Tom Hanks Fun Facts, Quotes and Tweets
21st March 2017
Fact: Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Tracey Morgan are among the stars set to take part in a New York fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union. Mad Men star Jon Hamm and comedienne Amy Poehler will also appear at the Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU event, which will stream live on Facebook on 31 March (17). Money raised at the bash will benefit the non-profit organisation as officials "fight even harder to defend the rights guaranteed by our Constitution," particularly in light of new U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial policies, particularly regarding immigration.
27th October 2016
Quote: "I'm gonna go with imitation is the sincerest form of flattery approach! Tom does that on the set once in a while, he sneaked it in a couple of times, and he actually emailed me and he said, 'Brace yourself, Ron! I'm doing a whole sketch as you! It's irresistible!' I got a huge kick out of it, I will admit that." Ron Howard was tickled by his longtime collaborator Tom Hanks' impression of the filmmaker on last weekend's Saturday Night Live, which the actor hosted.
11th October 2016
Fact: Tom Hanks will be honoured with the Hollywood Actor Award for his work on the biopic Sully at the 2016 Hollywood Film Awards. The Oscar winner portrayed Miracle on the Hudson pilot Chesley Sullenberger in Clint Eastwood's take on the real-life 2009 drama, during which the airline captain had to make an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River, saving the lives of the 115 passengers and crew members on board.
10th October 2016
Quote: “People say, ‘Jeez, it must be hard to stay married in showbusiness. I think it’s hard to stay married anywhere, but if you marry the right person, it might work out. We give each other a natural sense of support for whatever the other wants to pursue. Our marriage doesn’t require vast work. We have been married 28 years and dig each other a lot." Tom Hanks sweetly describes how happy he is after nearly 30 years with wife Rita Wilson.
9th October 2016
Fact: Emily Blunt and Tom Hanks are the latest stars to be announced as upcoming Saturday Night Live hosts. The Girl on the Train actress will make her hosting debut on the late-night show on 15 October (16), alongside musical guest Bruno Mars. Meanwhile, Hanks will return to host Saturday Night Live on 22 October, with Lady Gaga, 10 years after he last fronted the comedy show.
29th September 2016
Quote: "I played a guy who made out with her and a guy she gave birth to. She is an absolute stone-cold genius." Tom Hanks pays tribute to his Punchline girlfriend and Forrest Gump mum Sally Field.
12th September 2016
Fact: American Airlines, who worked with Clint Eastwood on his new drama Sully, said the critically-acclaimed movie will not be available to passengers on in-flight entertainment. The film stars Tom Hanks as Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger , who successfully landed the disabled US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009, saving the lives of all of the 155 passengers and crew on board. The airline worked with the filmmakers extensively on the project, but said it won't be shown to future American Airlines passengers "because of the subject matter".
8th September 2016
Quote: "Castaway was ahead of its time. You go to Brooklyn now and everybody's wearing those Castaway beards. That's the trailblazer I am. Coming up next - acid wash bleached white hair. All the kids are gonna be doing it!" Tom Hanks jokes about his extreme hairstyle in the island film and his newer silver-haired look in plane drama Sully.
7th September 2016
Quote: "I love you, sweetie! Sweetie, I love you. I'll find you. I'll wait for you. I'll meet you in the park. Let's have hot dogs at that thing by the place with the deal, and we'll get to know each other again." Tom Hanks jokes about catching up with his frequent co-star Meg Ryan after they were both booked as guests on U.S. breakfast show Good Morning America on Tuesday (06Sep16), but were kept in different interview areas.
6th September 2016
Quote: "My wife is so sick of the moustache era of his career. It's like the first question she asks: 'Honey, I'm gonna start a job in about six weeks.' She says, 'Does this mean you're gonna have to grow facial hair again?'." Tom Hanks admits his wife Rita Wilson is not a fan of his movie moustaches, like the one he models in new movie Sully, in which he portrays real-life hero pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger.
29th August 2016
Quote: "It's not easy to get white hair, really. White hair has to be bleached, burn-washed. If you want to make your mustache white, you have to pull it out, hair by hair, stretch it out, and with a little tiny paint brush, paint against the grain of the hair." Tom Hanks on how difficult it was to perfect his look as hero pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger for Clint Eastwood's new movie Sully.
22nd May 2016
Fact: Tom Hanks has been awarded with the prestigious Legion d'Honneur Medal in Paris, the highest French order for military and civil merits. The Bridge of Spies star was joined by wife Rita Wilson, along two of his children, at the glamorous ceremony in Paris, France, on Friday (20May16). The honour, which was awarded to Tom at the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur in the capital, was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
26th April 2016
Quote: "I put 100 quid (pounds) on Leicester, so I think I'll do OK." Tom Hanks shows off his English soccer knowledge by joking he bet on outsiders Leicester City to win the Premiership league title at the beginning of the season last year (15), when the team was given odds to win it all at 5,000-1. The squad is just three games away from doing just that.
