Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, known professionally as Tom Hanks, is an American actor and director who was born on July 9, 1956. He is one of the most well-known and recognizable movie performers in the world and is considered an American cultural icon. He is known for both his humorous and serious parts. Hanks is the fourth-highest-grossing actor in North America, with his films having brought in more than $4 billion in the continent and more than $9 billion globally.

Hanks' breakthrough came in a string of comedic movies with prominent leading parts, including Splash, Bachelor Party, Big, and A League of Their Own. He received two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor for playing the lead roles in Forrest Gump and a gay lawyer with AIDS in Philadelphia. What's more, Hanks has collaborated with Steven Spielberg on five films, including Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and The Post, as well as the miniseries Band of Brothers, which gave him his first big break as a producer, director, and screenwriter.

In a 2022 live-action remake of the Disney film Pinocchio, Hanks will portray Geppetto, the man who gives Pinocchio life, a role he actually requested. Hanks told Entertainment Tonight, "The idea of taking on a treasured classic, as Disney’s Pinocchio, it’s an incredibly rich opportunity to revisit and go deeper into this great masterpiece." It’s obvious he will do the film justice. Hanks has received six nominations and two Academy Awards wins. Here are his top eight most impressive movie transformations, ranked.

8 Forrest Gump

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump (1994)
Paramount Pictures

"Run, Forrest, run!" In the 1994 drama Forrest Gump, Hanks portrayed the title character in one of his most well-known performances. Among many other noteworthy careers, Forrest was a Southern gentleman who served in the U.S. Military. Even though he wasn't the smartest of men, he was immensely likable. Hanks had a military-inspired buzz cut and a clean-cut appearance to fit the role. He spent the majority of the movie wearing khakis and plaid shirts. Hanks’ demeanor, appearance, and Southern accent while on-screen all contributed to transforming him into Forrest Gump.

Related: Best Tom Hanks Movies and TV Shows of the '80s, Ranked

7 The Ladykillers

Tom Hanks in The Ladykillers
Buena Vista Pictures

In the 2004 film The Ladykillers, Hanks played Professor G.H. Dorr. By changing his look for the part, he brought to life the mastermind of a casino robbery. The film is based on the 1955 film of the same name. In the 2004 version, Hanks had a goatee and the center of his hair was curled, giving him a scholarly academic appearance. A complementing bow tie and taupe suit rounded off his ensemble. In addition to his great acting abilities, his appearance was what gave him the most credibility as a casino robber from 1955, the year the movie is set.

6 Saving Mr. Banks

Tom Hanks as Disney in Saving Mr. Banks
Disney

The historical drama Saving Mr. Banks from 2013 had Hanks as Walt Disney. Hanks looked aged-up substantially by sporting a mustache and slicked-back hair to mimic Disney himself. Like Walt, he was dressed in a dapper suit with a pocket square. Along with changing his look, Hanks adopted the Disney creator's mannerisms and habits. Saving Mr. Banks is a movie that shows the making-of Mary Poppins and is based on the actual events the films’ creators went through.

5 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Tom Hanks tosses a shoe in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Sony Pictures

Hanks portrayed legendary sweater wearing children's program entertainer Mr. Rogers in the 2019 biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. At the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, as reported by Variety, Hanks recounted viewing "hundreds of hours" of video of Rogers on set, as well as behind scenes, in order to immerse himself in the character. Someone as well known and iconic as Mr. Rogers had to be done correctly or people would notice quite easily. The character was so beloved by so many people that if Hanks was not on-point with his mannerisms and embodiment of Rogers’ calm persona, it would not work within the film. Hanks received a well-deserved Best Actor nomination at the 2020 Academy Awards because of his portrayal, among countless other nominations and awards that the film received.

Related: Disney+ Reveals First Look at Tom Hanks as Geppetto in Live-Action Pinocchio

4 Sully

sully-WarnerBros
Warner Bros.

In the 2016 film Sully, Hanks portrayed real-life hero Chesley Sullenberger, the former U.S. Airways pilot who, in 2009, successfully made a water landing in the Hudson River to save the lives of the flight's passengers and crew. Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, looks at the sometimes less heroic, humane minds of those who accomplish remarkable feats. The real-life Sullenberger said in an interview with The Denver Post that he and Hanks “talked about the challenges of playing a real person who’s still living, going through the script and those kinds of things.” Sullenberger also noted that Hanks gave “such a nuanced performance, and he’s so good at his craft” and “it seems genuine; it seems like me.”

3 Catch Me If You Can

catchmeifyoucan-dreamworkspictures
Dreamworks Pictures

Hanks portrayed Carl Hanratty, the head of the FBI's check fraud branch, in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can. The actual story of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who managed to defraud several individuals out of millions of dollars while still a teenager, is the basis for the movie. With a hat, classic half-frame spectacles, and a vintage-inspired suit, Hanks embodied the 1960s in the movie perfectly. He also adopted an accent, which lent to his character seeming as real as possible. Hanks did a good job portraying the sympathetic agent who knew that the bad guy, in this instance, was simply a young man, while still trying to bring him to justice.

2 Cast Away

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20th Century Fox

In the 2000 film Cast Away, Hanks played Chuck Noland, one of his most recognizable characters. Hanks committed to the role in a way many people wouldn’t. The actor lost and gained 53 pounds to play the before-and-after versions of his character. In the film, Noland is stranded on an island with only a volleyball for company, which he names Wilson, because of the ball’s branding. Hanks also had to grow a thick beard for the scenes when he was stranded and his character couldn’t shave. For his incredible work in this movie, Hanks received the 2001 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama.

1 Cloud Atlas

CloudAtlas-WarnerBros
Warner Bros.

Hanks played many parts and had a variety of looks in the 2012 film Cloud Atlas. He was Issac Sachs (a nuclear engineer), Dermot Hoggins, Dr. Henry Goose (the hotel manager), and Zachary. Hanks needed a red-haired wig, gold-framed glasses, and a lab coat in addition to a lab coat to play Isaac Sachs. As Dermot Hoggins in Cloud Atlas, Hanks appeared to be an entirely different person. Hanks had a goatee that was poorly styled, sideburns, and was bald for this role. His rough appearance was complemented by the diamond earrings in his earlobes. Cloud Atlas is an examination of the effects of one person's conversion from killer to hero on the lives of the other people in their life. The way Hanks illustrates how a person may evolve over time using multiple characters is superb and proves he deserves all the recognition in the world.