10 Greatest Ever Tom Hanks Movie Performances

It may be his most Oscar friendly role, and the first Oscar he actually won, but at the time Hanks taking on the role was an incredibly bold gamble from the young up-and-coming actor. The first major film tackling AIDS could just as easily have killed his career, misrepresented the AIDS crisis and angered the LGBT community.

Philadelphia instead became his breakthrough dramatic role, gave a sympathetic portrayal of a man suffering with the disease and is arguably - to this day - Hanks' greatest performance. We witness Hanks' displaying multiple layers as on the surface he plays a charismatic and kind-hearted lawyer but with glimpses of a man struggling to contain his suffering as he battles the devastating effects of AIDS.

Denzel Washington as Joe Miller provides a perfect sparring partner during the film but even Washington cannot outshine Hanks' performance. As a visibly ill Andrew Beckett puts on La Mamma Morta and educates Miller on the beauty of the opera it is almost impossible to see Hanks at all. As he translates the Italian singer's verses he manages to convey his emotions while speaking lines such as "I am divine, I am oblivion" but letting us see his inner turmoil. Few other actors could have played a scene as beautifully and boldly as Hanks does, commanding our attention but never raising his voice.