24th November 2015
Quote: "I want to play a villain in a James Bond film. I want to be the guy who says, 'Before I kill you, Mr Bond, perhaps you would like a tour of our installation, where the vents are wide enough for a man to crawl through. Unfortunately, you will not have that opportunity, Mr Bond'. I want to be that guy." Tom Hanks wants to challenge fans by playing a 007 villain.
8th October 2015
Fact: Tom Hanks has reunited a Fordham University student with her lost identity card after finding it in New York City's Central Park on Tuesday (06Oct15). The movie star appealed to the girl named 'Lauren' via Twitter to contact him so he could return the missing ID, and on Wednesday (07Oct15), he had the card delivered to her apartment. An accompanying note read: "Lauren - Hold onto this!".
29th September 2015
Quote: "I studied the divinity. I studied as a minister for nearly $35. Out of that I have a certificate that makes me available for weddings." Tom Hanks on officiating at pal Allison Williams' recent wedding.
19th May 2015
Fact: Tom Hanks whipped out a selfie stick during his final interview with departing U.S. TV host DAVID LETTERMAN on Monday (18May15) to take a photo of the old pals on the set of The Late Show together one last time. Letterman will wrap up his 33-year stint as presenter with a final show on Wednesday (20May15), which will serve as a tribute to his legacy. Bill Murray will be his final official guest on Tuesday night's (19May15) show, which will also feature a performance from Bob Dylan.
16th March 2015
Tweet: "A guy named Tony found my credit card on the street in NYC and returned it! Tony! You make this city even greater! Thanx (sic)." Tom Hanks had a Friday the 13th (13Mar15) to be grateful for after his lost credit card was returned to him by an honest New Yorker.
5th March 2015
Quote: "There was a hummingbird in one of the tents, and I saw a man grab a broom, and I guess he was trying to move the tent so the bird could run free. But in my mind - and I may have had a cocktail or two - I thought he was going to attack the bird with the broom. So I ran over to him and grabbed his arm, and I was like, 'Don't hurt the bird!' and he turns around and I was like, 'Tom Hanks!'" Pop star Carly Rae Jepsen had an embarrassing run-in with actor Tom Hanks while filming the music video for her new song, I Really Like You.
2nd March 2015
Quote: "He actually kind of offered. It's a strange, long story." Carly Rae Jepsen stops short of revealing why Tom Hanks offered up his services as the star of the singer's new music video, I Really Like You, alongside Justin Bieber. The unlikely trio shot the promo on the streets of New York City last month (Feb15).
26th February 2015
Quote: "I can't honestly say I love to hear some of the language in it but that's not just his stuff, that's a lot of other people's as well." Hollywood actor Tom Hanks is not a fan of rap lyrics, including those penned by his hip-hop star son, Chet Haze.
18th February 2015
Fact: British actress Felicity Jones has joined Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard by landing a part in Inferno, the third big screen adaptation of author Dan Brown's mystery thrillers. The Theory of Everything star has reportedly been cast as Dr. Sienna Brooks, who helps Harvard symbologist Professor Robert Langdon, played by Hanks, piece together his memories after suffering amnesia. Inferno is slated to hit cinemas in 2016.
6th February 2015
Fact: Tom Hanks enjoyed a crazy reunion at a New York Rangers ice hockey game on Wednesday night (04Feb15) when a fan tossed him a volleyball that had been painted to look like his Castaway 'castmate' Wilson. The magic moment was caught on camera and beamed onto Madison Square Garden's jumbo-tron screen. It has since gone viral on social media. In the hit film, Hanks played a FedEx employee stranded on an island in the South Pacific after a plane crash, who befriends a blood-stained volleyball, he christens Wilson.
2nd February 2015
Fact: Sir Paul McCartney, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Justin Timberlake have been tapped to appear on the upcoming star-studded 40th anniversary special for U.S. sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. The live Tv event will air in America on 15 February (15).
27th November 2014
Fact: Tom Hanks and his actress wife Rita Wilson are to co-host the 92nd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington, D.C. next week (04Dec14). The Hollywood couple will oversee the countdown to Christmas event, which will feature performances from Ne-Yo, Steve Miller, Patti LaBelle, Nico & Vinz and Wilson herself, among others.
1st October 2014
Fact: A small screen adaptation of Tom Hanks' 1988 film Big is in development. The show will be based on the movie and will centre on what it means to be an adult and child in today's world. Hanks' film has grossed $151 million (Gbp94.4 million) worldwide since its release. A Broadway musical adaptation hit the New York stage in 1996.
12th August 2014
Tweet: "Let's remember the fiery genius, the long, long strings of laughter, the awe at the energy and the performances that lit up the room, the screen, the world. Let's remember Robin Williams." Tom Hanks remembers his good friend Robin Williams following the funnyman's death.
16th April 2014
Quote: "I have incredibly light-sensitive eyes and whenever I go it's always, like, this stressful moment for me because all of the light bulbs go off, like, kind of at the same time and it's, like, this intense bright light that kind of makes my eyes water and sort of gives me vertigo at times, and I get really stressed out." Tom Hanks' actor son Colin isn't as comfortable at red carpet events as his dad.
17th February 2014
Tweet: "Barkhad Abdi! BAFTA winner! He Is the captain now! Somali champion!!!" Tom Hanks salutes his Captain Phillips co-star after he picked up the Best Supporting Actor award at the Baftas in London on Sunday (16Feb14).
