Career Timeline of Tom Hanks: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Tom Hanks made an impact.
Tom Hanks, an iconic American actor and filmmaker, is renowned globally for his versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles. He ranks as the fourth-highest-grossing American film actor and has garnered numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. He is also the recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award (2002), the Kennedy Center Honor (2014), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016), and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award (2020), solidifying his status as a cultural icon.
1980: Filming of Bosom Buddies
From 1980, Tom Hanks acted in TV comedy Bosom Buddies
1982: Filming of Bosom Buddies
Until 1982, Tom Hanks acted in TV comedy Bosom Buddies
1993: Academy Award for Philadelphia
In 1993, Tom Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Philadelphia.
1994: Academy Award for Forrest Gump
In 1994, Tom Hanks won his second consecutive Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Forrest Gump.
1998: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for From the Earth to the Moon
In 1998, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on the limited series From the Earth to the Moon.
1998: Saving Private Ryan and You've Got Mail
In 1998, Tom Hanks starred in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan", a war film set after D-Day. He also re-teamed with Meg Ryan and Nora Ephron for "You've Got Mail", a remake of "The Shop Around the Corner".
1999: The Green Mile and Toy Story 2
In 1999, Tom Hanks starred in "The Green Mile", based on Stephen King's novel. Also in 1999, he reprised his role as Woody in "Toy Story 2".
2000: Cast Away
In 2000, Tom Hanks reunited with Robert Zemeckis for the film "Cast Away", where he played a FedEx systems analyst marooned on an island.
2001: Band of Brothers and America: A Tribute to Heroes
In 2001, Tom Hanks co-directed and produced the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers". He also appeared in the September 11 television special "America: A Tribute to Heroes".
2002: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Band of Brothers
In 2002, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on Band of Brothers.
2004: Three Film Appearances
In 2004, Tom Hanks appeared in three films: "The Ladykillers" by the Coen brothers, Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal", and Robert Zemeckis' "The Polar Express".
2004: First Espresso Machine Donation
In 2004, Tom Hanks donated an espresso machine to the White House press corps after learning they did not have a coffee pot.
August 2005: Vice President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
In August 2005, Tom Hanks was voted in as vice president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
June 2006: Induction into U.S. Army Rangers Hall of Fame
In June 2006, Tom Hanks was inducted as an honorary member of the United States Army Rangers Hall of Fame for his role in Saving Private Ryan.
2006: The Da Vinci Code and Most Trusted Celebrity
In 2006, Tom Hanks starred in "The Da Vinci Code", which grossed over US$750 million worldwide. In the same year, he topped a Forbes magazine list of "most trusted celebrities".
2006: Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award
In 2006, the Space Foundation awarded Tom Hanks the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award for his contributions to public awareness of space programs.
April 11, 2007: Angels & Demons Announcement
On April 11, 2007, it was announced that Tom Hanks would reprise his role as Robert Langdon in "Angels & Demons" and would reportedly receive the highest salary ever for an actor.
August 2007: Legal Action Against Gold Circle Films
In August 2007, Tom Hanks, along with co-producers Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman and writer and star Nia Vardalos, initiated a legal action against the production company Gold Circle Films for their share of profits from the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".
2007: The War, The Simpsons Movie, and Charlie Wilson's War
In 2007, Tom Hanks did voice work for Ken Burns's documentary "The War", voiced himself in "The Simpsons Movie", and starred in Mike Nichols's "Charlie Wilson's War".
March 10, 2008: Induction of The Dave Clark Five into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
On March 10, 2008, Tom Hanks inducted The Dave Clark Five into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2008: Endorsement of Barack Obama
During the 2008 United States presidential election, Tom Hanks uploaded a video to his MySpace account endorsing Barack Obama.
2008: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for John Adams
In 2008, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on John Adams.
2008: The Great Buck Howard, Mamma Mia!, and John Adams
In 2008, Tom Hanks starred in "The Great Buck Howard", and executive produced the musical comedy "Mamma Mia!" and the miniseries "John Adams".
2009: Angels & Demons and Where The Wild Things Are
In 2009, Tom Hanks starred in "Angels & Demons", reprising his role as Robert Langdon. He also produced Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things Are", based on the children's book by Maurice Sendak.
2010: Second Espresso Machine Donation
In 2010, Tom Hanks donated new espresso machines to the White House press corps.
2010: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for The Pacific
In 2010, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on The Pacific.
2010: Toy Story 3 and The Pacific
In 2010, Tom Hanks reprised his role as Woody in "Toy Story 3", which became the highest-grossing animated film at the time. He also executive produced the miniseries "The Pacific".
2011: Larry Crowne and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
In 2011, Tom Hanks directed and starred opposite Julia Roberts in "Larry Crowne". He also starred in the drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close".
2011: Narration of Killing Lincoln
In 2011, Tom Hanks narrated the television program Killing Lincoln.
2011: In the Garden of Beasts Adaptation
In 2011, it was announced that Tom Hanks is attached to star in an adaptation of the non-fiction book "In the Garden of Beasts" from director Joe Wright.
2012: Cloud Atlas
In 2012, Tom Hanks had been directed by Tom Tykwer for Cloud Atlas.
2012: Narration of The Road We've Traveled
In 2012, Tom Hanks narrated a documentary, The Road We've Traveled, created by Obama for America.
