Tom Hanks Trivia

1. In which year was Tom Hanks born?

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: 1956

Tom Hanks, whose full name is Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, was born on July the 9th, 1956, in Concord, California. He was the third of four children born to Amos and Janet Marylyn Hanks, who worked as a cook and as a hospital worker respectively. In 1961 his parents divorced, after which Tom and his two older siblings lived with their father and had a fairly nomadic life so that Tom lived in ten different houses during his first ten years. Tom had a number of step-siblings as his father twice married other women who already had children from a previous relationship, although both of these marriages ended in divorce too. For two years in the early 1960s Amos was married to Winifred, who already had five children, and in 1965 he married Frances Wong, two of whose three children had stayed with her. Through his father's side of the family Tom is distantly related to Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President, and to television presenter Fred Rogers, who Tom played in the 2019 movie, 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood'.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: Cancer

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California to Janet and Amos Hanks. Unfortunately, his parents divorced a few years after he was born, and he spent most of his childhood moving frequently from house to house. Cancer is the sixth sign of the zodiac, covering birth dates from June 21 - July 22.

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: California

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, CA. His parents Janet and Amos divorced in 1960. Tom and his two elder siblings went with his father while his youngest sibling stayed with his mom. Tom spent his high school years at Skyline High School in Oakland, CA. He was involved in school plays, including "South Pacific".

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: Splash

'Splash' became a box office hit and made Tom Hanks a household name. 'Splash' earned itself one Oscar nomination for writing and was nominated for Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes. Tom Hanks originally auditioned for the part of Freddy Bauer, which later went to John Candy, because Ron Howard liked Tom so much he decided to put him in the lead and use John Candy as the major comedy aspect for the film. 'Splash' became the very first Touchstone produced movie.

From Quiz The Great Tom Hanks

Answer: Rita Wilson

Rita Wilson is an American actress and singer who has appeared in many movies and released a number of albums. Hanks and Wilson first worked together on the TV comedy show "Bosom Buddies", before meeting again on the set of the movie "Volunteers" in 1985. They were married in 1988 and have two children together.

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: Chabot College

While he was attending Skyline High School in Oakland, California, Tom Hanks began acting in plays put on by the school. When he left the school in 1974 he applied to a few further education establishments and was accepted by Chabot College in Hayward, California. While there he studied a number of courses, including film as art, health, zoology, English and public speaking. After two years at this college he transferred to California State University in Sacramento, California, intending to major in dramatic arts. In an interview published by the New York Times on January 14th, 2015, Tom spoke positively about Chabot College and the chances it gave to a lot of people. Such community colleges in the US receive some funding and usually provide at least subsidised tuition for students in between high school and university. Tom was supportive of Barack Obama's 2015 suggestion of a 'College Promise' plan under which funding would be augmented by the federal government in order to finance free tuition in these colleges for many Americans.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: Saving Mr. Banks

Hanks' first Best Actor nomination was for his role as John Baskin in "Big". He earned another nod for his portrayal of Chuck Noland in "Cast Away". His turn as Fred "Mister" Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" also merited consideration for a statuette. While "Saving Mr. Banks" was a commercial and critical success, it didn't receive much recognition from the Academy; its only nomination was for Best Original Score.

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: Two Gentleman of Verona

Tom was involved in the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, OH, from 1976 to 1979. Tom won the award for his 1978 performance of Proteus in "Two Gentlemen of Verona", a rare occasion where he played a villain. He would be involved, later in his career, spearheading fundraising efforts for the Hanna Theater, where the festival took place. Tom has described his work in theater as having installed a discipline in him that has helped him in other media.

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: Big

'Big' earned itself many awards including an Oscar nomination for writing and for Best Actor. Tom Hanks won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical along with a Amercian Comedy Award and a few critics awards. The movie became a box office hit. Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct and he wanted Harrison Ford to play Josh.

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: The Cherry Orchard

While studying dramatic arts at the California State University in Sacramento, Tom Hanks auditioned for a role in a Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival's production of Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard'. He was successful and the company's artistic director, Vincent Dowling, also offered him a place in the theatre company, which was based in Cleveland and was later renamed the Great Lakes Theater. He accepted the job offer and stayed with the repertory theatre for three years, during which he not only acted in plays but became involved in set design and lighting and in stage management. While there, Tom won the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor of 1978 for his role as Proteus in Shakespeare's play 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'. He had left university early and was named as one of the 'Top 10 College Dropouts' by 'Time' magazine in 2010. 'The Cherry Orchard' was written by Anton Chekhov, 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett, 'The Rivals' by Richard Brinsley Sheridan and 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump"

Hanks was only the second man in Oscar history to earn back-to-back awards for "Best Actor." The first was iconic screen legend Spencer Tracy, who nabbed the gold for his roles in "Captains Courageous" (1937) and "Boys Town" (1938).