14th February 2014
Tweet: "Rocky on B'Way knocked me out! Danny Mastrogiorgio as Paulie? A Must see!" Tom Hanks gives the new Rocky musical a big thumbs up.
7th February 2014
Fact: Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise and Mykelti Williamson had a low-key Forrest Gump 20th anniversary reunion earlier this week (beg03Feb14). Hanks posted a shot of the trio on his WhoSay.com account along with a caption that read: "Hadn't seen these old friends for too long."
13th January 2014
Quote: "Any time they cut to Tom Hanks for a reaction shot, do five push-ups and you'll be ripped by the end of the ceremony." Golden Globes co-host Tina Fey feels sure Hanks will figure high at Sunday night's (12Jan14) prizegiving.
12th December 2013
Quote: “I’m honoured. The Hfpa (Hollywood Foreign Press Association puts on a good party and I am happy to be invited." Tom Hanks is glad to be invited to the Golden Globes as an award nominee. The movie star picked up a Best Actor nod for his role in high seas drama Captain Phillips on Thursday morning (12Dec13).
12th December 2013
Fact: Tom Hanks helped U.S. chat show host Ellen Degeneres spread the holiday cheer on Wednesday (11Dec13), as he surprised the audience with presents worth more than $3,000 (£1,834) during the comedienne's annual 12 Days of Giveaways extravaganza. The Oscar winner assisted DeGeneres by giving every member of the audience gift cards to various stores, as well as a stay at a spa resort in Las Vegas.
11th December 2013
Quote: "He went immediately to a megaphone and called out: 'Everybody stop what you're doing! We're going to sing Happy Birthday!'... And the little girl had a birthday she will never forget because Tom Hanks sang at the top of his lungs... Happy Birthday to her at Disneyland on Main Street." Saving Mr. Banks director John Lee Hancock reveals his star Tom Hanks gave an eight-year-old extra a birthday surprise by having the cast and crew sing to her on set.
12th November 2013
Quote: "There was one point where, let's just say that I had put on some weight. My son had just been born and I was carrying him around, and the headline was 'Forrest Plump'. I did not laugh because it was far too accurate." Tom Hanks, who usually escapes tabloid fodder, recalls a cutting gossip magazine headline that he did not find amusing.
6th November 2013
Fact: Tom Hanks and his Saving Mr. Banks co-stars are set to stage a sing-a-long of Disney tunes at California's the Polo Lounge on Friday (08Nov13) to celebrate the upcoming release of the Mary Poppins back story. Oscar-winning songwriter Richard M. Sherman will play the piano as 150 guests join in the bash to sing Poppins classics like Chim Chim Cher-ee, according to the New York Post.
22nd October 2013
Quote: "We were in Washington, D.C. on Halloween, and it just so happened Arnold Schwarzenegger was in town doing True Lies... So me and my kids, Sean Penn and Robin (Wright) and their kids and Arnold and his kids went out trick or treating together, in Georgetown. If anyone was to come out of their house to see who’s on the sidewalk, they’re going to win the celebrity lottery here." Tom Hanks recalls a celebrity Halloween night out.
11th October 2013
Quote: "He visited me in my house in Vermont a few times... I think he did a very good job." Tom Hanks' performance in pirate kidnapping drama Captain Phillips has been given the official seal of approval by the real-life subject of his new movie, heroic sea captain Richard Phillips.
10th October 2013
Quote: "I would be a park ranger, I would literally be the guy who says, 'Hey everybody, let me tell you the history of our national parks. I would be a guy at a historical place, that would be the greatest job in the world for me." Tom Hanks would be in his element out in the wild if he wasn't a Hollywood superstar.
2nd October 2013
Fact: Tom Hanks' actor son Colin has joined the cast of the Tv revamp of cult Coen Brothers movie Fargo. He will play a police deputy in the 10-episode series, inspired by the 1996 film, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman have previously been cast as characters portrayed on the big screen by Steve Buscemi and William H. MACy.
30th September 2013
Quote: "This was a very environmental movie. The ship we were shooting on was loaded with all the inconveniences of being on a ship at sea. The engine room stank and there were a lot of rusty things that you could bonk your head on." Tom Hanks had to get used to filming in difficult conditions and close quarters for real-life pirate hostage drama Captain Phillips.
26th September 2013
Quote: "It was a very unique experience to be shooting that first take. It was loud and scary and intimidating. I mean, we all looked like fat, middle-aged, lazy white guys. And in came the skinniest, scariest-looking human beings on the planet." Tom Hanks on his first scenes with the Somalian actors who played real-life pirates in his new movie Captain Phillips.
26th September 2013
Fact: Barkhad Abdi, the African actor who plays a Somalian pirate in Tom Hanks' new movie Captain Phillips has formed a band with rapper Yung Yubi.
