7. Tom Hanks
As with Spielberg, obviously Tom Hanks is still going strong, but before he was Captain Miller and certainly before he was flaunting all manor of haircuts in various Dan Brown adaptations, Tom Hanks was something different. Aptly, Hanks film career began in 1980, but it wasnt until 1984 that he rose to prominence. Hanks made a splashin Splash (sorry) alongside the betailed Daryl Hannah, but it took him a few more years to rise to bonafide A-lister status. Before he started making films with Meg Ryan and before things started getting more serious (and Im in no way suggesting to his detriment) around 1993 with Philadelphia, Hanks was more of a comedic actor. After Splash he made a few slightly rude but nothing too risqué comedies (Bachelor Party being a personal highlight) but it was 1988s Big that really saw him take off. Soon after he made cult favourite The Burbs with Joe Dante in 1989 and Turner & Hooch the same year, followed by A League of Their Own in 1992. But it was Big that not only elevated his career, but elevate him into the hearts of a certain generation. The casting of Hanks in Big is genius. Hanks charm is reminiscent of someone like James Stewart in Mr Smith Goes to Washington. Hanks makes what should be relatively formulaic film and turns it into one people cherish. Hanks has had some great performances since, but none is the same. Younger generations might see him as Captain Miller from Saving Private Ryan or as Robert Langdon from the Da Vinci Code, but any kid of the 80s sees him playing Heart and Soul and Chopsticks with Robert Loggia on that giant piano.
David Howland
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David is a film critic, writer and blogger for WhatCulture and a few other sites including his own, www.yakfilm.com
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