Actor Tom Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in California, USA. He began appearing in plays as a student and joined the Shakespeare Theatre Company at California State University. After dropping out, he moved to New York to pursue acting. His performance on the TV drama "Happy Days" caught the eye of director Ron Howard, who cast him in the lead role in "Splash" (1984), a hit that grossed $62 million. In 1988, he starred in the comedy film "Big," for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. At the time, he was active in numerous TV shows and films as a comedic actor, but his career changed dramatically when he appeared in the film "Philadelphia" (1993). In this film, he played a serious role as an AIDS-infected lawyer, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He achieved the remarkable feat of winning the same award two years in a row for "Forrest Gump" the following year.

He went on to appear in numerous hit films, including "Saving Private Ryan," "You've Got Mail," and "The Green Mile." He also made his directorial debut with the film "All I Want Is You" in 1996. In recognition of these achievements, he received the American Film Institute (AFI) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.