Tom Hanks turns 70: remember the career of the "Forrest Gump" actor

Actor Tom Hanks turns 70 this Thursday (9), accumulating successful roles in Hollywood over the years. Born in California, in the United States, he began his career in college, landing his first role on television. Over the years, Hanks has received two Best Actor Oscars for his roles in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump."

One of his first successful roles was in "Being Big", directed by Penny Marshall, in which he plays Josh Baskin, a 12-year-old boy who wakes up at 30 and has to deal with the responsibilities of a newly-conquered adult life. The performance earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

In the following years, he won the statuette twice in a row due to brilliant performances, which marked generations in the feature films "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". This second one was one of the biggest box office hits in the US in the 1990s, which made Hanks one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.

As a result of this recognition, he starred in other blockbusters such as "Saving Private Ryan", "A Miracle Waiting" and the unforgettable "Cast Away".

The actor's success also extended to the world of animation. One of Hanks' most celebrated roles is as the voice of famous cowboy Woody, protagonist of the "Toy Story" franchise. One of Disney Pixar's first productions, the film became a children's classic in the 2000s and, to this day, is one of the most acclaimed films of its career.

He returned to the role in 2026 to play the toy in "Toy Story 5", which has already accumulated more than R$336.8 million at the box office and attracted more than 10 million viewers, in Latin America alone.

Personal life and unusual hobbies
The actor is the father of Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks, the result of his first marriage to Susan Dillingham, from whom he separated in 1986. In 1988, he remarried to Rita Wilson, with whom he had two more children: Chet Hanks, 35, and Truman Hanks, 30. The two followed in their parents' footsteps and acted in TV shows and films. Truman even played a young version of his own father's character in "The Worst Neighbor in the World", released in 2022.

Hanks is also known for cultivating unusual hobbies and collections. Since the 1980s, simultaneously with the beginning of his collection of illustrious roles, the actor began a collection of typewriters. The first model he acquired was a Hermes 2000, the first of more than 100 that make up the set today. Over the years, he has accumulated some rarities, such as an Underwood, inherited from his father, an Olympia Model SM8, the Royal "Apollo 10", an LC Smith Corona, an IBM Selectric I and the Hermes 3000.

In 2022, the actor launched the coffee brand Hanks Coffee For Our Troops, whose profits are donated to institutions that support war veterans and their families. According to People magazine, the money raised will fund mental health, career transition and family assistance services through renowned US organizations such as the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Headstrong, Hire Heroes USA and Student Veterans of America.

The actor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Barack Obama, one of the highest honors from the American government. Hanks demonstrated a great interest in the history of the formation of the United States and, as a result, became close to director Steven Spielberg, with whom he produced three miniseries about the history of war in the United States. He was cast as President Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln in the Bardo", an adaptation of a novel about the country's Civil War.

Tom Hanks worked for Cher when he was a hotel employee

Source: CNN