TOM HANKS

Tom Hanks, stage name of Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, born on July 9, 1956, is an actor and director of the United States of America.

Hanks was born in Concord, California. His father, Amos Mefford Hanks, was a chef and had kinship with the mother of Abraham Lincoln. His mother, Janet Marylyn, the daughter of Portuguese, was employed in a hospital. They divorced in 1960.

He began acting in theater at the University of Sacramento, California. He moved to New York where he met his future wife, actress Samantha Lewes theater, which was the leading actress of the company. Had their first son, Colin Hanks before marriage, which occurred a year after his birth in 1978. Four years later had a daughter, Elizabeth Hanks. However, the outgoing personality of Hanks began to differentiate the person who was shy and Samantha Lewes in 1987, when Hanks began to gain fame, the two divorced. In 2001 he was diagnosed with cancer in Samantha, and she died in March 2002.

In 1988 he married Rita Wilson, an actress he had met in an episode of Bosom Buddies, which reunited in the filming of Volunteers. With Rita, Hanks had two more children.In August 2009 he was elected vice president of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the entity responsible for the Oscars.

Early careerIn New York the opportunities did not come soon for Hanks, who soon was unemployed. With 24 years had a chance, a small role in He Knows You're Alone, a low-budget movie.

That same year, Hanks auditioned for television and was hired to join the cast of Bosom Buddies, ABC. Hanks played the role of Kip Wilson, a young publicist who disguises herself as a woman along with her friend Henry Desmond, played by Peter Scolari, to enter a hotel for women only. This role was something completely different for him, which was used to make characters in Shakespeare's plays.

The role earned him a higher income and move to California. But after two seasons the show was canceled. But for Hanks, the visibility of this work was enough to launch his career, earning a presence in other series such as Taxi, Happy Days and Family Ties. In Family Ties, Hanks was part of the softball team, where he became friends with Ron Howard, who later became the director of the movie Splash.

He worked as a movie actor: Toy Story Toy Story 2 Toy Story 3 Apollo 13 The Polar Express The Da Vinci Code Angels and Demons The Simpsons - The Movie Castaway