Tom Hanks’ 5 Best Performances

His accolades include 2 Oscar wins out of 6 nominations, 5 BAFTA nominations and 4 Golden Globe awards out of 10 nominations

Tom Hanks. A household name around the world nowadays. He’s become a master of the biopic genre and is known most for playing a certain cowboy doll. Hanks has an extensive filmography from when his career picked up momentum back in the 1980s.

But, which performances are his best? We’ve put our heads together and sussed which roles deserve the most praise.

5. Woody in Toy Story (1995)

This animated role had the two-time Oscar winner loved by kids all over the world. Hanks portrays Woody, a cowboy doll and un-elected leader of all toys belonging to the young boy Andy. However, things go a bit pear-shaped for the hierarchy when new toy Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Hollywood star Tim Allen, arrives and is quickly favoured by Andy and all toys in Andy’s room. From there, we get a franchise that spanned 25 years and a quad-trilogy of films.

Though Hanks voiced the character for all films, the original is easily his best performance. The urgent nature of Woody needed a hardcore character who could play lovable and intense at the same time. Safe to say Hanks nailed it.

Police Academy‘s Steven Guttenberg, Dirty Harry‘s Clint Eastwood and Mrs Doubtfire‘s Robin Williams were considered to voice Woody before Hanks was cast.

4. Josh Baskin in Big (1988)

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a 13 year-old in an adult’s body? Hanks and director Penny Marshall helped to answer that! David Moscow portrays young boy Josh Baskin who comes across a magical arcade machine and wishes he was big on a whim. The next morning, he wakes up in the form of Tom Hanks who portrays an older version of the character.

Hanks’ portrayal of the naive young man is comical to say the least, but also sweet and upsetting in some sections. You can tell he’ll have had some fun on this production.

Hanks and co-star Robert Loggia are known of course for the iconic giant keyboard scene from this film. The day they were set to film the scene, they noticed people also dressed in their costume should they be unable to do the scene completely due to it’s complex nature. Needless to say, the pair respectively made it their goal to ensure they were the ones who did the routine completely themselves. They succeeded.

Related Article: Benedict Cumberbatch’s 5 Best Performances

3. Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Hanks and DiCaprio side by side. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this biopic tells the story of young Frank William Abagnale Jr. (portrayed by Leonard DiCaprio), a teen who forges cheques and passes off as an airline pilot, doctor and lawyer all before his 21st birthday. Hanks portrays a fictitious FBI agent tasked with catching him.

The actor gives comedy, anger and sincerity in this cat and mouse caper, and his chemistry with DiCaprio is incredible. Hanks shows all of his range in this outing.

Spielberg was initially reluctant to approach Hanks for the role, believing he’d not want to fill a supporting role at that point in his career. However, Hanks insisted that a good part was a good part no matter the size. The rest is history.

2. Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994)

The film that earned this actor his second Best Actor Oscar (his first being for Philadelphia the previous year). Based on the novel of the same name, Hanks portrays the title character, a slow-witted man who finds himself involved and influencing certain events in history throughout his life.

Funny, heartwarming and tear-filled, Hanks earned this Oscar with a performance that has you forgetting you’re watching a performance.

Tom Hanks was actually not paid for this project. Instead he took percentage points, which earned him a figure in the region of $40 million.

1. Chuck Noland in Cast Away (2000)

At the top of the list is Hanks’ most transformative role to date. Directed by the great Robert Zemeckis, the actor portrays a FedEx executive who’s plane crashes on a deserted island, and he is left with only his intellect and a handful of random FedEx parcels to survive.

Hanks’ performance is simple, and there are even parts where we don’t get dialogue for a vast length of time. Plus, he’s filling the majority of this film with just himself. Oh, and Wilson of course. The slow burn of anguish and isolation the character suffers is perceived amazingly without a doubt.

It is well known that to portray his character pre-island, Hanks gained a bit of weight. Production then actually halted for a year so he could lose 50 pounds and grow his hair out for the character’s time on the island. Any chance a studio can hire me for a Cast Away-esque blockbuster in January so I can lose this growing Christmas weight?

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Did you agree with our choices for Tom Hanks’ 5 best performances? Believe other roles deserved a spot on the list? Let us know in the comment section below.