Explore the Life of Hollywood’s Quintessential Nice Guy on WITF TV

• Khamelia Henderson
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While some may know him as the kid trapped in a grown man’s body from the movie Big, others know him as the lovable and lightning fast Forrest in Forrest Gump, and others know him as the children’s TV icon, Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, everyone knows Tom Hanks as the nicest guy in Hollywood.  

Outside of being a successful academy award-winning actor, Hanks was nominated as the most trusted person in America. The trustworthy Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. During his junior year of college, he transferred to California State University until he dropped out in 1980 to move to New York City. While Hanks began his career acting in popular sitcoms like Happy Days, Taxi, and Family Ties, his big break came in 1988 with his star-making role in Big, which earned him the first of many Oscar nominations for Best Actor. His first Academy Award win for Best Actor came with his courageous performance in Philadelphia and another Best Actor win came in 1994 with Forrest Gump, a film that received tremendous box office success.

Beyond stardom, Hanks has made an impact on public awareness of space programs and was awarded the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award. He was also the first actor inducted into the United States Army Rangers Hall of Fame as an honorary member. To further add to his public service, Hanks served as the national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial Campaign and honorary chairman of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign.  

Learn more about what drove Tom Hanks to the top of his craft and how he has cemented himself as one of the best actors of his generation and the most wholesome and trustworthy man in Hollywood and America.  

Watch The Story of Tom Hanks: Hollywood’s Mr. Nice Guy Monday, December 11 at 9pm on WITF TV or the PBS  or WITF App. Livestream it for free or stream it on demand with WITF Passport.