2012: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Game Change
In 2012, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on Game Change.
2012: Electric City, Cloud Atlas and Game Change
In 2012, Tom Hanks voiced the character Cleveland Carr for his web series "Electric City". He played multiple parts in "Cloud Atlas" and was executive producer of the miniseries "Game Change".
2013: Tony Award Nomination for Lucky Guy
In 2013, Tom Hanks received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Nora Ephron's play Lucky Guy.
2013: Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, and Lucky Guy
In 2013, Tom Hanks starred in "Captain Phillips" and "Saving Mr. Banks", and made his Broadway debut in "Lucky Guy".
2013: Starring in Lucky Guy on Broadway
In 2013, while starring in Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy on Broadway, Tom Hanks drew crowds of 300 fans after each performance, the highest number for any Broadway performance.
August 2014: Release of Hanx Writer iOS App
In August 2014, Tom Hanks released Hanx Writer, an iOS app meant to emulate the experience of using a typewriter, which quickly reached number one on the App Store.
2014: Publication of "Alan Bean Plus Four"
In 2014, Tom Hanks' short story "Alan Bean Plus Four" was published in The New Yorker.
March 2015: Appearance in Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You" music video
In March 2015, Tom Hanks appeared in the music video for Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You", lip-syncing the lyrics.
2015: Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Olive Kitteridge
In 2015, Tom Hanks received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work as a producer on Olive Kitteridge.
April 2016: Starring in A Hologram for the King
In April 2016, Tom Hanks starred as Alan Clay in the comedy-drama "A Hologram for the King", an adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name.
2016: Endorsement of Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Tom Hanks endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
2016: Sully and Inferno
In 2016, Tom Hanks starred as airline captain Chesley Sullenberger in Clint Eastwood's "Sully", and reprised his role as Robert Langdon in "Inferno".
March 2017: Masters of the Air production update
In March 2017, it was reported that production was progressing on Masters of the Air under the working title The Mighty Eighth.
October 28, 2017: The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special
On October 28, 2017, Tom Hanks voiced David S. Pumpkins in "The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special" on NBC.
2017: Third Espresso Machine Donation
In 2017, Tom Hanks donated new espresso machines to the White House press corps, accompanied by a note.
2017: Publication of Uncommon Type
In 2017, Tom Hanks's collection of short stories, Uncommon Type, inspired by his typewriter collection, was published.
October 11, 2019: Masters of the Air to stream on Apple TV+
On October 11, 2019, it was announced that the Masters of the Air miniseries would stream on Apple TV+.
December 27, 2019: Honorary Greek citizenship
On December 27, 2019, the President of Greece signed an honorary naturalization order for Tom Hanks and his family, making them Greek citizens due to their "exceptional services to Greece".
2019: Toy Story 4 and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
In 2019, Tom Hanks reprised his role as Sheriff Woody in Pixar's "Toy Story 4". He also portrayed Fred Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", earning an Academy Award nomination.
April 11, 2020: Hosting Saturday Night Live After COVID-19 Diagnosis
On April 11, 2020, Tom Hanks hosted Saturday Night Live, marking his first television appearance since his COVID-19 diagnosis. It was also the first episode after the show's hiatus due to the pandemic.
June 2020: Greyhound Release
In June 2020, Sony Pictures was initially set to theatrically release the war film Greyhound, which Tom Hanks starred in and wrote the screenplay for.
July 2020: Greyhound on Apple TV+
In July 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, distribution rights to "Greyhound" were bought by Apple TV+ and released on the platform. Tom Hanks starred in and wrote the screenplay for "Greyhound".
December 2020: Confirmed for Pinocchio
In December 2020, Tom Hanks' involvement in Walt Disney Studios' live-action adaptation of "Pinocchio" was officially confirmed.
2020: Endorsement of Joe Biden
In 2020, Tom Hanks endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
2021: Starring in Finch
In 2021, Tom Hanks starred in the science fiction drama "Finch", which was directed by Miguel Sapochnik and released by Apple TV+.
March 2, 2022: Interview on Dead Eyes Podcast
On March 2, 2022, Tom Hanks was interviewed on Connor Ratliff's podcast "Dead Eyes", 22 years after allegedly firing Ratliff from "Band of Brothers" due to his "dead eyes".
June 2022: Elvis Release
In June 2022, "Elvis", in which Tom Hanks starred as Tom Parker, was released.
September 8, 2022: Pinocchio Release on Disney+
On September 8, 2022, Tom Hanks starred as Geppetto in Walt Disney Studios' live-action adaptation of "Pinocchio", released on Disney+.
2022: Truman Hanks portrayed young Tom Hanks
In 2022, Truman Hanks portrayed the younger version of his father's character in A Man Called Otto.
May 2023: Publication of The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece
In May 2023, Tom Hanks's debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, was published.
June 2023: Asteroid City Release
In June 2023, Tom Hanks appeared in Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City", which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters.
2023: Founded Hanx for the Troops
In 2023, Tom Hanks founded Hanx for the Troops, a coffee company that supports veterans and military families.
January 26, 2024: Masters of the Air Premieres on Apple TV+
On January 26, 2024, the miniseries Masters of the Air, which Tom Hanks executive produced, premiered on Apple TV+.
April 2025: Narration of The Americas
From February to April 2025, Tom Hanks will narrate the NBC documentary series, The Americas.
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