Page 219 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

In 1979, Hanks moved to New York City, where he made his film debut in the low-budget slasher film He Knows
You're Alone (1980) and landed a starring role in the television movie Mazes and Monsters. Early that year, he was
cast in the lead, Callimaco, in the Riverside Shakespeare Company's production of Niccolò Machiavelli's The
Mandrake, directed by Daniel Southern. The following year, Hanks landed one of the lead roles, that of character
Kip Wilson, on the ABC television pilot of Bosom Buddies. He and Peter Scolari played a pair of young advertising
men forced to dress as women so they could live in an inexpensive all-female hotel. After landing the role, Hanks
moved to Los Angeles. Bosom Buddies ran for two seasons, and, although the ratings were never strong, TV critics
gave the program high marks.

With Nothing in Common (1986)—a story of a young man alienated from his father (played by Jackie Gleason)—
Hanks began to extend himself from comedic roles to dramatic roles. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine,
Hanks commented on his experience: "It changed my desires about working in movies. Part of it was the nature of
the material, what we were trying to say. But besides that, it focused on people's relationships.
The broad success of the fantasy comedy Big (1988) established Hanks as a major Hollywood talent, both as a box
office draw and within the industry as an actor. For his performance in the film, Hanks earned his first nomination
for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Big was followed later that year by Punchline, in which he and Sally
Field co-starred as struggling comedians.
Hanks climbed back to the top again with his portrayal of a washed-up baseball legend turned manager in A
League of Their Own (1992). Hanks has said his acting in earlier roles was not great, but that he subsequently
improved. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hanks noted his "modern era of moviemaking ... because enough self-
discovery has gone on ... My work has become less pretentiously fake and over the top". This "modern era" began
in 1993 for Hanks, first with Sleepless in Seattle and then with Philadelphia. The former was a blockbuster success
about a widower who finds true love over the radio airwaves. Most critics agreed that Hanks' portrayal ensured
him a place among the premier romantic-comedy stars of his generation.

Hanks made his directing debut with his 1996 film That Thing You Do! about a 1960s pop group, also playing the
role of a music producer. Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman went on to create Playtone, a record and film
production company named after the record company in the film.
Hanks then executive produced, co-wrote, and co-directed the HBO docudrama From the Earth to the Moon. The
th
12-part series chronicled the space program from its inception, through the familiar flights of Neil Armstrong (9
cousin, 2 times removed) and Jim Lovell, to the personal feelings surrounding the reality of moon landings.
The Emmy Award-winning project was, at US$68 million, one of the most expensive ventures undertaken for
television.
Hanks was married to American actress Samantha Lewes in 1978. They had one son, actor Colin Hanks (born
1977), and one daughter, Elizabeth Hanks (born 1982). Hanks and Samantha Lewes divorced in 1987.
In 1981, Hanks met actress Rita Wilson on the set of TV comedy Bosom Buddies (1980–1982). They were reunited
in 1985 on the set of Volunteers. Hanks and Wilson married in 1988 and have two sons. Hanks lives with his
family in Los Angeles, California, and Ketchum, Idaho.
Hanks' accolades include two Academy Awards. He has received the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for
Excellence in Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004. In 2014, he received a Kennedy
Center Honor, and in 2016, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. As of
January 2019, Hanks is currently voted #1 on Ranker's "The Best Actors in Film History"
References:
1. Relative Finder, associated with FamilySearch, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)
2. Wikipedia.org
3. Learn more – The Life and Career of Tom Hanks: From Forrest Gump to Larry Crowne
4. LDS Family Tree attached

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