Fact: Tom Hanks is the nicest guy in Hollywood.
He may be one of the finest actors our generation has ever seen, but Hanks’ popularity doesn’t just end with a good performance.
From beloved characters such as Forest Gump in the 1994 film of the same name to his portrayal as a man with HIV, Andy Beckett, in the 1993 film Philadelphia and of course, his much-loved kid’s role as Woody in Toy Story — Hanks is as diverse an actor as he is an advocate for humanity.
While there are many stories circulating the internet about hilarious meetings he has with fans or the way he treats journalists at press junkets, there is a little known fact about Hanks which many people may be unaware — the Greyhound actor is also extremely generous, donating his time and money to over 30 different charities.
After his portrayal as Beckett, Hanks became an advocate for the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
He also donates to the Children’s Health Fund (US), and various cancer charities including Stand Up To Cancer and the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, among others.
The actor may be a good guy, but according to him, you still wouldn’t want to cross him.
“I’ll tell you this: if anybody takes advantage of my good nature, they’ll have hell to pay. Anyone who has done it will say, “Oh he’s not that nice a guy”,’ Tom said in an interview with the Herald Sun.
“Because when that happens, the hammer comes down and it’s relentless. I take care of business when it’s got to be taken care of.”
“Listen, I’m 63-years-old. There is nothing that you can say that will insult me at all. Absolutely nothing. It bounces off me,” he added.
With all of these good deeds and his beautiful nature, it’s no wonder that Hanks has the best reputation in Tinseltown and because we just adore him, we’ve rounded up all of the times Hanks was the nicest guy in Hollywood. Including more recent proof, with his assistance to help find a coronavirus vaccine.
He and Wife, Rita Wilson, are Donating Blood to Help Find a Coronavirus Vaccine
Back in early March, Hanks and his wife, actor Rita Wilson, both tested positive to COVID-19 while he was filming Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic in Australia.
“We felt a bit tired like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.
It was a surprise to many, as the A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood star was the first celebrity to come forward as having contracted the disease.
While they both recovered and flew back to their home in the United States a few weeks after testing positive, on April 27, the star announced that the couple would be donating blood to help find a vaccine.
In an interview on the NPR podcast, Hanks admitted that he and Wilson were “just fine, dandy” however, wanted to know what they could do next.
“A lot of the questions [are] what do we do now? Is there something we can do? And, in fact, we just found out that we do carry the antibodies,” he said.
“We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood? Can we give plasma? And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine.”
He Wrote and Sent a Gift to an Australian Boy Called “Corona” Who Said He was Bullied
Corona De Vries, eight, from the Gold Coast, wrote to the actor and his wife after they fell sick with COVID-19 in Queensland.
“I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus, are you OK?” he penned in the letter.
The eight-year-old then said that he loved his name, however, the other children at school called him “coronavirus”.
“I get very sad and angry when people call me this,” he wrote.
Much to his surprise, De Vries received a typed letter back alongside a gift of a “corona” typewriter which Hanks travelled with.
“Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful!” he replied.
“You know, you are the only person I’ve ever known to have the name Corona – like the ring around the sun, a crown. I thought this typewriter would suit you. Ask a grown-up how it works. And use it to write me back.”
.@tomhanks has written a heart-felt letter to a young Helensvale boy named Corona. The 8-year-old was being bullied at school and decided to write to the Hollywood superstar and his wife @RitaWilson, after they were diagnosed with Coronavirus. https://t.co/6l2nzFJNn5 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/H02WF2dRCx
— 7NEWS Gold Coast (@7NewsGoldCoast) April 23, 2020
At the bottom of the letter, he signed the note.
“You’ve got a friend in ME. Thanks again! T.”
He Halted Filming on Angels & Demons in Rome to Escort a Bride and her Father to the Altar
In 2008, when he was shooting the film Angels & Demons in Rome by the Pantheon, a bride and her father were unable to get through the film crew to attend her wedding.
Standing distressed on the sidelines, it wasn’t until the actor spotted the pair, that he asked director Ron Howard to stop filming and made way for them.
Then, the Da Vinci Code star, accompanied them while carrying the bride’s veil so it didn’t drag on the floor.
Once, in 2008, when Tom Hanks was shooting “Angels & Demons” in Rome by the Pantheon, a bride and her father couldn’t approach the chapel because of the hullabaloo, so Hanks stopped filming to escort them to the altar. pic.twitter.com/XcG4vaclIr
— Steve Goldberg (@Steve_Goldberg) November 13, 2019
WATCH NEXT: Footage of Tom Hanks helping the bride and her father. Story continues…
While on a Jog, He Stopped to Take Photos With a Newlywed Couple in the Park
Elisabeth and Ryan Barclay were surprised by the actor when they were having their wedding photoshoot in Central Park, NYC.
According to Elisabeth, Hanks kissed her hand and told her husband that he was a “lucky man”.
“The whole group was very shocked and couldn’t believe it actually happened,” she said during an interview with Inside Edition.
“We were really glad to have it all on camera and just knew that it was an “only in New York” moment.”
“Tom was incredibly nice and complimentary and even spent time with our niece and nephew,” she added.
Hanks then later posted a selfie he took with the couple to Instagram, congratulating them and saying: “Elizabeth and Ryan! Congrats and blessings! Hanx.”
He Found a Lost Student ID and Helped Return it to its Owner
Back in October 2015, Hanks proved once again that he was a genuine guy when he found a student ID in the park.
Rather than throwing it away as most other people would, Hanks took to his Twitter with a photo of the ID (even blocking out her student number and surname for privacy), to tell “Lauren” he had found it.
“Lauren! I found your Student ID in the park. If you still need it my office will get to you. Hanx.”
Lauren! I found your Student ID in the park. If you still need it my office will get to you. Hanx. pic.twitter.com/Ee9kK4V4qf
— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) October 6, 2015
According to ABC News, the student who was studying at Fordham University at the time said: “I’m not on Twitter. My professor is on Twitter [and] I’m sitting in the library trying to get homework done yesterday and I get an email with a little link to Twitter, ‘You’re famous.’”
Hanks was then able to successfully return the ID and sent it back with a handwritten note reading, “Lauren, Hold onto this! Tom Hanks.”
What a legend.
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