In this weekend's Larry Crowne, Tom Hanks plays a hardworking retail employee who is laid off suddenly because he doesn't have a college degree. How did Hanks transform himself from a smooth-talking cross-dresser named Buffy to a dorky community college student who dresses in Dockers and crosses campus on a scooter?
You can always trace a direct line through a few important roles to illustrate what led to an actor's current success. So let's look at nine pivotal performances that track the evolution of America's most likable actor, Tom Hanks.
Bosom Buddies (1980)
Once upon a time, there was a California native named Tom Hanks. He really liked acting, so he took acting classes at California State University Sacramento and afterward, made the pilgrimage to New York City where he scored roles in a low-budget horror film He Knows You're Alone and a long-forgotten television movie called Mazes and Monsters. Shortly after, at the age of 24, Hanks landed the lead in an ABC pilot called Bosom Buddies so Hanks made the pilgrimage back to California and stayed on the series for two seasons (until it was canceled) as Kip "Buffy" Wilson, an advertising professional who cross-dresses so that he can live in an affordable all-women hotel.
Splash! (1984)
After guest-starring on an episode of Happy Days in 1982, Ron Howard contacted the actor and asked him to read for a supporting character in his upcoming fantasy rom-com. The actor ended up getting the lead, a New York City bachelor who falls in love with a mermaid played by Daryl Hannah. Although Hanks only received mediocre reviews from critics (Roger Ebert said that he was "conventionally handsome and passably appealing, and he would do in a secondary role"), the film was a box office success and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay the next year.
Big (1988)
It wasn't until four years later after a string of so-so films like The Money Pit and Bachelor Party, that Tom Hanks: The Movie Star was born. For his role in Penny Marshall's classic coming-of-age rom-com as a young boy who magically becomes an adult overnight, Hanks received his first Academy Award nomination.
Sleepless in Seattle(1993)
Shortly after working with Marshall again on A League of Their Own and creating smoldering chemistry with Meg Ryan onscreen in Joe Versus the Volcano, Hanks and Ryan paired up again for this seminal '90s rom-com from Nora Ephron. Inspired by An Affair to Remember, Hanks starred as a lovelorn widower whose conniving son sets him up with talk radio caller. The movie grossed over $225 million worldwide and its success inspired the stars and director to collaborate again on 1998s equally charming rom-com You've Got Mail.
Philadelphia (1993)
Later that same year, Hanks took his career into a bold new direction by starring in Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia, one of the first mainstream movies to explore HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. Hanks earned his first Oscar for playing an HIV positive, homosexual lawyer who sues his firm after being unfairly dismissed. Although some of the more intimate scenes between Hanks and his onscreen lover (Antonio Banderas) were cut from the final edit, the heartbreaking drama marked a shift in Hollywood films being able to realistically portray same sex relationships. The next year, Hanks would go on to win another Academy Award for his role as the simple-minded Alabama boy Forrest Gump.
Toy Story (1995)
Most actors don't get the chance to introduce themselves to a generation, let alone two -- which is what Hanks did when he took his first animated role as Woody, the affable cowboy hero in Pixar's first film. Toy Story grossed over $350 million worldwide and went on to spawn two theatrical release sequels and an ice show.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
After directing a few television episodes (of Tales from the Crypt and Fallen Angels), Hanks made the jump to feature directing in That Thing You Do!, which he also wrote and starred in. As the second manager of the film's one-hit wonder rock band (comprised of Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry), Hanks and his directorial debut were embraced by critics in spite of a mediocre box office performance.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Although Hanks had worked with Steven Spielberg on Joe Versus the Volcano, Saving Private Ryan was the first Hanks film that Spielberg directed. Regarded as one of the finest war films of all time, Hanks starred as Captain John H. Miller, commanding officer of a 2nd Ranger Battalion during the invasion of Normandy. Hanks would team up with the legendary director again for Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which would continue the pair's exploration of World War II.
Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
After establishing a successful producing career with box office hits like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Polar Express (which he also voiced) and Evan Almighty, Hanks earned a dual credit (producer/actor) on the Mike Nichols' biographical comedy/drama. As the larger-than-life titular Texan congressman, Hanks starred opposite Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. This weekend, Hanks and Roberts continue their onscreen partnership in Larry Crowne, which is only the second feature to be directed by the actor. Regardless of how the rom-com performs, Hanks will probably still remain the most lucrative box office star of all time and the most-liked actor of our generation.