Tom Hanks

My thoughts on Hanks....

I was once asked who, in my opinion, is the greatest male actor who is still alive today. After thinking about it for a bit, Tom Hanks stood in my mind. Hanks has been acting longer than I have been alive. One of his earliest works was starring in Bosom Buddies, a show about two men (one was Hanks of course) who dress up as drags to live in a women's residence. His career didn't start to boom yet. Hanks guest appeared on shows such as Taxi, Happy Days, Family Ties, and The Love Boat. In the mid to late 80's, he gained feature roles in movies like "Splash", "Big", "The Money Pit", "The Man With One Red Shoe", "Dragnet", and "Bachelor Party." He continued having feature roles in the early 90's such as "The burbs", "Turner & Hooch", and "Joe vs the Volcanoe." None of those movies were considered great by some critics; however, I enjoyed them a lot! "Turner & Hooch", I'll boldly admit, is one of a secret list of movies that makes me cry......ok ok, tear up. Shortly after these movies, Hanks career would skyrocket. Hanks co-starred with Meg Ryan in "Sleepless In Seattle" which greatly boomed his acting status. Shortly after that, "Philadelphia", a movie about a cop who lost his job because he got AIDS, touched the hearts of many. In "A League of Their Own", Hanks played the coach of an All American Girls Professional Baseball League team during War World II. "Forrest Gump", filmed in beautiful Beaufort, SC (one of many locations), was a heart warming story about a man who overcame his disability and shocked everyone with his accomplishments. "Apollo 13" was a true story about the Apollo 13 mission, which 3 men (played by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton) fly to the moon when problems occur on board the pod. Hanks furthered his movie skills when he wrote, directed and co-starred in his own movie "That Thing You Do!" about a story of a band who started small then made it big with Hanks playing as their manager. "Saving Private Ryan" was a real life simulation of the battle of Normandy (D-Day)which Hanks played a captain trying to find Private Ryan, a soldier who's 3 brothers were killed. Finally, Hanks again co-starred with Meg Ryan in "You Got Mail" which was about two online lovers who don't realize they know and hate each other in real life. Hanks' career has skyrocketed in the past 10 years and I look forward to new movies he will be in. Hanks truly is my choice of the best male actor today.

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