From “Forrest Gump” to “Cast Away”: Tom Hanks’s Most Lucrative Movie Roles

Among the best and highest-paid actors in Hollywood, the American actor, writer, and producer was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. In 1980, with the low-budget slasher flick He Knows You’re Alone, Hanks began his trek to Hollywood.

Hanks has become an international icon thanks to his roles in such classic films as “Band of Brothers,” “Elvis,” “Car,” “30 Rock,” “Ithaca,” “Forrest Gump,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “The Terminal,” among many more. Keep reading to find out how much money he is worth right now.

Tom Hanks Net Worth

On July 9, Tom Hanks will turn 66, but he doesn’t look a day over his age. On June 24, the biopic “Elvis” was released, in which the actor played Col. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager. In the December 2022 release “A Man Called Otto,” he played a retired man who was mourning the death of his wife.

He has won seven Emmys and two Oscars for his main roles in “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.” If and when Hanks decides to retire, he will have a nice nest of money to enjoy his golden years. Hanks’s long career as an actor, writer, director, and executive producer has allowed him to acquire a fortune estimated at $400 million.

Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson, have gained notoriety for their generosity in a variety of causes they’ve championed. He has contributed time and resources to a wide range of causes, including those dealing with veterans’ problems, AIDS research, children who have been neglected or abandoned, and the fight against cancer in women.

The Elie Wiesel Foundation presented him with the inaugural Arts for Humanity Award in recognition of his humanitarian efforts in 2012. The honor acknowledges his contributions to the New Orleans World War II Museum, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, the ONE Campaign, the National Space Society, the Hole in the Wall Gang, and the Got Your 6 Campaign.

Hanks was quoted as saying at the time by CBS, “We work very hard in a business that deserves and earns every bit of ridicule that we heap upon it.” “But ultimately, you’ve got to get up every morning and try to make the world a better place,” he said.

The sum of money Tom made from movies between 1988 and 2010 is estimated to be over $300 million. With inflation taken into account, that’s the same as $450 million. After that, he spent the next decade raking in an additional $100 million. The sum of Tom’s movie earnings, not accounting for inflation, must be at least $400 million. That doesn’t include money made from producing or directing.

Tom made $70,000 in 1984 for his role in the film “Splash,” which was one of his first major acting paychecks. With inflation, that’s almost equivalent to $172,000. In 1988, four years later, Tom made $1.75 million for his role in the film “Big.” That is equivalent to about $4 million in today’s dollars. His “Punchline” salary was $5 million in 1998. As of today, that sum is equivalent to $11 million. Tom’s pay skyrocketed in the late 1980s and never dropped.

Tom made $40 million for “Saving Private Ryan,” another $20 million for “You’ve Got Mail,” another $20 million for “Cast Away,” and another $20 million for “The Green Mile.”

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How Tom Turned Down a $7 Million Paycheck for “Forrest Gump” and Made $120 Million Instead?

It was estimated in 1993 that Tom would get $7 million for his role in “Forrest Gump.” The budget for the film had ballooned at some point during production. Tom, unwilling to see the film wrecked, proposed forgoing his income in exchange for “first dollar” backend points. When that happened, he got a part of the money Paramount was owed from the box office before the studio deducted its share for things like advertising and printing.

The tweet below shows Hanks made $65 million from Forrest Gump:

Awesome story told to @GrahamBensinger.

Hanks made $65 million from Forrest Gump because of it. https://t.co/CJF0GIQmXe

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 23, 2020

You probably already know that Forrest Gump became a massive financial success, grossing over $700.000.000 at the box office and an additional $100.000.000 over the years thanks to licensing arrangements and home video sales.

Tom did very well in his initial dollar deal. His backend points were worth about $70 million in that first year, which is equivalent to about $120 million now. It was one of the largest acting salaries ever paid in Hollywood at the time, and it remains his largest acting salary to this day.

Tom and Rita paid $2.95 million in April of 1991 for a magnificent beachside mansion in the ultra-exclusive Malibu Colony. Director John Frankenheimer was the one who made the deal. The value of this home has increased to at least $20 million since it was built. Tom and Rita spent over $26 million on a home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles in January 2010.

Tom and Rita sold their two Palisades houses in May 2017 for a combined $18 million. The buyer, who is anonymous thanks to a San Francisco-based lawyer and limited liability company (LLC), demolished the two houses so that they could build a massive mansion on the site. At least five of Tom and Rita’s additional houses are located in the Pacific Palisades.

Tom and Rita have a ski house outside of L.A. in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The value of Hanks/Wilson’s real estate holdings is estimated to be over $150 million.

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