Tom Hanks has enjoyed a career that has spanned a thirty years bringing him two Academy Awards and he has become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
This week he is back on the big screen, his voice is at least, as Toy Story 3 finally makes is to the big screen, eleven years after we last saw Woody and Buzz.
So to celebrate the release of the movie we take a look at some of Tom Hanks' best movies.
- Big
Despite making his screen debut in 1980 it was 1988 when Hanks picked up his first Oscar nomination as he made a splash with Big.
A young boy makes a wish at a fairground machine to be big. He wakes up the following morning to find that his wish has been granted and his body has grown older over night.
But he is still the same 12 year old kid on the inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown ups including getting a job, and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.
The film opened to critical acclaim and helped Hanks make his march up the Hollywood ladder.
- Sleepless In Seattle
While Hanks is known as a dramatic actor today throughout the early part of his career it were comedy roles that littered his CV. And in 1993 he turned to the romantic comedy with Meg Ryan in Sleepless In Seattle.
It's Christmas Eve and radio talk show psychologist Marcia Fieldstone has asked her listening audience what they are wishing and dreaming of during this season of hope.
A little boy, who is tuned in from Seattle calls in his wish, a new wife for his father who has been widowed for a year and a half. Meanwhile, all the way across the country, punching buttons on her car radio as she drives from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., Annie Reed hears Jonah and is immediately captivated by him and his selfless Christmas wish.
Jonah and his dad are immediately besieged by countless letters from listeners reaching out to help, including thousands of marriage proposals from women across the country.
Meanwhile, Annie becomes convinced that it is her destiny to meet Sam, Jonah's lovely dad. And as Annie sees it, there are just two minor problems.
First, she is presently engaged to marry another man whom she does love. And, of course, Jonah's dad does not even know yet that he and Annie are made for each other
The movie was a critical hit and a commercial smash as it went on to gross in excess of $227 million at the global box office, not bad for a movie that was made for $21 million.
Nearly twenty years after it's release Sleepless in Seattle remains one of the most popular movies in the rom com genre.
- Philadelphia
But it was Philadelphia in 1993 that brought hanks his very first Academy Award of Best Actor.
Andrew Beckett is a young up-and-coming lawyer who has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. His former colleagues claim he's just not good enough; Andrew says he's been fired because he has AIDS.
Determined to defend his professional reputation; Andrew hires fierce personal-injury attorney Joe Miller to represent him as he sues his former firm for wrongful termination.
Separated from Andrew by a deep social and cultural chasm, Joe is initially reluctant to take the case. For Andrew the battle is clear cut--he's fighting for his reputation, his life and for justice.
Joe, however, faces a different kind of struggle as he confronts his own fears and prejudices about homosexuals.
The movie was the first real big screen film that tackled the issue of AIDS as well as looking at homosexuality, following in the footsteps of TV movie And The Band Played On.
The movie was met well by the critics when it was released and it grossed over $206 million at the box office. Hanks saw off competition from Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Newman and John Travolta to pick up Best Picture.
- Forrest Gump
Twelve months after his Philadelphia Oscar success he picked up his second Oscar the much loved, and perhaps his most famous role Forrest Gump.
Forrest, Forrest Gump is a simple man but has nothing but good intentions. He struggles through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His 'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny.
Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, starts a table tennis craze, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times.
However this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny.
The movie was one of the most successful films of the years as it too over $677 million as it topped the box offices around the world.
Hanks received critical acclaim for his central performance and a second consecutive Best Actor gong came his way.
- Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan saw Hanks move into the war movie in 1998 as the actor joins up with Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg and an all star cast.
James Ryan, who has parachuted into France during the Allied invasion of Europe, has just lost three brothers in combat. Government policy dictates that he should return home lest his family be deprived of all its male offspring.
A team of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller and fresh from the beaches of Normandy, is assembled to find and save Private Ryan.
Saving Private Ryan was one of the best war movies that have graced the big screen in many a year as the film dominated the box office.
There was another Best Actor nomination for Hanks, losing out to Roberto Benigni for Life Is Beautiful, and the movie was also nominated for Best Picture, how it lost out to Shakespeare In Love is anybody's guess.
Other performances from Hanks that you really should check out are Toy Story, Apollo 13, my personal favourite, The Green Mile, Road To Perdition and Cast Away.
Toy Story 3 is out now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tom Hanks has enjoyed a career that has spanned a thirty years bringing him two Academy Awards and he has become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
This week he is back on the big screen, his voice is at least, as Toy Story 3 finally makes is to the big screen, eleven years after we last saw Woody and Buzz.
So to celebrate the release of the movie we take a look at some of Tom Hanks' best movies.
- Big
Despite making his screen debut in 1980 it was 1988 when Hanks picked up his first Oscar nomination as he made a splash with Big.
A young boy makes a wish at a fairground machine to be big. He wakes up the following morning to find that his wish has been granted and his body has grown older over night.
But he is still the same 12 year old kid on the inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown ups including getting a job, and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.
The film opened to critical acclaim and helped Hanks make his march up the Hollywood ladder.
- Sleepless In Seattle
While Hanks is known as a dramatic actor today throughout the early part of his career it were comedy roles that littered his CV. And in 1993 he turned to the romantic comedy with Meg Ryan in Sleepless In Seattle.
It's Christmas Eve and radio talk show psychologist Marcia Fieldstone has asked her listening audience what they are wishing and dreaming of during this season of hope.
A little boy, who is tuned in from Seattle calls in his wish, a new wife for his father who has been widowed for a year and a half. Meanwhile, all the way across the country, punching buttons on her car radio as she drives from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., Annie Reed hears Jonah and is immediately captivated by him and his selfless Christmas wish.
Jonah and his dad are immediately besieged by countless letters from listeners reaching out to help, including thousands of marriage proposals from women across the country.
Meanwhile, Annie becomes convinced that it is her destiny to meet Sam, Jonah's lovely dad. And as Annie sees it, there are just two minor problems.
First, she is presently engaged to marry another man whom she does love. And, of course, Jonah's dad does not even know yet that he and Annie are made for each other
The movie was a critical hit and a commercial smash as it went on to gross in excess of $227 million at the global box office, not bad for a movie that was made for $21 million.
Nearly twenty years after it's release Sleepless in Seattle remains one of the most popular movies in the rom com genre.
- Philadelphia
But it was Philadelphia in 1993 that brought hanks his very first Academy Award of Best Actor.
Andrew Beckett is a young up-and-coming lawyer who has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. His former colleagues claim he's just not good enough; Andrew says he's been fired because he has AIDS.
Determined to defend his professional reputation; Andrew hires fierce personal-injury attorney Joe Miller to represent him as he sues his former firm for wrongful termination.
Separated from Andrew by a deep social and cultural chasm, Joe is initially reluctant to take the case. For Andrew the battle is clear cut--he's fighting for his reputation, his life and for justice.
Joe, however, faces a different kind of struggle as he confronts his own fears and prejudices about homosexuals.
The movie was the first real big screen film that tackled the issue of AIDS as well as looking at homosexuality, following in the footsteps of TV movie And The Band Played On.
The movie was met well by the critics when it was released and it grossed over $206 million at the box office. Hanks saw off competition from Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Newman and John Travolta to pick up Best Picture.
- Forrest Gump
Twelve months after his Philadelphia Oscar success he picked up his second Oscar the much loved, and perhaps his most famous role Forrest Gump.