Hanks, Tom (1956- )

US actor and producer. Known for his performances in romantic comedies such as Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998), he has also won acclaim for his dramatic roles. His performance as an AIDS-afflicted lawyer in Philadelphia (1993) won him a 1994 Academy Award for Best Actor, and he won the same award a year later for Forrest Gump (1994). Hanks received Academy Award nominations in the same category for the World War II film Saving Private Ryan (1998) and the disaster drama Cast Away (2000).

Hanks featured in a number of lightweight comedy dramas during the 1980s and early 1990s, such as Splash (1984), Big (1988), Dragnet (1987), Turner and Hooch (1989), and A League of their Own (1992). He went on to more serious roles from the mid-1990s, including Apollo 13 (1995), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Green Mile (1999), and Road to Perdition (2002). He also played a British officer in the television series Band of Brothers (2001). His production company, Playtone, produced films, for example Castaway (2000) and the romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), as well as television series and film soundtracks from 2000.