“Now, learning how to make a movie is something you can figure out in about an afternoon. The physics of it, the marks, the lights, etc. What's hard to do is to suspend your own feelings of self consciousness. The natural actors can do that; they can become part of a characterization and learn how to maintain it.”

American actor and filmmaker, born 1956

Tom Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker known for work in both comedy and drama. Born in 1956, he has become one of the most recognizable film stars of his era and a familiar figure in American popular culture. His career has brought wide acclaim and major honors, including two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. He has also been nominated for five BAFTAs and a Tony Award, and has received the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.