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".

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.

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".

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.

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).

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.

Answer: "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump"

Tom was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his roles in "Big" (1989) (when he uses a wish from a fortune telling machine to fast forward to adulthood) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) when plays the commander of a squad rescuing a soldier from behind enemy lines during World War II).

He won the Oscar for his roles in "Philadelphia" (1993) (playing a lawyer who has been stricken with AIDS) and "Forest Gump" (1994) (playing a mentally challenged man who participates in important events of the 20th century), winning in back-to-back years. Among his other awards, Tom has also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his roles in "Big" and "Cast Away" (2001), as well as "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump".

Answer: That Thing You Do!

Tom was the scriptwriter and director (and portrayed Mr. White) in the "That Thing You Do!" (1996). The film told the story of a one-hit wonder band (called the Wonders) in the 1960s. Tom's wife Rita, as well as his children, Colin and Elizabeth all played smaller roles in the film.

In an interesting follow-up, Tom Hanks would give the induction speech into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 for the Dave Clark Five (a real group which was seen to have some parallels to the Wonders).

Answer: Jim Lovell

Tom portrayed astronaut Jim Lovell in the 1995 film "Apollo 13". He was Congressman Charlie Wilson in "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007). Tom appeared as Walt Disney in "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013). He portrayed airline pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger in "Sully" (2016). Other real-life people he has portrayed include ship captain Richard Phillips and OSS leader James B. Donovan.

Answer: Coffee Machine

While visiting the White House on a tour with his family in 2004, Tom noticed the Press Corps did not have a coffee pot and donated an espresso machine, which was followed up with newer machines in 2010 and 2017. He sent a message with the 2017 machine which read, "To the White House Press Corps, Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially for the truth part."