Tom Hanks' 28 greatest movie moments

Tom Hanks enjoys a rare reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. It’s a strange reputation to have when, as an actor, Hanks has played all types, including less-than-savory men.

By his own admission, Hanks doesn’t believe he deserves any recognition as the nicest guy you could meet. In a 2023 BBC interview to promote his debut novel The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece – which follows the making of a superhero movie starring an egotistical actor whose behavior disrupts the set – Hanks owns up to fostering a difficult environment.

“I have pulled every single one of those moments of behavior myself on a set,” Hanks said. “Not everybody is at their best every single day on a motion picture set. I’ve had tough days trying to be a professional when my life has been falling apart in more ways than one and the requirement for me that day is to be funny, charming and loving — and it’s the last way I feel.”

But even so, Hanks makes it look so easy. Over a long career in Hollywood starting with the low-budget 1980 horror movie He Knows You’re Alone, Hanks has risen to the top of Hollywood as one of the most bankable, reliable leading men of all time. Though Hanks has a reputation for playing nice characters, he isn’t always in such roles. Here are some of the greatest Tom Hanks movie moments, some of which prove he’s anything but America’s unofficial dad.