At 69, Tom Hanks is speaking openly about the people who shaped him, and few names come up faster than Rob Reiner. In a frank reflection on his decades in Hollywood, Hanks described Reiner as a rare filmmaker who never let ego get in the way of storytelling, emphasizing that his films endure because of their deep empathy for ordinary people. Hanks explained that Reiner’s true strength lies in how he treats the people he works with. “Rob listens,” Hanks said, calling that simple skill both rare and essential.
He described Reiner as someone who pays close attention to the script, the cast, and the story itself, creating an atmosphere where actors feel protected enough to take creative risks. That supportive environment, Hanks added, comes from Reiner’s own experience as an actor standing on the other side of the camera. Hanks also praised the emotional honesty that runs through Reiner’s body of work, noting that his films never chase cynicism. “Even when the stories are funny, romantic, or dramatic, there’s always this deep belief that people are trying to do the right thing,” Hanks said.
The admiration is rooted in a career built on similar values. Hanks, born Thomas Jeffrey Hanks on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, had a childhood marked by moving frequently and the divorce of his parents. Raised mostly by his father, he learned independence early and developed a sharp eye for small gestures and real feelings, skills that later made his acting feel remarkably authentic. Hanks discovered acting in college, where he studied theater, and began landing small TV parts that showcased his natural comedic timing.
His breakthrough came in the early 1980s with the ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, which ran from 1980 to 1982. The show presented him as a light, charming comic actor, but it also hinted at the depth he would later bring to the screen. The late 1980s marked a turning point. Films like Splash, Big, and A League of Their Own proved Hanks could handle more than comedy.
His performance in Big, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination, demonstrated a rare ability to play innocence and wonder without sentimentality. The 1990s then cemented his legacy with back-to-back Best Actor Oscars for Philadelphia in 1993 and Forrest Gump in 1994. In Philadelphia, he played a man fighting AIDS with dignity during a time of widespread fear and prejudice. In Forrest Gump, he created one of the most iconic characters in film history.
His partnership with director Steven Spielberg across films like Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Bridge of Spies further solidified his reputation as an actor who could combine intelligence, warmth, and depth. He also brought his talents to voice work, most notably as Woody in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise, turning a cowboy doll into a symbol of loyalty and emotional growth for multiple generations. Beyond acting, Hanks built a significant career behind the camera as a producer, director, and writer. His production company, Playtone, produced acclaimed historical miniseries including Band of Brothers, The Pacific, From the Earth to the Moon, John Adams, and Masters of the Air.
He also made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy in 2013, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. Hanks’s personal life has unfolded alongside his career with similar honesty. He married actress Samantha Lewes in 1978 after they met studying theater together. The couple had two children, Colin and Elizabeth, before divorcing in 1987.
Hanks later spoke openly about the pain of that split, attributing it to young mistakes, career pressure, and growing emotional distance. Lewes died of bone cancer in 2002 at age 49, a loss that deeply affected Hanks and their children. During his first marriage, Hanks met actress Rita Wilson on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981. They became friends first, but their feelings deepened while working together on the film Volunteers in 1985.
The couple married in 1988, and their marriage has become one of Hollywood’s most stable and admired partnerships. Before the wedding, Hanks converted to Greek Orthodoxy, Wilson’s faith, which he has described as a place for deep reflection rather than easy answers. The couple raised two sons, Chester and Truman. Chester, who goes by Chet, pursued music and acting, appearing in shows like Empire and Shameless.
Truman has mostly worked behind the scenes in film, but appeared as a younger version of his father’s character in A Man Called Otto in 2022, a quiet family moment of storytelling passed across generations. Throughout his long career, Hanks has hosted Saturday Night Live ten times, a recognition reserved for performers who reliably connect with live audiences. Now, looking back with the perspective of age, Hanks frames Reiner’s influence as a lasting lesson in how to treat people while making art. “Rob set a bar,” Hanks said, “not just for making great movies, but for how you treat people while you’re making them.
” He added that while success comes and goes, integrity lasts, and Reiner proved that you don’t have to sacrifice one to have the other.