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: Bosom Buddies

In "Bosom Buddies" (1980-1982), Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari portrayed advertising executives who disguised themselves as women in order to live in an inexpensive, but female-only, hotel in New York City. Movement of the show's time slot on multiple occasions made it difficult for the show to find a permanent audience. Tom appeared as a guest star on single episodes of "Taxi" and "Happy Days", both in 1982. He appeared three times as the brother of mom Elyse Keaton during the 1983-1984 season of "Family Ties".

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: A League of Their Own

Tom Hanks shines through in his supporting role as drunken ex-baseball star Jimmy Dugan. Again, Tom Hanks received an American Comedy Award for his role. 'A League of Their Own' became a box office hit marking another winning combination for Tom Hanks and Penny Marshall. Tom Hanks gained approximately 30 pounds for the role of Jimmy. Originally, Penny Marshall was a little reluctant to cast Tom for the part because she thought he was too cute so she made him gain weight and gave him a bad hair cut. Tom Hanks' character is loosely based on real-life baseballer Jimmie Foxx.

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: Samantha Lewes

Samantha Lewes was born in San Diego in 1952 and her birth name was Susan Jane Dillingham. She was an actress who married Tom Hanks in 1978 and the couple had two children, Colin (born in 1977), and Elizabeth (born in 1982). Colin became a movie and television actor and has done some directing while Elizabeth eventually chose a career as a writer. The couple divorced in 1987 and in 2002 Samantha died from bone cancer when she was 49 years old. Through his work Tom had got to know actress Rita Wilson, who was born in 1956 and whose birth name was Margarita Ibrahimoff. After he and Samantha divorced he married Rita in 1988 and the couple had two sons, Chester Marlon "Chet" (born in 1990) and Truman Theodore (born in 1995). Like Tom's first son Colin, they also became actors with Chet having had a number of roles in movies and in television shows and Truman playing the young Otto in the 2022 movie 'A Man Called Otto'. Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts are American actresses.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: Saving Private Ryan

In "Saving Mr. Banks", Hanks portrayed film legend Walt Disney. He took on the role of World War II-era journalist Ben Bradlee in "The Post". In "Sully", he played Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River after the jetliner's engines failed; remarkably, none of the passengers or crew were seriously injured. While the events featured in "Saving Private Ryan" were inspired by the story of the Niland brothers who fought in World War II, Hanks' character, Captain John Miller, was completely fictional.

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: Woody

Tom has voiced Woody the cowboy doll in "Toy Story" (1995), "Toy Story 2" (1999), "Toy Story 3" (2010), and "Toy Story 4" (2019). In the film, Woody is one of Andy's beloved toys. Buzz Lightyear was voiced by Tim Allen. Hamm was voiced by John Ratzenberger. Andy was voiced by John Morris. The films have been highly successful, as a group grossing over two billion dollars worldwide.

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: Sleepless in Seattle

'Sleepless in Seattle' was also nominated for Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical and Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical. It was also nominated for two Oscars for Best Song and Best Writing. 'Sleepless in Seattle' became a box office hit. The silhouette of the couple on the box of chocolates in a shop window in New York is actually a silhouette of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

From Quiz The Great Tom Hanks

Answer: Colin

Colin Hanks was born in 1977 and is the son of Tom Hanks and his first wife, Samantha Lewes. Colin Hanks has had roles in many movies and TV shows, including the role of Alex Whitman in the first two seasons of the sci-fi show "Roswell". His portrayal of Officer Gus Grimley in the 2014 TV show "Fargo" saw Colin Hanks nominated in the Best Supporting Actor categories of the Critics Choice TV Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2014.

