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Tom says he is a "die-hard" fan of The Voice.
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Tom has often been referred to as "the modern James Stewart."
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Tom converted from Roman Catholicism to Eastern Orthodox Christianity when he married his current wife, Rita Wilson.
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Tom has an asteroid named after him called "12818 tomhanks".
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Tom revisited Oakland to dedicate a renovated theater to his retired high school drama teacher.
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Tom has cited Joe Spano as one of his early inspirations.
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Tom is a fan of Aston Villa, an English Premier League soccer team.
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Since his childhood, Tom has been close friends with musician Bruce Springsteen.
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Tom Hanks is a huge Star Trek fan.
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Both of Tom's maternal grandparents had Portuguese ancestry.
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After returning from an overseas location shoot in 1999, Tom required emergency treatment for serious staph infection in his leg.
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Tom is an environmental conservationist.
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Tom bought a stone in front of Jacobs Field in Cleveland when it was built.
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Tom once worked as a hotel bellman, carrying luggage for Cher, Sidney Poitier, among others.
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Nearly a half decade after high school, Tom spent his summers acting in several Shakespeare plays and his winters backstage in a community theater in Sacramento.
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During high school, Tom entertained his class by acting in school plays and performing his comedic talents.
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Tom moved often as a kid because his father was an itinerant cook.
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Tom has had two sons with his current wife Rita. Their names are Chester and Truman.
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Tom dropped out of college by the 1980's, the time in which he also moved to New York City.
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Tom first wanted to pursue a career in acting after reading and watching a performance of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh.
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Tom went to junior college in Hayward, California.
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Tom attended and graduated from high school in Oakland, California.
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Tom had to deal with the divorce of his parents at the age of five.
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Tom's first acting performance was at Cleveland's Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in 1977.
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Tom donated $50,000 to help pay for Barak Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009.
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Tom collects typewriters.
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Tom gained 30 pounds for his role in "A League of Their Own"; he credited a local ice cream shop with helping him to gain the weight.
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Tom reprised his role of 'Woody' for the video games "Toy Story Activity Center" and "Toy Story 2".
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Tom is a very big Star Trek fan.
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Tom would not write with his left hand in the movie "Apollo 13" even though his character, Jim Lovell is left handed.
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In 1995, 1999, and 2001, Tom was nominated for SAG Awards in the category of "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role". The movies were Forrest Gump in 1995, Saving Private Ryan in 1999, and Cast Away in 2001. He won in 1995 for Forrest Gump.
In 1999 and 2000, Tom was nominated for SAG Awards for "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture". In 1999, he was nominated for Saving Private Ryan. In 2000, he was nominated for The Green Mile.
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Ron Howard sent him the Apollo 13 script because he knew that Tom had an interest in space flight and had followed the Apollo program as a boy.
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Tom had no acting experience when he entered college, but tried out for a play unsuccessfully. He subsequently went downtown to the local community theatre and auditioned for a play there. The director liked his style and asked him to join the cast that was going on tour to Cleveland, Ohio. Tom has since credited his defeat in college as his passport into the entertainment world.
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Tom's favorite actor is James Stewart.
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Tom's acceptance speech for winning the 1994 Academy Award for Best Actor Oscar for his role in Philadelphia included thanking his high school drama teacher who was gay. It was this revelation that inspired the Kevin Kline movie In & Out.
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Tom's father, Amos, is a chef while his mother, Janet, worked in a hospital.
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Tom was listed in the #2 position in the annual Harris Poll of America's top ten favorite movie stars in 2006.
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Tom's younger brother Jim doubles for him in the movie Forrest Gump; it is Jim that you see in many of the mindless running scenes.
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Tom's daughter has a role as an 'extra' in Forrest Gump; she is the little red-haired girl on the school bus that he rides.
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Slinky's line in Toy Story 2: 'I may not be a smart dog, but I know what road kill is,' is a reference to Forrest Gump. Tom starred in both movies.
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Tom was originally considered for the role of Larry Flint in the movie The People vs Larry Flint; the role was given to Woody Harrelson.
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Tom was the first choice to replace Michael Keaton in his role of 'Batman' in the movie Batman Forever.
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'Wilson', the volleyball that kept Tom's character company on a deserted island in Castaway, sold for $18,400 in an online auction of movie props in 2001.
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Tom is among the celebrities that are putting their personal artistic spins on the La Coste Polo Shirts, in a bid to raise funds for the fight against Pediatric AIDS.
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Tom lists his favorite movies as: Fargo, Elephant, Boogie Nights, The Godfather, and A Space Odyssey.
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Tom is one of the people responsable for bringing the hit Abba Musical "Mama Mia" to the big screen.
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In 2006 Tom entered into the Guiness Book Of World Records as the actor with the most consecutive $100 million dollar grossing movies.
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Tom admits to having an affair with
Rita Wilson, while married to his first wife Samantha Lewes.
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Tom has been inducted as an honorary member of the US Army's Ranger Hall of Fame. The honour was given for his performance in Saving Private Ryan and for his commitment to honouring those who served in the war.
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Tom was considered for the role of 'Peter Banning' in the movie Hook, in 1991.
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Tom is a member of the International Thespian Society.
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Tom sold popcorn and peanuts in the stands at the Oakland Coliseum as a teen.
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Tom was offered the title role in the movie Jerry Maguire.
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Tom had to gain and then lose 50 lbs for his role in the movie Castaway.
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Tom lost 30 lbs for his role of a dying AIDS patient in the 1993 movie Philadelphia.
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Tom was ranked #31 on the Forbes list of top 100 celebrities in 2006. He was at #11 in 2007.
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Tom joined the long list of celebrities lampooned by South Park. It happened in South Park episode 22 entitled Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls.
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Tom has been such a frequent guest host on Saturday Night Live that he has a recurring skit/character... "Mr. Short-Term Memory".
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Tom's first wife, Samantha Lewes, died of Cancer.
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Tom's three favorite bands/artists are: Elvis Presley, Patrick Rondat and Alabama Thunderpussy. He says the music relaxes him.
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Tom is a a diehard Cleveland Indians baseball team fan and has been for a long time.
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Tom returned from an overseas shoot in 1999 with a bad staph infection in his leg where he needed emergency treatment.
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Tom was asked by director Ron Howard himself, to audition for the movie Splash.
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Tom has two brothers; actor Jim Hanks and teacher Larry Hanks.
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US Magazine voted Tom "Best Actor" in 1995.
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Tom attended Skyline High School in Oakland, California. After that Tom went to Cabot College.
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Tom was the first actor to win back to back Oscars since 1938.
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Tom received the Distinguished Public Service Award for his role in Saving Private Ryan.
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Tom's trademark in the business is playing conflicted regular guys.
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Tom's first wife was Samantha Lewes whom he married on January 24, 1978, and divorced on March 19, 1987. They have two children, who are both actors,
Colin and Elizabeth.
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Tom married
Rita Wilson on April 30, 1988, and as of November 2008, are still happily married.
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Tom made a big step in the entertainment business when he wrote, directed, and starred in the film That Thing You Do in 1996.
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Tom is 6'1" (1.83m) tall.
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Tom is a descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. Tom is a fourth cousin, four generations removed. Common ancestors were William and Sarah Hanks, who were great-great-great grandparents of Abraham Lincoln.