Hanks's parents divorced when he was very young, and he was raised by his father, a chef who often moved in pursuit of work. Hanks went to five different elementary schools, and grew up a shy child. He reinvented himself as a class clown in high school, and eventually took drama classes and began appearing in school plays.
In 2003, the contractor who built Hanks' remote, sprawling Idaho mansion and compound, including several guesthouses, filed a lawsuit to collect $1.75 million in allegedly unpaid fees. Hanks responded by threatening a countersuit, pointing out that their contract specified that any disputes would be resolved through confidential, binding arbitration, a clause specifically intended to deflect any potential for bad press. The court records were promptly sealed, the matter went to arbitration, and the following year a spokesman for the construction company said he was "thrilled" with the arbitrators' decision, but forbidden to comment further.
[1] Hanks was raised in the Roman Catholic church, but as a boy he also attended Mormon services with his stepmother and Nazarene services with his aunt. He has said that in high school he had "a serious born-again experience", and he joined the Greek Orthodox Church when he married his second wife, actress Rita Wilson.
Father: Amos Hanks (chef, d. 1992)
Mother: Janet Turner Hanks (div. 1960)
Sister: Sandra Hanks (author, b. 31-Jul-1951 to Amos and Janet Hanks)
Brother: Larry Hanks (teaches entomology at the University of Illinois, b. 26-Jan-1953 to Amos and Janet Hanks)
Mother: Winifred Hanks (stepmother)
Brother: Jim Hanks (actor, b. 15-Jun-1961 to Amos and Winifred Hanks)
Wife: Samantha Lewes ("Susan Dillingham", b. 1952, m. 1978, sep. 1985, div. 1987, d. 2002 bone cancer, 2 children)
Son: Colin Hanks (actor, b. 24-Nov-1977)
Daughter: Elizabeth Ann Hanks (b. 17-May-1982)
Wife: Rita Wilson (actress, m. 30-Apr-1988, two sons)
Son: Chester Marlon Hanks (rapper p/k/a Chet Haze, b. 4-Aug-1990)
Son: Truman Theodore Hanks (b. 26-Dec-1995)
High School: Skyline High School, Oakland, CA (1974)
University: Chabot Junior College (transferred)
University: California State University Sacramento (dropped out)
Al Franken for Senate
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Gore 2000
Hillary Clinton for President
Hillary Rodham Clinton for US Senate Committee
National Space Society Board of Governors
Obama for America
Obama Victory Fund 2012
Endorsement of Intel Consumer Electronics Show keynote, Las Vegas, NV (5-Jan-2006)
Endorsement of Sony Consumer Electronics Show keynote, Las Vegas, NV (8-Jan-2009)
Oscar for Best Actor 1994 for Philadelphia
Oscar for Best Actor 1995 for Forrest Gump
Emmy 1998 for From the Earth to the Moon (shared)
Emmy 2002 for Band of Brothers (shared)
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award 2002
Hollywood Walk of Fame 7030 Hollywood Blvd.
Born-Again Christian
Funeral: Diana, Princess of Wales (1997)
Funeral: Nora Ephron (2012)
Risk Factors: Marijuana, Diabetes
TELEVISION
Bosom Buddies Kip Wilson (1980-82)
FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
Larry Crowne (30-Jun-2011)
That Thing You Do (14-Sep-1996)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Toy Story 4 (14-Jun-2019) [VOICE]
The Post (14-Dec-2017)
The Circle (26-Apr-2017)
Inferno (8-Oct-2016)
Sully (2-Sep-2016)
A Hologram for the King (20-Apr-2016)
Bridge of Spies (4-Oct-2015)
Saving Mr. Banks (20-Oct-2013)
Captain Phillips (27-Sep-2013)
Killing Lincoln (17-Feb-2013) · Himself
Cloud Atlas (8-Sep-2012)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (25-Dec-2011) · Thomas Schell
Larry Crowne (30-Jun-2011) · Larry Crowne
Toy Story 3 (12-Jun-2010) · Woody [VOICE]
The Pacific (14-Mar-2010)
Angels & Demons (7-May-2009)
The Great Buck Howard (18-Jan-2008) · Mr. Gable
Charlie Wilson's War (21-Dec-2007)
The Simpsons Movie (21-Jul-2007) · Himself [VOICE]
The Da Vinci Code (17-May-2006)
Cars (14-Mar-2006) [VOICE]
The Polar Express (21-Oct-2004) · Santa Claus
Elvis Has Left the Building (27-Aug-2004) · Mailbox Elvis
The Terminal (9-Jun-2004) · Viktor Navorski
The Ladykillers (26-Mar-2004)
Catch Me If You Can (16-Dec-2002) · Carl Hanratty
Road to Perdition (12-Jul-2002) · Michael Sullivan
America: A Tribute to Heroes (21-Sep-2001) · Himself
Band of Brothers (9-Sep-2001)
Cast Away (7-Dec-2000)
The Green Mile (6-Dec-1999) · Paul Edgecomb
Toy Story 2 (13-Nov-1999) · Woody [VOICE]
You've Got Mail (18-Dec-1998)
Return with Honor (3-Oct-1998) · Narrator
Saving Private Ryan (24-Jul-1998) · Capt. Miller
From the Earth to the Moon (5-Apr-1998) · Himself
That Thing You Do (14-Sep-1996) · Mr. White
Toy Story (22-Nov-1995) [VOICE]
The Celluloid Closet (13-Sep-1995) · Himself
Apollo 13 (30-Jun-1995) · Jim Lovell
Forrest Gump (23-Jun-1994) · Forrest Gump
Philadelphia (23-Dec-1993) · Andrew Beckett
Sleepless in Seattle (25-Jun-1993) · Sam Baldwin
A League of Their Own (1-Jul-1992)
The Bonfire of the Vanities (21-Dec-1990)
Joe Versus the Volcano (9-Mar-1990)
Turner & Hooch (28-Jul-1989) · Scott Turner
The 'burbs (17-Feb-1989)
Punchline (7-Oct-1988)
Big (3-Jun-1988) · Josh
Dragnet (26-Jun-1987) · Streebeck
Every Time We Say Goodbye (14-Nov-1986)
Nothing in Common (30-Jul-1986) · David Basner
The Money Pit (26-Mar-1986) · Walter Fielding
Volunteers (16-Aug-1985) · Lawrence Bourne III
The Man with One Red Shoe (19-Jul-1985) · Richard
Bachelor Party (29-Jun-1984)
Splash (9-Mar-1984) · Allen Bauer
Mazes and Monsters (28-Dec-1982)
He Knows You're Alone (12-Sep-1980)
Is the subject of books:
Tom Hanks: The Unauthorized Biography, 2000, BY: David Gardner
AKA Thomas Jeffrey Hanks