Times Tom Hanks Was Just As Cool As You Hope He'd Be
- 1
When He Crashed a Newlywed Couple's Photo Shoot
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In September 2016, Hanx crashed Elisabeth and Ryan's (last name undisclosed) post-wedding photo shoot in Central Park, NYC. American's most beloved thespian offered his congratulations, took some selfies, appeared in a few wedding photos, and merrily went on his way. Classic Hanks. Someone get that guy a Nobel Prize already.
Is this awesome? - 2
That Time He Helped Sell Girl Scout Cookies
Hanks and his son Truman were on their way to a typewriter shop when they spotted Girl Scouts selling their delicious cookies. Hanks bought four boxes and donated $20 on top of that. And then he hung out and took pictures with people who also bought cookies. At first the Los Altos Scout moms didn’t recognize Hanks because he was wearing the grand celebrity disguise of a baseball cap and sunglasses. But his familiar voice eventually got their attention. “I never realized how distinctive his voice is. It was right out of a movie,” an impressed mom said. And of course everything was shared on Twitter for posterity.
Is this awesome? - 3
That Time He Made a Super Fan’s Life
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Sarah Moretti got to meet her all-time favorite person/celebrity in 2013. Moretti has years worth of pictures, news articles, and just about anything else she can find about Hanks collected in a scrapbook. Tom took the time to meet Moretti, who has autism, backstage at his Broadway show Lucky Guy. He said that even his mother didn’t have that much material in her own collection.
Is this awesome? - 4
That Time He Became Pals with a New York City Taxi Driver
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In the fall of 2014, Hanks was performing on Broadway in Lucky Guy. When he got into a cab, the cabbie, Manny Anzalota, didn't place Hanks at first. “I look him in the eye, and I scream, 'WIIIIIIILLLSSSSSOOOOOOON!!!' And that really got him. He started laughing hard. He sees that I've got this Ferrari hat on, and a Ferrari shirt too, so he starts calling me 'Mr. Ferrari.' The whole ride, he keeps calling me 'Mr. Ferrari.' So after we get to his destination, we snap a quick photo, and he goes on his way.”
“Then one day I'm driving, and I get a text from one of the people that I'd driven, and it says: 'Mr. Hanks wants to invite you to see his Broadway show.' After the show, we're waiting for him in his dressing room, and he walks in and screams: 'Mr. Ferrari! And you wanna know the craziest thing? The name of his show was Lucky Guy. How crazy is that? Cause that was me. A lucky guy!” And unlike Bill Murray appearances, Tom Hank's unexpected drop ins are well documented.Is this awesome? - 5
That Time He Posed with “Drunk” Fan
After meeting a random fan in a restaurant, Hanks and the fan posed for some pretty funny pics, at the fans' request. The fan pretended to be passed out drunk in a North Dakota diner while Hanks made fun of him. When one of the photos surfaced, it instantly went viral. The other shots reveal that the two were having some fun.
In 2012, reddit user groucho29 posted a link to the pictures, saying, “my friend met Tom Hanks, stole his glasses and pretended to be wasted.”
Is this awesome? - 6
When He Takes Pictures of His Wife on the Red Carpet
Hanks doesn’t worry so much about how he’s coming across on the red carpet. He chooses to focus on his wife instead. He takes his own shots of Rita Wilson on his phone according to the Huffington Post.
Is this awesome? - 7
That Time He Found a Fordham University Student ID
On Oct. 6, 2015, Hanks found a student named Lauren’s student ID in a park. He took to Twitter to let her know he had it and his office would return it to her. That same day, Lauren’s friend Hannah recognized her friend and responded to Hanks.
Lauren didn’t have a Twitter account and found out via her professor that Hanks was looking for her. The lost ID landed her on Good Morning America. She explained to GMA that she lost it when she was on a run and after she pulled out her phone to take a selfie. Hanks eventually mailed the ID back with a note attached.
Is this awesome? - 8
When Nerdist Bribed Him to Appear on the Podcast by Giving Him a Typewriter
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Hanks is an avid vintage typewriter collector. Nerdist knows this. Nerdist knows all. So they offered him a 1934 Corona Silent typewriter in exchange for being on the show. He wrote them back, using the typewriter, and caved. Very clever, Nerdist. Check out some more reason to give Hanx here.
Is this awesome? - 9
The Way He Signs Autographs
We really hope this one is true. He (may have) signed this fan’s autograph with a Buzz diss. It does seem like a very Hanksian thing to do.
