James Mathew Hanks (born June 15, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has played numerous minor roles in film and guest appearances on television, and often does voice substitution work for his older brother Tom Hanks (most notably Sheriff Woody for Toy Story–related talking toys and video games). He has produced, directed, and filmed several short films. Hanks made his film debut in Buford's Beach Bunnies (1993).
Jim Hanks | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Mathew Hanks June 15, 1961 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse |
Karen Praxel (m. 1986) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives |
|
Early life
editJames Mathew Hanks was born in Shasta County, California on June 15, 1961.[1] He is the son of Janet Marylyn (née Frager)[2] and itinerant cook Amos Mefford Hanks.[3][4] Hanks is also the youngest brother of fellow actor Tom Hanks and entomologist Larry Hanks, but they were not raised together.[5][6][7] After their parents divorced, Jim went to Red Bluff, California with his mother while older siblings Tom, Larry, and Sandra remained with their father. After college, he lived in Sacramento working as a waiter.[8] The agent who employed his actress wife Karen Praxel as a receptionist encouraged him to get into acting.[8] After he took acting lessons, he moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and began his career with roles in B-movies and commercial voice-overs.
Career
editHe got his first lead role as Jeeter Buford in Buford's Beach Bunnies (1993). Wishing to earn the role based on his own abilities, he auditioned as "Jim Matthews" (just his first and a modification of his middle name). While producers noted his "resemblance to Tom Hanks", he won the role based on his own comedic and acting skills and his relationship to his brother was not revealed until paperwork was completed.[9]
In 1995, A Current Affair revealed that Tom had created the mannerisms for the character of Forrest Gump based on the simpleton mannerisms earlier created by Jim for the role of Jeeter,[10] including Forrest's "now-famous jerky run".[11] His physical resemblance to his brother allowed him to act as body double for him in scenes in Forrest Gump.[12] Due to his vocal similarity, and with his brother Tom's personal recommendation,[13] he often substitutes for Tom in the role of Sheriff Woody in various Toy Story video games and spin-offs.[14][15]
Hanks began to provide the voice of Geoffrey the Giraffe in the Toys "R" Us commercials in 2001[16] and is the voice of Rudy from the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers commercials.
He guest-starred in an episode of Scrubs, appearing as a "Dr. Turner" partnered with recurring character Dr. Hooch, in reference to his brother's film Turner & Hooch.[17]
In the 1998 film adaptation of O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief", Hanks played the role of the mailman who was the town gossip.
He has appeared on stage, including playing "Lennie Small" in Theatrical Arts International's production of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
In November 2016, Hanks guest-starred in a web series called Gary CK Needs Work, a parody of the FX show Louie.
Personal life
editHanks married actress Karen Praxel on May 25, 1986, together they have one son, Gage.[18] The family resides in Venice, California.[citation needed]
He works with Los Angeles–based "Feet First Films", a production company that provides actor demos as well as production support for short films.[19]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Buford's Beach Bunnies | Jeeter Buford | |
| 1994 | Forrest Gump | Forrest Gump | Tom Hanks's body double |
| 1995 | Portrait in Red | Detective Wilder | |
| Xtro 3: Watch the Skies | Prvt. Friedman | ||
| 1996 | Tiny Toy Stories | Woody (voice) | International release only |
| 1997 | Psycho Sushi | Yuriel | |
| 1999 | Blood Type | Stew | [20] |
| Baby Geniuses | Goon Ray | ||
| Inferno | Tour Bus Driver | ||
| 2000 | Blood on the Backlot | Officer Holbrook | |
| Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins | Woody (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| 2001 | Cahoots | Mr. Marsh | |
| Spirit Rising | Marv Chalsky | ||
| 2003 | Swing | Club Jimbo Maitre D' | |
| 2004 | Purgatory House | Saint James | |
| 2008 | Deadwater | Ensign Buford | |
| 2009 | Road to the Altar | Dick | |
| 2010 | Goofyfoot | Dad | |
| Acts of Violence | Detective Mike | ||
| 2011 | Seymour Sally Rufus | Doctor | |
| 2012 | Stolen Breath | Actor | |
| 2013 | Automotive | Detective Fulton | |
| Odd Brodsky | Actor playing God | ||
| A Leading Man | Darren Brandl | ||
| I Know That Voice | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2017 | The Sex Trip | Matt Flannery | |
| 2018 | Blood Corral | Michael Arman | |
| 2019 | The Long Way | Professor Bob | |
| 2020 | Lamp Life | Woody (voice) | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Homefront | Ball Player #4 | Episode: "First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage" |
| 1995 | The Clinic | ||
| 1996 | Toy Story Treats | Woody (voice) | |
| Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Les Barrish | Episode: "It's a Small World After All" | |
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Jerry | Episode: "The True Adventures of Rudy Kazootie" | |
| 1997 | Night Man | Episode: "Face to Face" | |
| 1998 | The Ransom of Red Chief | Mailman | TV movie |
| Sunset Beach | Spike the dog (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 1998–1999 | JAG | CPO Kyle Anderson Chief Kyle Anderson |
Episodes: "Jaggle Bells" "Yeah, Baby" |
| 1999 | Smart Guy | Episode: "From A to Double D" | |
| Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot | Dwayne Hunter | ||
| 2000 | Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane | Duane the Salesman | Episode: "Kiss of Death" |
| 2005 | Scrubs | Dr. Turner | Episode: "My Faith in Humanity" |
| 2007 | Dexter | Annoyed Man | Episode: "The Dark Defender" |
| 2008 | Shark Swarm | Nick Atkins | TV movie |
| 2012 | I Married Who? | Director | |
| 2012–2018 | Robot Chicken | Various Voices | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Rake | Fred Luntz - Director | Episode: "50 Shades of Gay" |
| 2017 | Milo Murphy's Law | Captain Wilson (voice) | Episode: "The Note" |
| 2018 | Goldie and Bear | Red's Father (voice) | Episode: "Tess the Giantess/Red Moves Away" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Toy Story: Activity Center | Woody | |
| Animated Storybook: Toy Story | |||
| 1999 | Toy Story 2: Activity Center | ||
| Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue | |||
| 2001 | Toy Story Racer | ||
| 2003 | Extreme Skate Adventure | [21] | |
| 2004 | The Polar Express | Conductor, Hobo, Scrooge | |
| 2009 | Toy Story Mania! | Woody | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3: The Video Game | ||
| 2011 | Kinect Disneyland Adventures | ||
| 2012 | Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure | ||
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | ||
| 2014 | Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes | ||
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | [22] | |
| 2017 | Fortnite | In-game NPCs | |
| 2018 | Lego The Incredibles | Woody | |
| 2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | ||
| 2023 | Disney Dreamlight Valley | ||
| 2023 | Disney Speedstorm |
Theme parks
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Toy Story Midway Mania! | Woody |
Filmmaking credits
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Cinematographer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Back Field in Motion | No | No | No | Yes | Video short |
| 2008 | Wish | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Short film |
| The Floor | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2010 | Deception | No | Yes | No | No | Short film Co-producer |
| Collision | Yes | Yes | No | No | Short film | |
| Real Men Real Issues | No | No | No | Yes | TV series Episode: "Mine or Mime?" | |
| The Rise and Fall of John Tesoro | No | No | No | Yes | Short film | |
| 2011 | Hazelnut | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Short film Co-producer |
| The Comedy Blips | No | No | No | Yes | TV series | |
| 2012 | Coveting Roses | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2013 | Dog Gone Missing | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2013–2014 | Bunny and Bee | No | No | No | Yes | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Dead Drop | Yes | No | No | No | Assistant director |
| Breaking Curfew | No | No | No | Yes | TV series | |
| 2018 | Two Minutes to Midnight | No | Yes | No | No | TV Mini-Series Episode: "AtomEx" |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Angel Film Award | Best Supporting Actor | Blood Type | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Hanks, Jim 1961-". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "Tom Hanks' Mother Janet Marylyn Frager Dies: 'She Was the Difference in Many Lives'". 12 July 2016.
- ^ Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 1999
- ^ Gardner, David (January 1, 1999). Tom Hanks. Blake. ISBN 978-1-85782-327-1.
- ^ Warwick, Kevin (30 March 2012). "Tom Hanks is important. Celebrate him". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ^ Piantadosi, Roger (28 August 1984). "Tom Hanks, in The Hot Seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ^ He discusses his brother beginning at 3:00 "Tom Hanks interview". The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. CBS. April 29, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b Pecchia, David (January 17, 1995). "Tom Hanks' younger brother finds acting is an adventure". Reading Eagle. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Viner, Michael; Frankel, Terrie Maxine. Tales from the Casting Couch. Phoenix Books, Inc. p. 174. ISBN 1-59777-642-4. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ "Filmmaker Mark Pirro on A Current Affair (1995)". A Current Affair (U.S. TV series). Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Yourse, Robyn-Denise (September 22, 2006). "Taking Names". Washington Times. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ "Sibling Revelry". People. March 13, 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Denham, Jess (October 15, 2015). "Toy Story: Tom Hanks gets his brother Jim to voice Woody for him when he has better things to do". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
- ^ Strauss, Bob (May 17, 1996). "Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Hartl, John (August 4, 2000). "Sequels to 'Toy Story', 'Tail' go straight to video". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Howard, Theresa (February 10, 2002). "Toys R Us ads hit target: Moms". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ "Jim Hanks bio at Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ "The Untold Truth of Tom Hanks' Brother - Looper". 27 February 2019.
- ^ "A little about Jimmy". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ "Blood Type (1999)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2010. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ "Jim Hanks Video Game Credits and Biography". MobyGames.
- ^ Avalanche Software. Disney Infinity 3.0. Scene: Closing credits, 5:39 in, Featuring the Voice Talents of.