25th September 2013
Quote: "You think, 'They're bad guys and they have machine guns and they're thugs...' (but) all the riches of global commerce (are) literally floating by a country that has completely fallen apart, where corruption and violence rule the day, in which famine is truly a part of life. Some of these pirates have no fear, because what's their option? To quietly live in this country that (has) fallen deeply into chaos?" Tom Hanks admits he can understand the desperation of Somalian pirates, like the ones his seaman character experiences in new movie Captain Phillips.
20th September 2013
Quote: "The actors who play them all live in Minneapolis... They’re part of a Somali community up there. When I met them, I never felt more like an out-of-shape, middle-aged white man in my life." Tom Hanks on the men who portray Somali pirates in new movie Captain Phillips.
1st August 2013
Fact: Tom Hanks will open the upcoming British Film Institute London Film Festival with the European premiere of his new drama Captain Phillips. The festival in the U.K. capital kicks off in October (13).
12th July 2013
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks has taken to Twitter.com to show off a photo of his new baby granddaughter Charlotte. The star posted an image of the little girl's feet on the site and wrote, "Less than a month old. New Grand daughter. Will rule world @ year 2033." His son, Colin Hanks, welcomed his second child with wife Samantha on 2 July (13).
16th May 2013
Quote: "Trust me with what? With a button? ...With their lives? What did I do exactly in honour to earn this?" Movie star Tom Hanks has no idea why Reader's Digest editors voted him America's most trusted celebrity. The actor topped the recent poll, followed by Sandra Bullock in second place and Denzel Washington in third.
15th May 2013
Quote: "Broadway is the best venue to be an actor in the world, the Broadway stage. (But) you know what's a drag on Broadway? You don't get to see other people's shows." Tom Hanks is keen to return to the New York stage once his current, Tony-nominated run in Lucky Guy comes to an end in July (13).
30th April 2013
Tweet: "Today is @tomhanks and my 25th wedding anniversary. Ever so blessed to spend my life with this man." Actress Rita Wilson celebrates a big milestone with her actor husband Tom Hanks on Tuesday (30Apr13).
3rd April 2013
Quote: "I have this strange sort of excitement seeing my husband onstage. Nothing weird, but something about that moustache reminds me of Tom Selleck." Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson likes the moustache the actor is sporting for his role in Broadway play Lucky Guy.
14th March 2013
Fact: Tom Hanks will pay tribute to his late friend, director Nora Ephron, at next month's (Apr13) Women in the World Summit. The actor, who is currently starring on Broadway in previews of her play Lucky Guy, will discuss the magic of the filmmaker in front of a star-studded audience, including Oprah Winfrey, Meryl Streep and Eva Longoria. Ephron died last year (12).
7th January 2013
Fact: Actress Maura Tierney is set to make her Broadway debut as Tom Hanks' wife in an upcoming production of Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy. The Good Wife star will take her first bow at the Broadhurst Theatre on 1 March (13).
5th November 2012
Quote: "Even though I'm not Jewish, in my mind I atoned a little for the big mix-ups... I'm a jerk sometimes, and I don't see my kids enough, and I can be... gruff." Tom Hanks on how he spent Jewish holy day Yom Kippur in September (12).
30th October 2012
Quote: "She hates it. You have facial hair in some movies and she goes, 'Really...?' I've gotta pin her down." Tom Hanks reveals his wife Rita Wilson hates it when he has to grow facial hair for a movie role.
30th October 2012
Fact: Tom Hanks poked fun at James Bond during a recent taped appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in America - he pretended to be a stuffed rabbit-stroking villain called Thorax, while the host impersonated Sean Connery's 007.
26th October 2012
Tweet: "He sings much better than his old man!" 'Tom Hanks on his actor son Colin's rendition of baseball anthem Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 'seventh-inning stretch' of Game 2 of the World Series in San Francisco, California on Thursday night (25Oct12).
23rd October 2012
Quote: "Working with Tom has helped me to learn - seeing how he does it all with his amazing kids. I'm learning all the time. My daughter is four years old. I have to put food on the table so I have to work but I am still trying to figure out that balance of being a mother and still having a career." Actress Halle Berry picked up parenting tips from her Cloud Atlas co-star Tom Hanks.
18th October 2012
Quote: "Someone raised Halle right. She is gentle, peaceful, and polite. And those eyes of hers make you say, 'Golly, gosh, ma'am', as your heart races a little." Tom Hanks was mesmerised by his Cloud Atlas co-star Halle Berry.
18th October 2012
Quote: "It's a little piece of video that is going to be shown in my memorial - when I am dead." Tom Hanks is convinced his stint as a weatherman during a June 2011 appearance on Spanish-language Tv channel Univision's Despierta America will be one 'role' he'll be remembered for.
12th September 2012
Tweet: "Michael Clarke Duncan - a man not larger than, but just as big as Life itself. His 'Home Going' was a celebration, an inspiration." Tom Hanks remembers his The Green Mile co-star after he was laid to rest following his funeral on Monday (10Sep12).
11th July 2012
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks received an extra special treat for his 56th birthday on Monday (09Jul12) - New York Governor George Pataki delivered the star a box of chocolates and a can of Dr. Pepper while he dined at hotspot Marea with pals Martin Short and Steve Martin. The odd gesture was a nod to his role in the movie Forrest Gump. Appreciative Hanks, who attended Nora Ephron's memorial service earlier in the day, stood up and waved, shouting, "You have my vote".
