Tom Hanks is not just a man. He's not just an actor. He is, perhaps, one of the actual greatest guys on the planet. Seriously, he has Bill Murray levels of skill at showing up in unexpected places and doing delightful things. Besides playing some of cinema and television’s most enduring characters, nice Tom Hanks stories include ones where he posed with a passed out fan, taped an Emmy to the hood of a Mercedes, and got inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
Tom Hanks good deeds also include returning a Fordham University student’s ID via Twitter, gifting the White House press corp with an espresso machine, and befriending an NYC cab driver. Tom Hanks is that good guy we can look to when other celebrities start disappointing us. He’s our rock. He’s good natured, charming, and fairly good at catching random soccer balls with Wilson’s face on them. He’ll jump into a Carly Rae Jepson music video. He’ll perform the perfect poetry slam about Full House. He’ll write “FU” on an autograph at a fan's request. And he’ll still have time to invent a typewriter app and make more movies.
When Bill Murray isn’t around to invade someone’s engagement photos, we’ve got Tom Hanks making a super fan’s day by showing her scrapbook some genuine love. He is the standard for aspiring celebs everywhere, and seems genuinely grateful for all that he has.
Tom Hanks will no doubt continue to fill the annals of history with good deeds and Hanksian antics. Here are some of the best moments so far.
Times Tom Hanks Was Just as Cool as You Hope He'd Be,
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.
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.
When He Brought Down the House at Michael Duncan Clark's Memorial
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.
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.
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.
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.
When He Reenacted All of His Movies in Six Minutes
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.
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.
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.”
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.”