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: The Love Boat

Several series of the television show 'The Love Boat' were made by Aaron Spelling Productions and were originally shown from 1977 to 1986. The programme was set on a cruise ship, and members of the ship's crew were played by a regular cast while guest actors played the ship's passengers. Tom Hanks was one of the latter, appearing in an episode entitled "Friends and Lovers/Sergeant Bull/Miss Mother" in 1980. All three of the alternative answers were television shows in which Tom appeared in 1982, having a lead role in 'Mazes and Monsters', a movie made for television, and guest roles in episodes of the 'Happy Days' and 'Taxi' television shows. In addition, soon after his appearance in 'The Love Boat', he and Peter Scolari obtained the two lead roles in the two series of 'Bosom Buddies' which were first shown on ABC between 1980 and 1982.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: typewriters

In the 2017 film "California Typewriter", Hanks estimated that he had over 250 typewriters. In recent years, his collection has dwindled to around 120 as he's given them away to friends and fans. He's such a fanatic about these machines that he even created a word processing app in 2014 called HanxWriter that simulates the experience of writing on a typewriter. It's currently available on the Apple App Store.

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: Rita Wilson

Tom's first wife was Samantha Lewes, to whom he was married from 1978 to 1987. With Lewes, Tom had two children, Colin and Elizabeth. With second wife Rita Wilson, whom Tom married in 1988, he has two children, Chester and Truman. Though Tom did not marry Meg Ryan in 1988, he did star with her in "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990) and "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993). Likewise, Tom did not marry Daryl Hannah in 1988, but did star with her in "Splash" (1984).

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: Andrew Beckett

Tom Hanks won just about every award imaginable for his portrayal of a gay man dying of AIDS including an Oscar and Golden Globe. 'Philadelphia' earned itself five Oscar nominations and won two for Best Song and Best Actor. Tom Hanks shedd approximately 12 kilograms for his role as Andrew.

From Quiz Tom Hanks On-screen and Off-screen

Answer: One

In the 1985 movie 'The Man with One Red Shoe' Tom Hanks played a concert violinist on whom another member of the same orchestra played a trick by taking two of his shoes and leaving him with only one red shoe and one black shoe to wear. Tom's character unknowingly became involved in a CIA plot but things turned out well for him in the end. It was his fourth role, and his third leading role, in a movie made for the cinema. After 'The Man with One Red Shoe' Tom continued to have leading roles in many movies of different kinds. Among those he made during the 1980s are 'The Money Pit' (1986), 'Big' (1988) and 'Turner & Hooch' (1989). The 1990's movies he starred in include 'Philadelphia' (1993) and 'Forrest Gump' (1994), for his part in each of which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. During the 1990s Tom also began to have other roles in movie-making, beginning with 'That Thing You Do' (1996) which he wrote, directed and acted in.

From Quiz Another Tom Hanks Quiz

Answer: Splash

Tom lost 35 pounds and had his hair thinned to more accurately portray a lawyer who had contracted AIDS in "Philadelphia" (1993). He gained 30 pounds to play a baseball manager in "A League of Their Own" (1992), a process which he said was aided by an ice cream parlor near his home. He gained and then lost 55 pounds for his role as a man stranded on a desert island in "Cast Away" (2001). He neither gained nor lost a significant amount of weight for his role in "Splash" (1984) as Allen, a man who encounters a mermaid. His role in "Splash" was Tom's first starring role in a film.

From Quiz Tom Hanks' Career Highlights

Answer: BAFTA

The BAFTA is about the only award Tom Hanks has not won. 'Forrest Gump' remains one of the highest earning movies of all time. It earned 13 Oscar nominations and won 6 including Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Writing. Tom Hanks' brother, Jim Hanks, doubled for him in some of the running scenes.

From Quiz The Great Tom Hanks

Answer: Lucky Guy

Although Hanks had done stage acting early in his career he had not appeared in a Broadway production until 2013. He made his debut on Broadway in "Lucky Guy" by Nora Ephron which had its 2013 premiere a year after Ephron's death. Hanks plays the character of journalist Mike McAlray, who is based on the real journalist of the same name. The play is set during the 1980s and 1990s in the world of the New York City tabloid newspaper industry and is based on McAlray's life and career, including his recovery from a major car accident.

From Quiz How Well Do You Know Tom Hanks?

Answer: 2

The Hanks brood includes; son Colin and daughter Elizabeth were born to his first marriage with actress Samantha Lewes, and he had sons Chester "Chet" and Truman with his second wife, Rita Wilson. All four have dabbled in entertainment in various ways, via acting, producing, directing, and cinematography. The family has since grown to include grandchildren. Of his family, Hanks is quoted as saying, "A man is blessed with a family... like that. A wife who is fantastic in every way. Who has taught me what love is... Kids who are braver and wiser than their old man is. I can't tell you how much your love means to me."

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:48 AM

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