Tom Hanks
Author of Uncommon type : some stories
About the Author
Image credit: Tom Hanks
Works by Tom Hanks
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece: A novel (2023) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 512 copies, 24 reviews
The Circle [Bluray + DVD] 3 copies
Otra gran obra maestra del cine / The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Mas terpiece (Spanish Edition) (2023) 1 copy
Illuminati - Kinofassung 1 copy
Tom Hanks Collection (Bachelor Party / Big / The Man With One Red Shoe / The Road To Perdition / That Thing You Do) — Director & Actor — 1 copy
Big / That Thing You Do! / Man With One Red Shoe (3 Disc Set) (DVD) — Director — 1 copy
Christmas Eve 1953 1 copy
Finch 1 copy
Flinch (Apple TV+ STREAMiNG) 1 copy
Cast Away - Verschollen 1 copy
Big [VHS] 1 copy
Associated Works
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (1981) — Narrator, some editions — 2,471 copies, 68 reviews
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (1994) — Foreword, some editions — 1,363 copies, 34 reviews
Time: D-Day: 24 Hours That Saved the World (2004) — Introduction, some editions — 209 copies, 1 review
Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race (2004) — Introduction, some editions — 199 copies, 2 reviews
The Terminal / Catch Me If You Can / Cast Away — Actor — 1 copy
Iconic Movie Collection: Cast Away / Walk the Line / The Last of the Mohicans / Wall Street — Actor — 1 copy
3 Films: Tom Hanks 1 copy
Triple Feature: Meg Ryan 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hanks, Thomas Jeffrey
- Birthdate
- 1956-07-09
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Country (for map)
- USA
- Birthplace
- Concord, California, USA
- Occupations
- actor
- Short biography
- Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, Hanks is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is widely regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks' films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide, making him the fifth-highest-grossing actor in North America.
Hanks made his breakthrough with leading roles in the comedies Splash (1984) and Big (1988). He won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor for starring as a gay lawyer suffering from AIDS in Philadelphia (1993) and a young man with below-average IQ in Forrest Gump (1994). Hanks collaborated with film director Steven Spielberg on five films: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies (2015), and The Post (2017), as well as the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers, which launched him as a director, producer, and screenwriter.
Hanks' other notable films include the romantic comedies Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998); the dramas Apollo 13 (1995), The Green Mile (1999), Cast Away (2000), Road to Perdition (2002), and Cloud Atlas (2012); and the biographical dramas Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Captain Phillips (2013), Sully (2016), and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019). He has also appeared as the title character in the Robert Langdon film series, and has voiced Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story film series (1995-2019).
Hanks' accolades include two Academy Awards out of six nominations. He has received the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004.[5] In 2014, he received a Kennedy Center Honor, and in 2016, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, as well as the French Legion of Honor.
Members
Reviews
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
This is Tom Hanks first foray into writing. There are 17 tales set in both contemporary and historical times. Quite a variety of themes with only one thing connecting them and that is a typewriter. Sometimes it is a major part of the story and sometimes is sort of just there. As with any collection they vary in depth and pull. I found some enjoyable but not great, but others moved me. As others have mentioned the two that stand out for them also resonated with me. They are Christmas Eve 1953 and The Past is Important to Us. Enjoyable collection.… (more)
This book was recommended to me by my brother, Duffy. He left the book at the house of one of our sisters, but it never reached me. I was looking at Libby one day, and this had become available, so I borrowed it.
I had no knowledge of what the book was about. I guess I expected it to be more character focused. Actually, the titular screenplay/motion picture is essentially the central character for the story arc. The story would have felt more cohesive if I had realized that. I should have realized that. I was drawn in by the beginning of the book, and by the end; parts of the middle were less engaging for me. Overall, it was rather fun. I liked the way he brought a couple of ordinary people into the story, as support people to the director of the eventual film. I have often wondered if normal, everyday people ever get sucked into roles that they weren't even gunning for. I find it fascinating to consider such things.… (more)
I had no knowledge of what the book was about. I guess I expected it to be more character focused. Actually, the titular screenplay/motion picture is essentially the central character for the story arc. The story would have felt more cohesive if I had realized that. I should have realized that. I was drawn in by the beginning of the book, and by the end; parts of the middle were less engaging for me. Overall, it was rather fun. I liked the way he brought a couple of ordinary people into the story, as support people to the director of the eventual film. I have often wondered if normal, everyday people ever get sucked into roles that they weren't even gunning for. I find it fascinating to consider such things.… (more)
"You are loved". Never had I read a novel that seemed so real, to the extent it was much more a documentary on the making of a film I'd never heard of, with cast and crew I'd never heard of. Joe Shaw. Definitely nothing like the short stories in Tom hanks other book, except possibly the story of the comic book writer who years later discovered his early comic based on his uncle's experiences in world war two were being made into this fictitious film (set during COVID). Here are some of the parts I gleamed from the text; the acronym L.I.S.T.eN. - short for “Let It Settle Then eNact, how to shoot a scene with an actor who has slipped the mortal coil by putting CGI markers on stand-in actors face so they can be digitally turned into the original (deceased) actor.… (more)
Rarely do I mix my love for the movies with my love for reading. In fact, I stay away from most books written by my favourite movie stars so that their impression remains positive in my head. How I wish I had followed this policy for Tom Hanks' short story collection too!
The book did start off on a fabulous note. The first story is about a man who is kept on his toes by his health freak girlfriend. It was very interesting and it set my bar at a 4 star scale for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, not a single story afterwards could match that requirement. The stories spin all over the place without any clear plot and end abruptly. You can see that Tom Hanks knows his content. But unfortunately for him and us, the knowledge does not convert to a entertaining read. Most stories go on as if they are at the centre of a labyrinth and trying myriad ways to get out of there. I've struggled and struggled with this book but have managed to reach just about the 60% mark, that too after a lot of skimming. With a hefty heart, I send this book into my DNFs.
Mr. Hanks, I still adore you as an actor. You are one of the very few gentlemen left in the movie industry and I shall watch every movie of yours, that's a promise. But forgive me for not encouraging your writing career. This book will be my only Tom Hanks book, and it's better that way, for your image shall not be tarnished in my mind.… (more)
The book did start off on a fabulous note. The first story is about a man who is kept on his toes by his health freak girlfriend. It was very interesting and it set my bar at a 4 star scale for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, not a single story afterwards could match that requirement. The stories spin all over the place without any clear plot and end abruptly. You can see that Tom Hanks knows his content. But unfortunately for him and us, the knowledge does not convert to a entertaining read. Most stories go on as if they are at the centre of a labyrinth and trying myriad ways to get out of there. I've struggled and struggled with this book but have managed to reach just about the 60% mark, that too after a lot of skimming. With a hefty heart, I send this book into my DNFs.
Mr. Hanks, I still adore you as an actor. You are one of the very few gentlemen left in the movie industry and I shall watch every movie of yours, that's a promise. But forgive me for not encouraging your writing career. This book will be my only Tom Hanks book, and it's better that way, for your image shall not be tarnished in my mind.… (more)
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Statistics
- Works
- 53
- Also by
- 102
- Members
- 3,702
- Popularity
- #6,847
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 142
- ISBNs
- 119
- Languages
- 12
- Favorited
- 1
