Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. He began his acting career in the late 1970s with roles in television series and films. Hanks’s breakthrough role came in 1984 with his performance in “Splash,” which was followed by roles in films such as “Big,” “Philadelphia,” and “Forrest Gump.” His performance in “Philadelphia” earned him his first Academy Award for Best Actor, followed by a second win for “Forrest Gump.”