8 Little-Known Facts About Tom Hanks You Won’t Believe Are True

The legendary Tom Hanks is a well-known actor and filmmaker whose comedy and drama roles are literally iconic. Many of his movies have become extremely successful, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. In fact, we didn’t know some of these things and were caught by surprise. Here are a couple of facts about this symbolic celebrity that might leave you in awe too.

1. When he was 14, Tom Hanks had a summer job where he sold hot dogs and peanuts.

Hanks worked at the stands in a ballpark selling hot dogs, sodas, and peanuts to Oakland A’s fans when he was only 14 years old. So you have a better image in your mind, here is a picture of Hanks in high school. However, his experience wasn’t as pleasant as he thought it would be. He imagined it “would be like in a TV show where everyone helps out the young kid trying to make it, kind of thing.” But to his surprise, it turned out differently. “First of all, I got robbed twice. Note to self: Hide those wads of cash. Don’t be walking with a wad of cash sticking out of your pocket,” revealed Hanks.

He also said that the adult vendors weren’t very friendly. “I came across professional vendors who did not like the fact kids were there. I’m 14 years old, and a guy, probably in his late fifties, is yelling at me, ’Hey, kid, that was my sale!’”

2. Tom Hanks’ brother, Jim Hanks, stood in for him in a scene from Forrest Gump.

Hanks was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Forrest in Forrest Gump. But he wasn’t the only Hanks who took part in this iconic movie.

Hanks and his brother, Jim Hanks, have very similar voices, faces, and physicalities. Jim Hanks stepped in on one of the scenes where Forrest is seen running. He said, “Tom had other doubles, but they couldn’t do the run. That’s a Hanks thing.”

Their parents divorced, so they didn’t spend much time together. Jim Hanks stayed living with his mom, while Tom Hanks resided with his dad. They reunited after the release of the movie.

3. He also paid for some Forrest Gump scenes out of pocket.

Hanks paid for at least 2 Forrest Gump scenes after the studio didn’t want to put money down to heighten the budget. One of those scenes was the famous run across America that you can see in this article.

The director, Robert Zemeckis, said, “You and I are going to split that amount, and we’re going to give it back to Paramount. We’ll give you the money back, but you guys [Paramount] are going to have to share the profits a little bit more. The studio agreed and said, ’Fabulous, great. OK.’” You can also read more about which scene he improvised here.

4. “Tom Hanks Day” is a thing.

In 2004, Tom Hanks Day was just another April Fools’ joke. But it turned out to be much more than that. It became an international, charitable event supported by Tom Hanks himself. Each year there are big gatherings that take place in Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Cleveland, Toronto, and South Africa to celebrate this special day.

The people who attend this event get free raffle tickets and the winner gets signed movies, signed Wilson volleyballs, and posters. Tom Hanks Day benefits Lifeline Energy, and in 2023, the profits will go to Esila, a campaign that promotes education for girls in Kenya.

5. He loves typewriters and collects them.

Tom Hanks has a collection of 250 typewriters, and he usually travels with at least 2 of them, saying, “I use them like cuff links!” In the documentary that he starred in, California Typewriter, he said, “I try to foster a community of typewriting people.”

He even sends some of his fans his typewriters to communicate through them and helps some of them deal with their personal issues. One fan admitted, “I can’t stop staring at all of this. When a gesture is worth a thousand words...and this man really left me speechless.”

6. Hanks was diagnosed with diabetes in 2013.

Hanks shared how he felt when he found out he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It caught him by surprise, but he also expected it at the same time. “I went to the doctor, and he said, ’You know those high blood sugar numbers you’ve been dealing with since you were 36? Well, you’ve graduated! You’ve got type 2 diabetes, young man.’”

Ever since then, he has tried to stay healthy and works out, and he’s likely just as motivated as he was in his movie, Philadelphia. “I try to get, every single day, one hour of activity. That can be anything from a treadmill or a walk or a hike with a dog, but it has to be one hour every single day. I watch what I eat to a point of boredom, and every now and then I cheat to the point of self-loathing.”

7. Hanks’ other family members have appeared in some of his movies.

Elizabeth Hanks played a girl on the school bus in one of the scenes in Forrest Gump. She is a girl with freckles who doesn’t speak at all but sends Forrest away with a simple head shake.

In the movie, That Thing You Do!, his wife, son, and daughter all make appearances. Elizabeth Hanks portrays the “Bored Girl in Dress Shop.” His second wife, Rita Wilson, plays a small part as Marguerite, the waitress at The Blue Spot jazz club. Hanks’ son, Colin Hanks, escorts a character named Faye from her car to her seat. Here, you can find out more about Hanks and Wilson if you’d like.

8. Tom Hanks supports meat free Monday.

Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, are encouraging people to join the Meat Free Monday movement in honor of the organisation’s 10-year anniversary. The initiative, launched in 2009, aims to promote the consumption of less meat by following a plant-based diet at least one day a week.

Hanks emphasised the positive impact on the environment and animals. They encouraged people who aren’t vegans or vegetarians to try skipping meat on Mondays as a simple and easy way to contribute. “Doing without meat is good for the planet, and the animals we share it with. It’s nice to do with less meat those who aren’t full-fledged vegans or vegetarians, no meat on Monday, it’s actually a simple and easy thing to do. Let’s do it.”