Is this awesome? - 10
When He Refunded People Who Said They Didn’t Like Larry Crowne
Everyone says Tom Hanks is a nice guy, but here's some more proof. When a couple met Hanks at the gas station near his Pacific Palisades home, they let him know that Larry Crowne "wasn’t that good." Hanks apologized and offered to refund them their $25. They took it.
Is this awesome? - 11
When He Bought the White House Press Corp an Espresso Machine, and Returned to Upgrade It Years Later
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Who says that Reddit is a waste of time? From a Today-I-Learned (TIL) thread, people found out that in 2004, Hanks dropped by the White House press room and discovered that there wasn’t a coffee machine. All that was available was vending machine coffee. He bought an espresso machine and left a note, saying: ”I hope this machine will make the 24 hour cycle of news a bit more pleasant. Add water, insert pod, press button and report. All good things. Tom Hanks.” Hanks said that the gift was intended to prevent “sleep deprivation.”
Six years later, he bought a replacement after inspecting the 2004 model. "This one is on its last legs. The poor slobs of the Fourth Estate. You know, you are supposed to clean this after every use."Is this awesome? - 12
When He Brought Down the House at Michael Duncan Clark's Memorial
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Hanks and his Green Mile co-star were close. Hanks told a story actor’s memorial service that Duncan had once told him. It brought tears to everyone's eyes.
Is this awesome? - 13
That Time He Created a Typewriter App
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Hanks wanted to create an app that hearkened back to the days of the manual typewriter. The Hanx Writer app has “bang bang clack-clack-clack puckapuckapuckapucka” sound effects. The goal is for the user to have the same experience as he feels when typing on a vintage typewriter. He seems to have a spot for old media, and that's a good thing.
Is this awesome? - 14
The Time He Taped an Emmy to the Hood of a Car
In order to turn his limo into a Rolls Royce that would take him and wife Rita Wilson to the 64th Annual Emmy Awards, Hanks taped (using packing tape) his Emmy for producing Game Change to the hood of a Lincoln town car. The Emmy was Hank’s fifth. He then reportedly tweeted, “How I'm getting around these days! Hanx.”
Is this awesome? - 15
When He Took a Selfie with Steve Martin Onstage at the Governor Awards
Martin was accepting an honorary Oscar from Hanks when the latter thought it would be a good time to grab a selfie. Definitely captures the moment for him and everyone else.
Is this awesome? - 16
When He Reenacted All of His Movies in Six Minutes
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Along with James Corden, Hanks gave fans a treat when the pair hit the highlights of Hanks’s biggest roles. Best part: nailing the buddy song from Big.
And if you liked this, checkout our Tom Hanks movies list.
Is this awesome? - 17
When He Bought Everyone Lunch At In-N-Out
Beloved California establishment In-N-Out is almost as revered as the man Tom Hanks himself - and Christmastime got truly magical for some fans at the In-N-Out in Fontana, CA, when Hanks and his wife stopped at the fast food joint for a snack. On the Friday before Christmas 2018, Hanks and Rita Wilson lunched at In-N-Out and patiently detoured their meal to take selfies with other bürgermeisters while waiting for their orders. On the way out, Hanks surprised a few drive-throughers by paying for their lunch, as well.
Excited fans documented the experience on social media, and confirmed what we already know: Tom and Rita are the absolute coolest.
Is this awesome? - 18
That Time He Stole an iPad During a Festival Panel
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During press for Saving Mr. Banks, Hanks managed to swipe an iPad right in front of the press. The British probably were inwardly shocked, but were too polite to say anything.
Is this awesome? - 19
When He Was Made an Honorary Member of the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame
The Army inducted Hanks into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006 for his accurate portrayal of a World War II army ranger in Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, Hanks was unable to attend the ceremony according to reports.
Is this awesome? - 20
That Time He Reunited with Wilson at a Rangers Game
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We’re not sure how many people have thrown Wilson volley balls with the Cast Away palm print at Tom Hanks, but this one time stands out because it was caught on the jumbotron at a New York Rangers game. Hanks totally goes along with it, exclaiming, “It’s Wilson!” And then he began chanting, “Lets go Rangers!”Is this awesome? - 21
When He Said the "F" Word On Good Morning America
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Cue millions of coffee spit-takes! Hanks slipped in an F-bomb into his interview during a promotion for Cloud Atlas. Perhaps the only understandable thing about the film.
