It’s probably not fair to say Tom Hanks has experienced a comeback over the past year. He’s always been here. His side job as a movie and TV producer has just stolen some of his free time over the past decade or so. 2013 is a watershed for Hanks, however, with acclaimed performances in two Oscar contenders, “Captain Phillips” and “Saving Mr. Banks,” now on his resume. “Phillips” has already earned over $100 million domestic, “Banks” is expected to be a major holiday hit and he could earn Academy Award nominations for both films. So on second thought, maybe it’s a pseudo comeback.
Hanks won his first Oscar for “Philadelphia” in 1994. He followed that up in 1995 with a second statue for his work in the blockbuster “Forrest Gump.” Almost 20 years later it’s hard to believe there was actually so much scuttlebutt that it was too much too soon for the former sitcom star. At this point, many wonder instead why Hanks hasn’t joined peers Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in the three-timer club yet. And if you aren’t sure he deserves it, consider some of his great performances that didn’t make HitFix’s list of his top 10 of all time: “Splash,” “Punchline,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Cloud Atlas,” “The Green Mile” and “The Ladykillers.” Those are a few modern classics with exemplary work from our modern day Jimmy Stewart.
Which of Hanks’ performances did make our top 10? Check out the story gallery below and then rank them yourself in the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.