Tom Hanks: From Community College to Hollywood Icon

Introduction

Tom Hanks, a name synonymous with American cinema, has captivated audiences for decades with his versatile acting and relatable persona. His journey to becoming a Hollywood icon is a testament to his talent, hard work, and the transformative power of education, particularly his time at Chabot College. This article explores Hanks' early life, his formative years in community college, and how those experiences shaped his career.

Early Life and Education

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. His early life was marked by frequent moves and a "fractured" family, following his parents' divorce in 1960. Despite a self-described "confused childhood," Hanks found solace and direction in the arts.

After graduating high school in Oakland, Hanks enrolled at Chabot College in Hayward, California. This community college proved to be a turning point in his life. It was here that he discovered his passion for theater and began to hone his craft.

The Chabot College Experience: A Transformative Period

Chabot College, situated on 94 acres, offered Hanks a diverse range of academic opportunities. The college provided more than 100 associate degrees and certificates. The student body comprised a mix of Vietnam vets, moms, middle-aged men, and young people seeking to explore their options.

Hanks himself was looking to get his general education requirements out of the way, learn skill sets to improve his employment prospects, or discover the road to new, unimagined careers. In a 2015 New York Times opinion piece, Hanks reflected on his time at Chabot, noting, "Classes I took at Chabot have rippled through my professional pond."

One pivotal moment occurred when Hanks watched a performance of Eugene O'Neill's “The Iceman Cometh,” with Joe Spano in the title role. This experience deeply affected him and solidified his commitment to acting. He also credits Herb Kennedy's Drama in Performance class with expanding his dreams through exposure to plays like "The Hot L Baltimore" and "Desire Under the Elms." He got to see the plays he taught, through student rush tickets at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Transfer to Cal State Sacramento and Early Career

After two years at Chabot College, Hanks transferred to California State University, Sacramento, to further pursue his theater studies. However, he later dropped out when he received an offer to become an intern at the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland.

His internship stretched into a three-year experience that covered most aspects of theater production, including lighting, set design, and stage management. In 1979, Hanks moved to New York City, where he made his film debut in the low-budget slasher film He Knows You're Alone (1980) and landed a starring role in the television movie Mazes and Monsters (1982). Early that year, he was cast as the lead, Callimaco, in the Riverside Shakespeare Company's production of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Mandrake, directed by Daniel Southern. The following year, Hanks landed one of the lead roles, that of character Kip Wilson, on the ABC television pilot of Bosom Buddies. After landing the role, Hanks moved to Los Angeles.

Rise to Prominence

Hanks' career track is the stuff of showbiz legend. His breakthrough television role was a co-lead in the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980-1982). After two seasons on the television sitcom “Bosom Buddies,” the affable actor came to prominence with the 1984 romantic comedy “Splash.” Ron Howard remembered Hanks from his guest stint on Happy Days, and the actor starred in Howard's 1984 hit Splash opposite Daryl Hannah. In 1988, Penny Marshall cast Hanks in a star-making role in Big. His performance earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and established his reputation as a box-office draw as well as a talented actor.

Ron Howard was working on Splash (1984), a fantasy-comedy about a mermaid who falls in love with a business executive. Howard considered Hanks for the role of the main character's wisecracking brother, which eventually went to John Candy. Instead, Hanks landed the lead role and the film went on to become a surprise box office success, grossing more than $69 million.

Critical Acclaim and Two Consecutive Academy Awards

After several flops and a moderate success with the comedy Dragnet (1987), Hanks' stature in the film industry rose. The broad success with the fantasy-comedy Big (1988) established him as a major Hollywood talent, both as a box office draw and within the film industry as an actor. For his performance in the film, Hanks earned his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor.

Hanks climbed back to the top again with his portrayal of a washed-up baseball legend turned manager in A League of Their Own (1992). Hanks has stated that his acting in earlier roles was not great, but that he subsequently improved. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hanks noted his "modern era of movie making … because enough self-discovery has gone on … My work has become less pretentiously fake and over the top". This "modern era" began for Hanks, first with Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and then with Philadelphia (1993).