9th April 2012
Quote: "I write letters and notes on them. Nothing beats getting a typewritten note." Tom Hanks insists he uses his collection of typewriters. The actor has collected more than 100 over the years.
16th March 2012
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks has voiced a new campaign film in support of U.S. President Barack Obama. The 17-minute documentary, entitled The Road We've Travelled, chronicles the politician's first three years in office as he prepares to seek re-election for another four-year term.
15th March 2012
Fact: Tom Hanks has given U.S. leader Barack Obama a big boost as he campaigns for re-election as President - the Forrest Gump star has narrated An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim's new 17-minute documentary The Road We've Travelled, which positively documents Obama's three years in office.
13th March 2012
Fact: Celebrity couples Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan were among the star-studded audience that caught the first show of Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball tour at the Apollo Theater in New York on Friday night (09Mar12).
11th March 2012
Fact: Tom Hanks thrilled fans by dropping by U.S. sketch show Saturday Night Live over the weekend (10Mar12) to tease host Jonah Hill about his failed bid to win an Oscar for his baseball drama Moneyball. Two-time Academy Award-winner Hanks then jokingly offered to lend Hill one of his own trophies to boost his ego.
19th January 2012
Tweet: "Monty. Deep brown eyes, noble demeanor, finest dog ever. A sad day. Goodbye Big Boy." Tom Hanks is mourning the death of his beloved mutt.
13th January 2012
Fact: Tom Hanks joined the presenters of U.S. breakfast TV show Today on Friday (13Jan12) to help them celebrate the 60th anniversary of the programme. The movie star has been a guest on the daily show 22 times. Sipping champagne, he joked, "This is the first time you've plied me with alcohol."
27th October 2011
Tweet: "Thank you all for your birthday wishes... I'm very thankful for today and everyday I get to be alive." Tom Hanks' actress wife Rita Wilson celebrated turning 55 on Wednesday (26Oct11).
5th July 2011
Fact: Tom Hanks collects typewriters. He has over 200.
1st July 2011
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks surprised Larry Crowne co-star Julia Roberts by walking onto the set of her interview with U.S. late night TV host David Letterman on Thursday (30Jun11). Hanks, who appeared on the programme a day prior, showed up unannounced, greeted Roberts with a kiss and sat down with her to play a trivia game.
30th June 2011
Quote: "She's a nut, she's an absolute kook. She's a dreamboat. She smells, 'Mmm', fantastic." Tom Hanks on pal Julia Roberts.
30th June 2011
Quote: "It's not just our job; it's our life. So I gave the script to Rita, and she picked out (the role) and went to town. It's a blast... We get to play at work. It's fantastic. It's what we do for fun, and we're amazed that we get paid to do it." Actor Tom Hanks on working with his wife Rita Wilson in the new movie Larry Crowne.
29th June 2011
Quote: "I brushed my teeth twice before we went at it. It really wasn't that romantic because it was the first thing we shot that day, so there we were mashing at 8am. Because he was the director, at the end of the scene while our lips were pressed together, he said out of the corner of his mouth, 'OK, cut!'" Julia Roberts on sharing a kissing scene with Tom Hanks in his movie Larry Crowne.
13th June 2011
Quote: "When three guys are making a movie, the jokes become so filthy as of lunchtime on the first day of shooting. Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton, who were in the capsule with me, know the foulest jokes. We were trying to out-foul and out-gross each other - that's how we spent most of our trip to the moon. You just go from there and get in big, big trouble." Tom Hanks had a blast filming Apollo 13.
12th June 2011
Quote: "It's my brother Jim. There are so many computer games and video things and Jim just works on those all year round. They said, 'You don't want to do this?' and I said, 'No, get my brother Jim! He'll do it.' So that's my brother Jim. It's true, absolutely true." Tom Hanks' brother Jim provides the voice for dolls and games featuring the actor's Toy Story character Woody.
8th June 2011
Quote: "I had my first kids in my early twenties and my second kids in my mid-thirties, so I always seemed to be in my child-rearing years. The biggest thing that happened was my 15 year old deciding to go to boarding school. Then all of a sudden Rita and I were empty-nesters. That's not a crisis, that's a celebration!" Tom Hanks is enjoying life with his actress wife Rita Wilson now his kids are getting older.
23rd May 2011
Fact: Tom Hanks introduced Madonna as "a hard-working mother of four" when he ushered her onstage at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois for Oprah Winfrey's tribute shows, taped last week (ends 20May11).
23rd May 2011
Fact: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's hit romantic comedy Sleepless In Seattle is to hit the stage as a musical in 2012. The spectacular will debut at the Pasadena Playhouse in California for a month-long run next June (12).
18th May 2011
Quote: "Some might say pulling off this party is, in fact, darn near a mission impossible." Tom Hanks introduces Tom Cruise to the stage at Oprah Winfrey's tribute show, held at the United Center arena in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday (17May11).
11th May 2011
Fact: Actress Rita Wilson is set to make a guest appearance on hit TV crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Tom Hanks' wife will star as the protective mother of a teen under investigation. The episode will air in the U.S. on Wednesday (11May11).
