Video Production Sydney: In 1988, he was finally cast in a star-making role in director Penny Marshall’s Big, playing a 13-year-old boy transplanted overnight into the body of a 35-year-old man. His performance charmed both critics and audiences, and earned him his first Academy Award nomination for best actor.
With Big, Hanks established that he could be a box-office draw as well as a talented actor. Over the next several years, however, his projects failed to match the critical or commercial success of that film, although they did display Hanks’s wide range, from lighthearted comedies (1989’s Turner and Hooch, 1990’s Joe Versus the Volcano) to more dramatic fare (1988’s Punchline, 1990’s Bonfire of the Vanities).
Video Production Sydney: Oscar Wins and Blockbusters
In 1993, Hanks emerged with two huge hits: Sleepless in Seattle, a romantic comedy written by Nora Ephron that rematched him with his Joe Versus the Volcano co-star Meg Ryan; and Philadelphia, co-starring Denzel Washington. In the latter film, Hanks played a lawyer fired from his high-paying firm because he has AIDS, delivering a courageous performance that earned him an Academy Award for best actor.
He followed up on that tremendous year with the release of Forrest Gump (1994), the sprawling story of an unlikely hero’s path through 20th-century American history directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film was a phenomenal box office success, winning Oscars for best picture and director. For his part, Hanks brought home his second straight lead actor Oscar, becoming the first person in 50 years to accomplish that feat.
Video Production Sydney: Apollo 13
In 1996, Hanks starred in another blockbuster, Apollo 13, a Ron Howard film based on the abortive lunar landing mission of the Apollo 13 spacecraft in 1970. The film was released in the IMAX format in 2002. Like Forrest Gump, the film made more than $500 million at the box office.
That same year, Hanks made his directorial and screenwriting debut with That Thing You Do!, which enjoyed moderate success. He continued his behind-the-camera duties in the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, which he produced, directed, wrote and acted in for various episodes.
Video Production Sydney: Saving Private Ryan
In 1998, he starred in another groundbreaking blockbuster, Saving Private Ryan, a World War II drama directed by Steven Spielberg and filmed with gruesome accuracy. While the film was nominated for director and actor Academy Awards and was a favorite for best picture, only Spielberg took home the Oscar.
In late 1998, Hanks also teamed once more with Ryan and Ephron in the hit romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail.