In Philadelphia, he played a gay lawyer with AIDS who sues his firm for discrimination. Hanks lost 35 pounds and thinned his hair in order to appear sickly for the role. In a review for People, Leah Rozen stated, "Above all, credit for Philadelphia's success belongs to Hanks, who makes sure that he plays a character, not a saint. He is flat-out terrific, giving a deeply felt, carefully nuanced performance that deserves an Oscar." Hanks won the 1993 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Philadelphia. During his acceptance speech, he revealed that his high school drama teacher Rawley Farnsworth and former classmate John Gilkerson, two people with whom he was close, were gay.

Hanks followed Philadelphia with the blockbuster Forrest Gump (1994) which grossed a worldwide total of over $600 million at the box office. Hanks remarked: "When I read the script for Gump, I saw it as one of those kind of grand, hopeful movies that the audience can go to and feel … some hope for their lot and their position in life … I got that from the movies a hundred million times when I was a kid. I still do." Hanks won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his role in Forrest Gump, becoming only the second actor to have accomplished the feat of winning consecutive Best Actor Oscars.

Continued Success and Diverse Roles

Hanks' next role - astronaut and commander Jim Lovell, in the docudrama Apollo 13 (1995) - reunited him with Ron Howard. Critics generally applauded the film and the performances of the entire cast, which included actors Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, and Kathleen Quinlan. The movie also earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning two. Later that year, Hanks starred in Disney/Pixar's computer-animated film Toy Story (1995), as the voice of Sheriff Woody. A year later, he made his directing debut with the musical comedy That Thing You Do! (1996) about the rise and fall of a 1960s pop group, also playing the role of a music producer.

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Hanks has collaborated with Steven Spielberg on five films-Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017)-and three World War II-themed miniseries: Band of Brothers (2001), The Pacific (2010) and Masters of the Air (2024). Banks (2013), Sully (2016), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) and Elvis (2022). He played the title character in the Robert Langdon series (2006-2016) and voiced Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story franchise (1995-present) and multiple roles in The Polar Express (2004). Hanks directed and acted in That Thing You Do!

Recognition and Influence

As of 2022, Hanks is 66-years-old. When Reader's Digest did a poll in 2013 to find out who are the 100 Most Trusted People in America, Tom Hanks came out as No. 1. It's no surprise that the much-beloved star of such hits as Big, Forrest Gump, Castaway, and Toy Story is one of the most powerful and well-respected actors in Hollywood. His accessibility and charisma have earned him comparisons with such screen legends as Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. Tom Hanks is the "everyman" whose portrayals make us reconsider our own moral choices. Watching him on screen, we think about what we would do--and have done. "And that's why we all love you so much," said Oprah in a 2001 interview with Hanks.

Hanks has received numerous accolades, including being the youngest actor ever to earn the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. For his Broadway debut in Lucky Guy, Hanks garnered a 2013 Tony Award nomination. But his achievements extend beyond film. The Space Foundation awarded Hanks the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award given annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness of space programs. Hanks was the first actor to be inducted as an honorary member of the United States Army Rangers Hall of Fame.

Advocacy for Community Colleges

Hanks' experience at Chabot College has made him a vocal advocate for community colleges. He recognizes the value of these institutions in providing accessible education and opportunities for individuals from all walks of life.

In his 2015 New York Times opinion piece, Hanks emphasized the importance of community colleges, stating, "More kids (and adults, for that matter) should have this chance." He believes that community colleges offer a crucial pathway for students to explore their interests, develop skills, and pursue their dreams, regardless of their background or financial situation.

Hanks' support for Wright State University further demonstrates his commitment to accessible education. He co-chaired Wright State’s Rise.Shine campaign and has been involved with the university since the late 1970s. “What I understand about Wright State is they are willing to do what it takes to help every student succeed,” he said. In 1998, Hanks gave Wright State money to launch a scholarship fund in his name.

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