9th May 2011
Quote: "The Deadliest Catch is the most serious show on TV... There's not a man here who can say, I can do that. I can do a lot of things, but I cannot do that. It's some of the most gripping television ever." Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks is in awe of the tough life of a crab fisherman after tuning into the documentary/reality TV show.
6th May 2011
Quote: "I happen to still be married because I'm not an idiot! Tell the truth - that's the secret to happiness." Hollywood star Tom Hanks is happier than he's ever been after 23 years of marriage to actress Rita Wilson.
6th May 2011
Fact: Actor/director Tom Hanks used real photos of his children and his nieces and nephews in an office scene in his new movie Larry Crowne, which also stars his wife Rita Wilson and close pal Julia Roberts.
8th April 2011
Tweet: "Don't have an 'Idol' habit, but how could the Usa vote Pia off? I may be done for the season!" Actor Tom Hanks is shocked after TV favourite Pia Toscano was voted off U.S. reality show American Idol on Thursday night (07Apr11).
1st March 2011
Quote: "I already have a coffee cup with 'Papou' on it (and) when I ring the bell, I say, 'Papou is here'!" Tom Hanks wants his newborn granddaughter to call him Papou - the Greek term for grandfather.
28th February 2011
Fact: Hollywood star Tom Hanks showed off his best impersonation of a pushy showbiz dad during a comedy segment on U.S. talk show JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! on Sunday (27Feb11), starring as a father desperate for his six-year-old daughter to win a beauty pageant and be crowned Miss Ultimate Sexy Baby 2011. But the actor's on-screen child was beaten to the title by director Ron Howard and his kid, Rhonda.
14th January 2011
Quote: "It goes without saying that the support of my parents is something that I will never take for granted and I am very thankful for. You know, (my dad) keeps an open mind. I've spent a lot of time trying to show him a lot of the music that inspires me. And he does keep an open mind." Tom Hanks' wannabe rapper son CHESTER HANKS insists the BIG star is backing his hip-hop dreams.
11th January 2011
Tweet: "Goodbye, DICk Winters. Leader of a company of heroes." Tom Hanks pays tribute to the World War II commander who inspired the actor's hit miniseries BAND OF BROTHERS. Winters passed away on 2 January (11) at the age of 92.
1st September 2010
Quote: "I have left a message on her voicemail; I'm waiting to hear back from her." Tom Hanks is keen to work with Sandra Bullock on the set of new movie Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
24th August 2010
Fact: Sandra Bullock is in talks to make her first big screen project since her Oscar win and marriage break-up in a movie with Tom Hanks. The two stars are in negotiations to lead the cast of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which is based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book about the 9/11 tragedy in 2001.
24th March 2010
Fact: Stars including Alec Baldwin, Courteney Cox, Celine Dion and Tom Hanks have teamed up with chocolate company Lindt to raise money for charity. The celebrities have all autographed porcelain versions of the firm's signature chocolate rabbits which will be auctioned off to help families affected by autism. The online sale will run from 1 April (10) - 11 April (10).
10th February 2010
Fact: Charlie Wilson, the former U.S. Congressman Tom Hanks portrayed in the film CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, has died at the age of 76 in Texas.
23rd January 2010
Fact: Tom Hanks had to dash through rush hour traffic in Los Angeles to get to George Clooney's Hope For Haiti Now telethon on Friday (22Jan10) - he was given a police escort to the CBS TV studios after appearing on the taping of late-night chat show host Conan O'Brien's final The Tonight Show. Neil Young, Steve Carell, Beck, Ben Harper, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Will Ferrell also appeared on O'Brien's finale.
13th January 2010
Tweet: "Testing... testing... Is this thing on??" Tom Hanks became the latest celebrity Twitter.com fan on Tuesday (12Jan10).
12th January 2010
Fact: Tom Hanks' actress/producer wife Rita Wilson has added makeover queen to her impressive resume. The star, who pens a style column for Harper's Bazaar magazine, took her fashion skills to TV on Tuesday (12Jan10) when she helped revamp a group of frumpy middle-aged women for Oprah.
10th January 2010
Quote: "I used to mess with Tom. He was barely eating at all, and I would put, like, 200 Almond Joys (candy bars) in his drawer to give him a hard time. I'd pretend to sneeze and all these Snickers would fall on the ground." Denzel Washington teased a starving Tom Hanks mercilessly on the set of PHILADELPHIA.
17th November 2009
Quote: "They're gonna fight like cats and dogs... they're not gonna remember any of their lines... they're gonna wear cheap, cheap, cheap rental tuxedos. It's a disaster. I may not watch out of protest." Tom Hanks jokes about Oscar co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin turning the Academy Awards into a farce.
10th November 2009
Quote: "I collect '50s cha-cha records on vinyl. I buy old collections of records that people are getting rid of, and I go through them and examine each copy to see how scratched it is." Tom Hanks on his music taste.
15th September 2009
Quote: "A solid crush for me has always been Tom Hanks. He can do no wrong, that's what it is." Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron reveals her favourite Hollywood hunk.
