Tom Hanks is certainly a well-known and beloved actor today. He has had many easily recognizable and acclaimed roles over the years, including the popular romantic comedy-drama Forrest Gump, and lending his voice for Toy Story and all of its sequels as Woody. He’s still going strong, too, having appeared in this year’s release of Elvis, as well as Geppetto in Disney’s live action Pinocchio.
However, everyone’s career has to start somewhere, and for Hanks, it’s no different. His career began on stage, acting at the Great Lakes Theater in the 70s. Then, in the 80s, he not only made his first film and TV debuts, but started appearing in some of his breakout roles. Once he was nominated for his first Oscar in the 80s, his career really set off — and this was before many of the movies we now recognize him for today. Here are some of Hanks' best performances from his early career, and some of what helped him in his claim to fame.
7 Bachelor Party
Bachelor Party is about a recently engaged couple, Rick and Debbie. Rick, who makes a living as a school bus driver, doesn’t impress Debbie’s wealthy parents, so they enlist the help of Debbie’s ex, Cole, to try and sabotage their relationship. While Rick’s friends throw him a bachelor party and Debbie goes off to a bridal shower thrown by her own friends, both parties begin to go wrong thanks to Cole’s meddling.
Rick tries to navigate around the binge-drinking and sex happening at his bachelor party and stay true to Debbie while both parties suddenly begin to collide. Hanks plays Rick here in one of his first starring roles. He brings just the right affable personality needed for the movie as someone who wants to stay faithful but experiences many temptations in one night. It’s a role that definitely wouldn’t have been the same with any other actor.
6 Punchline
The comedy-drama Punchline sees Steven Gold, a student struggling through med school, work as a stand-up comedian to earn money. It’s clear that he excels at stand-up, much more than his struggles with school. When he has a chance to go big, however, he cracks. His path begins to cross with Lilah (a delightful Sally Field), a housewife who wants to be a comedian but has no practice with it. Eventually she catches his attention, and Steven decides to teach her the fundamentals.
While discovering how to make people laugh and be herself on stage, a friendship develops between the two, until Steven begins to develop feelings for her, making her struggle with her loyalty to her family and friends. Hanks plays Steven, bringing the comedy of the story to life and carries the movie just by seemingly being himself.
5 The 'Burbs
Another comedy, though a darker and more notorious one from Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha), The ‘Burbs pokes fun at suburban neighborhoods, specifically some of the more eccentric personalities you may find there. While Ray Peterson is home for a vacation from work, he hears strange noises coming from his new neighbor’s house. The Klopeks are reclusive, and he’s caught them doing several suspicious things, including carrying oversized garbage bags to the curb and digging holes at unusual times. Ray and his other neighbors begin to suspect the Klopeks are actually murderers.
Hanks plays Ray Peterson, the one at the helm of the investigation. Despite the movie sometimes being considered a little too drawn out and without enough substance, Hank gives it his all here, showing how an incredibly strong performance can elevate even a weaker film. He's hilarious, but also really convinces the audience that the Klopeks are guilty, even if there is no solid proof against them.
4 Family Ties
Family Ties is a sitcom series made to reflect the cultural liberalism of the 60s and 70s that moved into conservatism in the 80s. Set in Ohio during the Reagan administration, The Keatons are an odd family of people who don’t really act the same at all. Steven and Elyse, the parents, used to be hippies, but as they are raising their three, soon-to-be four children, they find the cultural divide is rather large as their younger kids are rejecting the ideas their parents grew up with and taking on more conservative attitudes.
The show explores their relationships with each other and with their ideals. Hanks is only in the show for a few episodes as Ned Donnelly, the brother to Elyse, but his appearances have become rather infamous. He comes and visits the family claiming that he’s taken a leave of absence, but later reveals he’s actually been fired, and even committed a few crimes on his way out, becoming an alcoholic in the process. While a criminal alcoholic might not seem normal for Hanks, it’s really the humor and pathos that he brings to the role that makes the character, and his performance, memorable.
3 Bosom Buddies
Another sitcom, Bosom Buddies follows friends Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond during a rough time in their lives. When the apartment they share is demolished, the pair has to quickly find another home for themselves that they can afford, finding something really affordable at the Susan B. Anthony Hotel. The only issue is, this place is female only. So, the pair devise a plan to disguise themselves as women in order to live there, using the help of one of the residents to convince everyone else of their ruse. Meanwhile, they work together at an advertising firm with the hopes of becoming something more someday.
This was Hanks' first time starring on TV, playing the role of Kip Wilson. It was thanks to his humor and improv skills along with his co-star that kept the show going for as long as it did past its silly and outdated premise, and is another great source of his comedic genius if you want to see more of that.
2 Splash
The fantasy rom-com Splash was a big hit when it was released. When a young Allen Bauer jumps from a boat into the water at Cape Cod, he has a strange encounter, in which he sees a young girl there as well, and for some reason can breathe underwater. After being rescued shortly after, however, he believes it was a hallucination. Years later, Allen hasn’t had much luck in the romance world, trying desperately to find a connection like the one he had with that young girl all those years ago. Desperate, he returns to Cape Cod and almost drowns after a motorboat incident, but is saved by a mermaid.
This mermaid begins to keep appearing in his life, and as she learns English from TV, she names herself Madison. Allen and Madison begin to fall in love, but an eccentric scientist, Dr. Kornbluth, had spotted her when she saved Allen and is desperate to prove he’s not crazy, even if that puts himself and the couple in danger. This was, officially, Hanks first starring role, having premiered earlier the same year as Bachelor Party. His acting and romantic chemistry really brings the movie together, bringing comedy where it can be applied but not letting it overshadow the deeper, dramatic moments either. Though most of the movie's awards and nominations were for the film itself, Hanks garnered great recognition for the role and became wildly popular with critics as this movie kickstarted his career.
1 Big
Perhaps one of Hanks’s biggest rom-coms, Big follows young Josh Baskin as he finds he is too short to ride on a rollercoaster at the carnival. Upset, he leaves and finds a fortune-telling machine, putting a quarter in and wishing he could be big. He wakes up the next morning to find himself physically grown into an adult overnight, and realizing his mistake, tries to find the machine again only to discover the carnival already packed up and moved on. His parents no longer recognize him, so, desperate, he convinces his friend that he’s still Josh, and together, they try to find the fortune machine to turn him back.
As he gets more and more involved in this new adult life, he begins to forget his child-like behavior, and longs for his old life back. Hanks plays the adult Josh Baskin, bringing out his inner child to portray the character perfectly. He really makes the audience feel for Josh through his highs and lows of the movie, and it’s something few other actors could have done, being so simultaneously charming, great at physical comedy, and slightly melancholic. Hanks received his first awards and nominations for this movie, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and winning a Golden Globe for the same.