Hanks is Ready to ‘Sully’ His Career

The emergency water landing of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 — aka “The Miracle on the Hudson” — might seem like odd material for a major motion picture. That’s not because the 2009 incident lacks drama, but because the central event itself occurred over only a handful of minutes. No one died, and only two passengers required overnight hospitalization.

But then you note that “Sully,” opening Friday, was directed by Clint Eastwood, the master filmmaker of “American Sniper,” “Unforgiven,” “Million Dollar Baby,” and “Mystic River.”

It was obvious from the start that Hanks was an incredibly gifted comedic actor.

And even that might only be the second-most compelling aspect of the film. Because starring as heroic pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is none other than America’s favorite leading man, still going strong at 60: Tom Hanks.

When Hanks’ face appears in the trailer, you know you’re in good hands. Heck, if you were a passenger on the flight and saw that Hanks — the actor himself — was flying the plane, you’d probably be OK with it.

Because everyone loves Hanks.

Film audiences certainly do: He’s the fourth highest-grossing actor in North America, according to Box Office Mojo (behind Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, and Morgan Freeman). He’s one of only two people (along with Spencer Tracy) to win the Best Actor Oscar in consecutive years. (He’s been nominated five times.) While he’s starred in some duds — most of them early in his career — the vast majority of his feature films are critical and commercial successes. There’s even an asteroid named after him: “12818 Tomhanks.”

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Hanks, who turned 60 two months ago on July 9, has been a superstar so long it’s hard to remember how unlikely that would have seemed when he was starting out. He doesn’t have the chiseled features of standard leading men. His early roles traded on his goofball charm and sweet nature. He’s six feet tall, but he’s never fit the mold of a tough action hero — when he’s played cops in action-comedies, the focus has always been on the comedy.

It hasn’t mattered.

It was obvious from the start that Hanks was an incredibly gifted comedic actor, which he paired with a natural grace and charm that made him a believable romantic lead. His roles in 1986’s “Nothing in Common” and 1993’s “Philadelphia” proved he had become a master of the craft, earning his first Oscar for the latter film in the process.

If he’d called it a day right there, it would be a career anyone would envy. Instead, Hanks just kicked into overdrive. It turns out he has more drive than a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8.

The list of premier film performances by Hanks is so long and rich it’s almost inconceivable. You would be considered a Hollywood superstar with only a third of his resume. And if you were to ask friends on social media for their favorite Hanks performance (as this writer did), the responses would be wide and varied.

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Some highlights are obvious. There’s “Big,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “Cast Away” (he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar in all three); and of course “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump” (he won the Best Actor Oscar for both, back-to-back).

But that leaves out critical and commercial smashes such as “A League of Their Own.” And “Apollo 13.” And “Sleepless in Seattle,” plus its follow-up “You’ve Got Mail.” It leaves out Hanks’ big-screen breakthrough “Splash.” And “The Green Mile,” and “Catch Me If You Can.” Then, you remember: Hey, he’s also the voice of Woody in the “Toy Story” movies.

Then there’s all the times in the 1980s when Hanks’ charm and comedic skills still shone through in films where the material wasn’t so successful: “Joe Versus the Volcano.” “Turner and Hooch.” “Dragnet.” “The Burbs.” “The Money Pit.” “Volunteers.” Even “Bachelor Party.”

It’s been quite a run for an everyman type who grew up in Concord, California, with no Hollywood connections.

Which still fails to include his lead turns as Robert Langdon in the box-office smashes based on the Dan Brown books (“The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons”), to be followed in October by “Inferno.” Or his critically acclaimed performances in “Captain Phillips,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” and “Road to Perdition.”

And then you’ll still have people reminding you that their favorite Hanks project remains the early ’80s sitcom “Bosom Buddies,” or even that they still remember his first standout performance balancing comedy and drama, playing alcoholic Uncle Ned in a few episodes of the sitcom “Family Ties.”

Related: Oscar Buzz Begins for ‘Sully’ 

Exhausted yet? That just covers Hanks’ acting roles — and not even all of them. It excludes other films he’s made with Steven Spielberg, Joel and Ethan Coen, Sam Mendes, the Wachowski siblings, and Robert Zemeckis.

Really, it’s just unfair. Because Hanks has also directed two movies and several TV episodes. And he was the executive producer of “From the Earth to the Moon,” “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific,” “Big Love,” and “John Adams,” along with producing dozens of other projects. Hanks accomplishes more every year than many people do in their lifetimes.

It’s been quite a run for an everyman type who grew up in Concord, California, with no Hollywood connections. His parents divorced when he was a toddler, and he’s said he’d lived in 10 different houses by age 10. He was always interested in acting.

His very first acting credit was a small role in a 1980 low-budget slasher film, “He Knows You’re Alone.” It was hardly an auspicious debut, but even then, something about the actor stood out: In the script, his character was supposed to be killed off, but the filmmakers found Hanks so likable they chose not to shoot his death scene.

Which, in a sense, makes Hanks the perfect choice to play Captain Sullenberger. Whatever the odds, whatever challenges he faces — he’s a survivor.