11th September 2009
Fact: Former 007 TIMOTHY DALTON is to join Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in the third Toy Story film, according to new reports. The suave Brit will lend his voice to a pretentious hedgehog called Mr. Pricklepants.
27th August 2009
Fact: The child star who played a young Forrest Gump in Tom Hanks' beloved 1994 movie is a war hero, who completed a tour of duty in Iraq last year (09). After serving in the U.S. Army, MICHAEL CONNER HUMPHREYS, returned to his first love and landed a role as a soldier in new war movie PATHFINDERS: IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS.
29th May 2009
Quote: "I would love to do Dancing With The Stars, I really would. It's always about time." Tom Hanks' actress wife Rita Wilson dreams of becoming a contestant on the hit U.S. reality TV contest.
28th May 2009
Fact: Tom Hanks has an encyclopaedic knowledge of World War II - he used it to help him executive produce new 4-D documentary film BEYOND ALL BOUNDARIES.
19th May 2009
Quote: "I think Lincoln has to be played by a tall man. I'm nowhere near as tall... I'm only 6 feet. Verisimilitude is too important. " Tom Hanks is disappointed he was considered too short to play U.S. president Abraham Lincoln in a new movie about the 16th American leader.
18th May 2009
Fact: Tom Hanks found himself in a sticky situation during an appearance on American comedy show Saturday Night Live on Saturday (16May09) - he got caught inside a cellophane sheet during a celebrity edition of U.S. game show Jeopardy.
13th May 2009
Quote: "I know the Pope is opposed to the use of condoms. All I can say is, I am a spiritual man and I've been happily married for 21 years. I don't even know what a condom is anymore." Tom Hanks on his 21-year marriage to Rita Wilson.
13th May 2009
Quote: "They are vicious dogs. So if you see me walking my dogs they'll tear you to ribbons, so stay away from me." Actor Tom Hanks warns fans not to approach him while he's with his two white German Shepherds.
12th May 2009
Quote: "If anyone feels that the film is going to be offensive to them, don't see it. I'm here to say, 'Do not see the film. Stay away, please... I beg of you'." Tom Hanks wants critics, who fear his new film ANGELS & DEMONS is blasphemous, to steer clear.
12th May 2009
Quote: "The neighbour doesn't know my name but because I have two white dogs, he calls me SIEGFRIED & ROY." Actor Tom Hanks answers to the name of the legendary Las Vegas showmen, who became famous taming white tigers on stage.
11th May 2009
Quote: "I take my work very seriously, I do not take the promotion of my work very seriously." Hollywood actor/director Tom Hanks reveals the downside to making movies.
7th May 2009
Quote: "It's better than being hated and spat upon like a banker." Tom Hanks doesn't mind being referred to as the nicest man in Hollywood.
4th May 2009
Quote: "It's always fun to watch him yell at the computer when something's not working. He's like a caveman." Actor Colin Hanks outs his father Tom Hanks as a techno-phobe.
29th April 2009
Fact: Meg Ryan has paid tribute to her Sleepless In Seattle co-star Tom Hanks in an essay written for Time magazine's upcoming 100 Most Influential issue.
21st April 2009
Fact: The highly anticipated follow-up to Dan Brown's hit novel The Da Vinci Code has broken records before its release - it is the publisher's largest ever first print run, with 6.5 million copies set to hit the shelves in September (09). The movie adaptation of the first book, starring Tom Hanks, was a box office smash, grossing more than $758 million (£505 million) worldwide.
10th March 2009
Quote: "That was completely weird, like an out-of-body experience. I could only think, 'I used to watch SPLASH all the time.' And TURNER & HOOCH kept popping into my head. I tried not to think of it being too lascivious." Young actress Emily Blunt on filming sex scenes with Tom Hanks in Oscar-nominated film Charlie Wilson'S WAR.
19th January 2009
Fact: The 16-foot (4.5 meter) piano Tom Hanks danced on in his 1988 comedy BIG has been donated to a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the film, Hanks and co-star Robert Loggia jump across the piano to play the waltz Chopsticks with their feet.
16th January 2009
Fact: Jane Fonda will be joined onstage by Tom Hanks' actor son COLIN when she kicks off her Broadway comeback in play 33 Variations in February (09).
13th January 2009
Quote: "I've had my fill of My Little Pony. Thundercats, we don't need that. Transformers are already back, so what are you going to do there? In one word: Urkel. I think we could use a little Urkel in the world." Tom Hanks on what 1980s characters he would like to see enjoy a comeback.
12th January 2009
Quote: "You put some good commercials on the air, you can convince anybody of anything." Tom Hanks took time out from the glitzy Golden Globes ceremony to give his opinion on why Proposition 8 - the ban on gay marriage in California - was passed.
23rd September 2008
Quote: "I saw this photograph of James Dean when I was about eight years old and I thought, 'If I ever need to wear glasses, I'm gonna wear clear-framed glasses.'" Tom Hanks made a spectacle of himself at the Emmy Awards on Sunday (21Sep08).
