., in 2014.
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Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were all smiles as they attended the "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" taping in February 2015. Two months later, Tom's beloved wife revealed she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy. "I feel blessed to have a loving, supportive husband, family, friends and doctors," she said at the time. "And that I am the beneficiary of advances in the field of breast cancer and reconstruction. I am getting better every day and look forward to renewed health." By the end of the year, Rita had bounced back and felt like her health was in a fantastic place — in large part thanks to Tom's unwavering support.
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Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks teamed up again for the 2015 flick "Bridge of Spies." It grossed more than $165 million and picked up six Academy Award nominations.
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Director Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks joined forces for the 2016 drama "Sully," which tells the story of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the heroic pilot who landed a commercial airliner on the Hudson River in 2009. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed more than $240 million worldwide.
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Tom Hanks reprised his role as Dr. Robert Langdon in 2016's "Inferno," albeit with a shorter hairstyle. The movie, which co-starred Felicity Jones, was the third installment in the "Da Vinci Code" film series — a trilogy that grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide!
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Another prestigious prize! President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — one of the highest civilian honors in the United States — to actor Tom Hanks during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., in November 2016.
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In 2017, Tom Hanks starred alongside Emma Watson (pictured with him at that year's Tribeca Film Festival), John Boyega and Bill Paxton in the techno-thriller film "The Circle." The flick, which grossed just $40 million worldwide, was a rare misstep for the actor.
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Tom Hanks starred alongside fellow A-lister Meryl Streep in 2017's "The Post." Critics loved the Steven Spielberg film, which earned a slew of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations including a Globe nod for Tom for his portrayal of Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. Tom and Meryl are seen here promoting their movie at the start of the 2018 awards season during the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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In March 2019, Rita Wilson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Tom Hanks was of course there to support his longtime love, with whom he'd celebrated his 30th wedding anniversary the previous year. "Her instincts are wicked sharp, and it's more than stealing movies and rising up in the arcs of television shows and performing in hit shows on Broadway, which she has done twice," Tom said during his speech at the star presentation. "Rita Wilson has pitch-perfect taste that is equal of her formidable talents." The couple were joined by family members including sons Truman Hanks and Chet Hanks; Chet's daughter, Micaiah Hanks; and Tom's daughter, Elizabeth Hanks.
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In 2019, Tom Hanks reprised his role as Sheriff Woody in 2009's "Toy Story 4." The fourth installment of the "Toy Story" franchise was a major success both critically and commercially, grossing $1.07 billion worldwide to become the eighth highest grossing movie of 2019. The film also took home the Academy Award for best animated feature.
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Tom Hanks had big shoes to fill when he was chosen to portray children's television icon Fred Rogers in the 2019 biopic "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." Luckily, Tom rose to the occasion! The biographical drama — which was inspired by Tom Junod's 1998 Esquire article "Can You Say … Hero?" — grossed $68 million worldwide. For his performance, Tom earned Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for best supporting actor.
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In 2020, Tom Hanks starred in the war drama "Greyhound," for which he also wrote the screenplay. (This was the fourth film Tom had written.) The movie, which takes place during the Battle of the Atlantic in early 1942, is based on C.S. Forester's 1956 novel "The Good Shepherd." It received an Oscar nomination for best sound.
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While he didn't take home the Golden Globe for best supporting actor in 2020, Tom Hanks didn't go home empty handed! The talented "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" actor was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, a Golden Globe Award given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that recognizes "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."
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In 2021, Tom Hanks starred in the post-apocalyptic drama "Finch" for Apple TV+. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Tom was praised for his performance as the titular robotics engineer. He's seen here alongside his robot co-star, Jeff, at the movie's premiere.
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In 2022, Tom Hanks starred as Col. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, in the hit Baz Luhrmann movie "Elvis." He's seen here at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where the project premiered, alongside the music icon's real-life ex-wife, Priscilla Presley; actress Olivia DeJonge, who plays Priscilla in the film; actor Austin Butler, who plays Elvis; and director Baz Luhrmann. It went on to be nominated for eight Academy Awards.
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In May 2023, Tom Hanks received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University. The star also gave the commencement speech to that year's graduating class while accepting his honor. During the festivities, he was presented with a Harvard volleyball as a nod to his role in "Cast Away."
