Whenever we think about all of the many different actors and actresses that have made an impression on our lives, it can really be quite overwhelming.
Many of them come and go like shooting stars, relegated to a specific era in our lives and are utterly foreign to younger generations.
However, a select few have the talent to transcend generationally and international boundaries to become household names throughout their careers.
We call these people Legendary Hollywood Icons.
Time and time again, these remarkable human beings move us through unique roles that surprise and delight us.
One such Legendary Hollywood Icon is actor Tom Hanks.
Perhaps you remember some of his earlier work in sitcoms in the 1980s or some of his earliest movies?
Hanks has pretty much done it all, from playing the title role in the classic film Forrest Gump to being the voice of Woody in the hit Disney movie Toy Story.
If you sit back and think about all his fantastic roles, you might start to get dizzy.
It’s just incredible how many different ways this icon’s touched our lives.
Tom Hanks was born in 1956, and since he got his first break in Hollywood, he’s gone one to keep audiences entertained for decades.
He began his career over 40 years ago in 1978 and not only graced the big screen but many TV sets as well as a sitcom actor.
But, his career really took off in the 80s on the big screen.
He went on to star in such classic films as Splash, Philadelphia, Turner, and Hooch, You’ve Got Mail, and Saving Private Ryan.
I still remember working in a movie theater 1998 and seeing him sellout auditoriums for both You’ve Got Mail and Saving Private Ryan, it was unbelievable!
And we didn’t even mention his countless guest appearances on talk and comedy shows, where he thoroughly charmed and amused us a few minutes at a time.
Not to mention, that Hanks is also a very successful producer, director, and screenwriter.
Between 1989 and 2001, he was nominated for five Oscars and won two of them back to back in 1993 and 1994 for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.
In fact, his list of awards and nominations almost reads like a phone book ranging from the Golden Globe, the Emmys, to the Tonys, and Screen Actors Guild.
He was even inducted as an honorary member of the United States Army Rangers Hall of Fame for his role in Saving Private Ryan.
Amazingly, throughout his prolific career, he accomplished something very few Hollywood Icons will ever achieve.
He maintained the reputation of being a genuinely nice person in real life. In an industry that seems solely devoted to money, vanity, glamour, excess, and fame, this is no small feat.
In these divisive political times, very few actors bring people across the spectrum together in a positive way.
Tom Hanks is one of those special people who’s loved by virtually everyone, a real living cinematic treasure.
Adding to all of the beautiful and entertaining things he’s done over the years, Hanks recently got together with comedian and talk show host James Cordon to do something exceptional.
Together, the two put together a segment on Cordon’s show in which Hanks and the host played out scenes from an impressive number of the actor’s most memorable movies.
Watching these two jump from movie to movie, role to role, made me laugh until my gut hurt.
But, when they got to Toy Story, I couldn’t take it anymore…
Take a look at these two in action in the video below and prepare to laugh your head off.