2nd July 2008
Quote: "I didn't realise how many Abba songs I knew. But I knew them all. Every single one of them." MAMMA MIA! director Tom Hanks hates to admit he is familiar with all of the group's hits.
10th June 2008
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks proved to be the perfect gentlemen in Rome, Italy on Monday (09Jun08), when he spotted a bride and her father making their way to her wedding - and escorted them the rest of the way to the chapel.
16th April 2008
Fact: The driver Harrison Ford used to get around while making the latest INDIANA JONES movie was the same guy Tom Hanks counted on behind the wheel for another Steven Spielberg film, The Terminal.
5th March 2008
Quote: "I was a pretty good history student. But mostly in high school I majored in hanging out and flirting with girls." Hollywood star Tom Hanks on his favourite school past time.
2nd March 2008
Quote: "Even some of the biggest celebrities in the world manage to have a quiet life. Look at Tom Hanks, no one bothers him. So it is possible." American Idol judge Simon Cowell is adamant fame-seeking celebrities bring their troubles on themselves.
26th February 2008
Quote: "In hotel rooms I strip and walk around naked. It's as close as I can get to a feeling of anonymity and power." Tom Hanks confesses a bizarre hotel habit.
21st February 2008
Quote: "Eat healthy, get some exercise, get some good sleep and pay no attention to the media." Academy Award veteran Tom Hanks gives some advice to this year's nominees.
22nd January 2008
Quote: "He's better looking than I am, he's taller than I ever was and he's hotter than I am - and he's calmer. I was usually running around looking like (U.S. cartoon character) GUMBY on acid." Tom Hanks on his actor son COLIN.
3rd January 2008
Quote: "Yes, I went into this career specifically so I'd end up naked in a Jacuzzi with a bunch of naked strippers." Tom Hanks on the perks of his latest role as Texas congressman Charlie Wilson in CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR.
30th December 2007
Quote: "I have been blessed beyond the definition of good fortune for a long, long while, but you never know when your success will end." Tom Hanks doesn't take his film career for granted.
24th December 2007
Quote: "I could have made that movie for six years - I played catch all day long and ate hotdogs in the dugout." Tom Hanks loved making 1992 baseball film A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN.
16th December 2007
Quote: "During re-shoots she would show up and she was as fat as a horse." Tom Hanks on his pregnant Charlie Wilson'S WAR co-star JULIA ROBERTS.
3rd December 2007
Quote: "Tom Hanks is the prototype of where I want to be." Will Smith has high aspirations.
26th November 2007
Quote: "We acquired an astonishing number of eminent fans: several secretaries of state, chiefs of staff, chancellors of universities. Frank Sinatra never missed a show, and Tom Hanks knows the name of every episode." Patrick Stewart on the broad impact of the Star Trek phenomenon.
26th November 2007
Quote: "People don't wanna see us running around in the sheets." Julia Roberts was glad there were no sex scenes between her and Tom Hanks in their new movie Charlie Wilson'S WAR.
22nd November 2007
Quote: "That woman has loved me skinny, she's loved me fat. She has loved me bald, she's loved me hairy. That woman, I know, loves me. I'm a lucky man... I won the lottery." Tom Hanks on his wife RITA WILSON.
20th November 2007
Quote: "I think you gotta go for four, J. I think you gotta have Ringo, otherwise that ain't a band." Tom Hanks urges pal Julia Roberts to consider having a fourth child after the actress insisted her family was "complete" on TV show OPRAH.
5th September 2007
Fact: The stars of new table tennis comedy BALLS OF FURY were trained by the same Olympians who helped Tom Hanks master the sport for Forrest Gump.
16th January 2007
Quote: "I've got bottles of moisturiser older than Tom Hanks." Warren Beatty pokes fun at pal Hanks, who presented the movie veteran with the Cecille B Demille Award at last night's (15JAN07) Golden Globe Awards.
16th January 2007
Quote: "I've got bottles of moisturiser older than Tom Hanks." Warren Beatty pokes fun at pal Hanks, who presented the movie veteran with the Cecille B Demille Award at last night's (15JAN07) Golden Globe Awards.
22nd July 2006
Fact: Former US President Bill Clinton's wife HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON is a political favourite in Hollywood - stars like Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal and Owen Wilson dug deep at a recent campaign party hosted by the New York-based Senator and helped raise $43 million (GBP23.9 million) for her re-election campaign.
13th June 2006
Fact: Actor Tom Hanks has reportedly signed up to play unlikely Cold War star DEAN REED in a forthcoming biopic of the American rocker.
20th May 2006
Fact: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is a direct descendant of NANCY HANKS, the mother of US President Abraham Lincoln.
13th April 2006
Quote: "Tom Hanks and I were looking at the Mona Lisa at about 2.30 in the morning. It was a rare, rare, amazing moment." Movie-maker Ron Howard on the highlight of making The Da Vinci Code in Paris, France, art Mecca The Louvre, which houses LEONARDO DA VINCI's great masterpiece.
16th August 2005
Fact: <p>The bell at Lincoln Cathedral in England didn't ring yesterday (15AUG05) for the first time since World War II, as filming of new Tom Hanks movie The Da Vinci Code got underway. </p>
Tom Hanks