Is this awesome? - 22
That Time He Danced on Univision’s Despierta
Hanks may not speak Spanish but he sure can speak the groovy language of dance. He didn't understand what the hosts of Univision's Despierta America morning show were saying, but that didn't stop him from having some fun. Hanks danced his way into the weather as Oscar-winners do. Check out the full video to see the unexpected hilarity.
Is this awesome? - 23
When He Stayed In Shakespearian Character And Kept The Audience Entertained During A Medical Emergency
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On June 13, 2018, Tom Hanks was in the middle of his performance of Henry IV at the Shakespeare Center in Los Angeles, CA, when a medical emergency arose. An audience member was sweating throughout the performance and eventually passed out, prompting the show to stop and medical personnel to intervene.
As they say, the show must go on, and Hanks made sure it did. He kept the crowd engaged as the fallen patron was helped. He addressed the crowd as if the show was still going, dragged audience members on stage, and even scolded patrons when they left the theater, calling them "scurvy rogues who stood up from their seats."
Is this awesome? - 24
That Time He Brought the Funk at a Wedding
Hanks sassed up the reception at Scooter Braun’s wedding (you read that right) by singing along to the Montell Jordan hit "This Is How We Do It" like a funky fiddler on the roof.
Is this awesome? - 25
That Time He Was in a Carly Rae Jepsen Music Video
Hanks sang along to Jepsen’s lyrics in the video for "I Really Like You" as he took us through his day. He seemed completely okay with Justin Bieber showing up at the end, too. We think. Chet might have been mad about it, though.
Is this awesome? - 26
All the Times He Was Great on Twitter
Others may stir controversy, Hanks lets us into his world. He’s funny, self-effacing, and on point. He’s also a great NYC street photog - lots of lone gloves, random signs, missed trains, and abandoned binkies. Here's a collection of Hank's various works, soon to be exhibited at a gallery near you.
Is this awesome? - 27
When He Wrote To A Boy Named Corona Who Said He Was Being Bullied
After 8-year-old Corona De Vries, an Australian boy with an affinity for the Toy Story films, wrote to Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson to say that he was being called "coronavirus" at school and that he gets "very sad and angry when people call [him] this," Hanks thoughtfully responded with his own letter. De Vries heard the news that Hanks and Wilson had fallen ill and asked, "Are you OK?" to which Hanks wrote back:
Dear Friend Corona,
Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful! Thank you for being such a good friend - friends make friends feel good when they are down... You are the only person I've ever known to have the name Corona - like the ring around the sun, a crown... PS! You got a friend in ME!
Hanks also sent the boy a Corona-brand typewriter he had with him while he was quarantined in Australia. He added, "I thought this typewriter would suit you. I had taken it to the Gold Coast, and now, it is back - with you. Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back."
Is this awesome? - 28
That Time He Became a Lost Glove Documenter on Twitter
People tend to lose a lot of gloves in NYC and Tom Hanks is there to find them. If he collected all of the gloves he’s posted on Twitter, he could start a small side business returning them to their rightful owners. One wonders if the people of New York are now just flinging down one glove for Hanks to shoot.
Is this awesome? - 29
That Time He Performed a Slam Poem About Full House
Hanks demonstrated on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that his slam poetry game is strong when he did this little ditty about Full House. Many fingers were snapped.Is this awesome? - 30
When He Documented a Medical Procedure [WARNING: IT'S GROSS]
![When He Documented a Medical Procedure [WARNING: IT'S GROSS]](http://library.vu.edu.pk/cgi-bin/nph-proxy.cgi/000100A/https/i.ytimg.com/vi/IIt8ekCHEGQ/hqdefault.jpg=3fauto=3dformat&q=3d60&fit=3dcrop&fm=3dpjpg&dpr=3d2&w=3d500)
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Hanks needed his elbow drained due to a flare up of bursitis, and because he's Tom Hanks, he decided to document it. Even though the procedure looks quite painful, Hanks maintained an upbeat attitude, and kept saying, “Look at that!”Is this awesome? - 31
When He Kicked in $50,000 to Help Pay for Obama’s Inauguration
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- Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force
- Wikimedia Commons
- Public Domain
Those inaugurations don’t pay for themselves. Celebrities and other powerful people do. Barack Obama’s 2009 shindig was paid for in party by Steven Spielberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Bradley Whitford, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Sharon, Stone, Ron Howard, Magic Johnson, and of course, Hanks, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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