You may know Tom Hanks best as Forrest Gump or Captain Phillips or Andrew Beckett or Josh Baskin. You may also know he’s been happily married to Huff/Post50’s editor-at-large Rita Wilson for 28 years. We’ve seen him in his films fight in wars, survive on a desert island and play the piano with his feet. And after watching the first trailer, we’re pretty certain Hanks’ latest role as Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger ― the pilot who successfully landed a jet in the Hudson River in 2009 ― will be another winner when the film “Sully” hits theaters Sept. 9.
But as we celebrate the Oscar winner’s 60th birthday on July 9, here are seven things you may not have known about one of the world’s best-loved actors.
1. Tom Hanks is a huge fan of community college.
In 2015, Hanks penned an op-ed piece for The New York Times titled, “I Owe It All To Community College.” In it, he wrote: “In 1974, I graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland, Calif., an underachieving student with lousy SAT scores. Allowed to send my results to three colleges, I chose M.I.T. and Villanova, knowing such fine schools would never accept a student like me but hoping they’d toss some car stickers my way for taking a shot. I couldn’t afford tuition for college anyway. I sent my final set of stats to Chabot, a community college in nearby Hayward, Calif., which, because it accepted everyone and was free, would be my alma mater.”
He went on to urge more funding for community colleges, noting that Chabot made him the person he is today.
2. Hanks really IS one of the nicest guys in Hollywood.
Time and again, Hanks has proven that he really does care an awful lot about his fans. In October 2014, a New York City cab driver told Humans of New York about how ― after giving Hanks a ride at the end of his shift one day ― the driver was invited to attend Hanks’ play “Lucky Guy” on Broadway.
And only last year, Hanks was spotted in the San Francisco Bay Area, lending a hand to a group of very excited Girl Scouts trying to sell some cookies. Of course, he couldn’t help but buy a few boxes for himself.
Sweet, Tom. Sweet.
After seeing his guest-star turn on “Happy Days,” his former co-star-turned-producer Ron Howard asked Hanks to read for a secondary role in “Splash,” which eventually led him to getting cast as the lead. A big break for Hanks, the huge hit film instantly made him a recognizable face.
4. Hanks has a fascination with lost objects.
For more than a year, Hanks’ Twitter feed has been reading like a lost and found page for orphaned clothing pieces and other lost things. We’re not sure how many items have been reunited with their owners due to Hanks’ tweets ― although, he definitely was able to help track down a college student who misplaced her ID in 2015.
5. Hanks is related to Abraham Lincoln.
When Hanks agreed to narrate a National Geographic film called “Killing Lincoln” in 2013, it turns out he was telling a family tale. The actor revealed that he is indeed related to Lincoln through Honest Abe’s mother, Nancy Hanks. The actor is the former president’s third cousin, four times removed.
6. Hanks is an honorary member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
The first actor to receive the honor, Hanks was inducted in 2006 for his accurate portrayal of a World War II army ranger in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” Hanks also was honored for serving as the national spokesman for the World War II Memorial Campaign and for being the honorary chairman of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign. In addition, he was cited for his role in writing and helping to produce the Emmy Award-winning miniseries, “Band of Brothers” in 2001.
7. Hanks passed on leading roles in “Jerry Maguire” and “The Shawshank Redemption” but still went on to become one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
Although the part of Jerry Maguire was actually written with Hanks in mind, and the role of Andy Dufresne was his for the taking, Hanks said no to both. Not only had he committed to "Forrest Gump" but he was tied up directing "That Thing You Do." But seeing as Hanks just came in fourth on the 2016 list of the top 10 highest-grossing movie stars of all time, we're pretty sure he's happy with his choices.
And so are we. Happy birthday, Tom. May you enjoy many more years of moviemaking.
Related
Before You Go
