Can You Name These Tom Hanks Roles From a Screenshot?

ENTERTAINMENT

By: Jonnathan Chadwick

7 Min Quiz

Image: Gracie Films

About This Quiz

Tom Hanks has been acting in Hollywood since 1980, and he's now approaching 100 acting credits to his name. If you watch movies, you've probably seen a Tom Hanks movie or two, and if you're a fan of cinema, you're probably a fan of Hanks. 

He's not your average actor — he's one of the best. Some of the most memorable characters, quotes and movies all came to life because of his work. He's known for his genius portrayal of fictional characters like Forrest Gump and real people like Captain Phillips. He's known for making fictional characters feel like real people, like his roles in "Cast Away" or "You've Got Mail." His talent transcends animation, comedy, war and romance. He has the most recognizable voice in Hollywood since Jimmy Stewart, and he's nowhere close to done.

We'll never forget him telling us that life is like a box of chocolates or watching his soul shatter when Wilson floated away. He's in the utmost A list of A lists, and he's one of just a handful of actors universally recognized as the best in the game. 

How many Tom Hanks movies have you seen, and can you identify each one from a screenshot? Put your cinema knowledge to the test and try to name each of these Tom Hanks roles from an image.

Do you know this "Toy Story" cowboy?

Pixar released "Toy Story," its first animated feature film, in 1995, and it revolutionized CGI. The gang of Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, and even Andy and his neighbor Sid were all brought to life via CGI, the first time for a major film. Tom Hanks has voiced Woody in all of the films.

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What role does Tom Hanks play in "Cast Away"?

Tom Hanks portrayed an imaginary FedEx employee who gets stranded on a deserted island and befriends a volleyball in the 2000 hit "Cast Away." His character's name is Chuck Noland. FedEx ultimately supported the film, although hesitant at first.

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Who taught the world that life is like a box of chocolates?

Forrest Gump's mother taught her son the "box of chocolates" mantra, and he taught it to the world in one of America's most famous movie lines. Tom Hanks won the Best Actor Oscar for the role, his second in a row.

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Can you name this detective who adopts a dog named Hooch?

Detective Scott Turner has to solve a murder case that only has one witness, a dog. He adopts the dog to save its life and develops a lifelong bond with the Dogue de Bordeaux. Four dogs played the role of Hooch.

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What American sailor was hijacked by pirates in this movie based on a true story?

This is another true story where Tom Hanks portrayed a real-life hero. Sailor Richard Phillips was navigating an American cargo ship around one of the most dangerous areas in the world when pirates boarded the boat and held everyone for ransom.

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Who's this guy who said, "there's no crying in baseball"?

"A League of Their Own" is Tom Hanks at his most versatile — it's a pretty underrated role. He played the hard drinking baseball manager Jimmy Dugan in this comedy about women who take over baseball during WWII.

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He won his first of back-to-back Oscars for this role. Do you know it?

Tom Hanks with a shaved head means only one thing: Andrew Becket in "Philadelphia." He starred alongside Denzel Washington in this film that was one of the earliest to tackle issues of sex, relationships and HIV.

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Can you name this pilot known for the "Miracle on the Hudson"?

Tom Hanks teamed up with Clint Eastwood to tell the true story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger and his harrowing "Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009. Captain Sully was able to land a failed aircraft in the Hudson River, preventing disaster and achieving hero status.

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What is this kid's name, who wakes up one day in the body of an adult?

Be careful what you wish for. We've seen this trope play out in numerous stories before, but when a kid wishes to be an adult and wakes up in the body of Tom Hanks, it turns into a classic tale. Tom Hanks got his first Oscar nod for his role in "Big."

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In what film does Tom Hanks play five different characters, including Santa Claus?

This classic children's story graced classrooms all over the country for close to 20 years before getting a big screen adaptation. Tom Hanks is the biggest name voicing characters in the movie, and he takes on the task of voicing five of them for the film.

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In what film does Tom Hanks play a mob associate, tasked with protecting his family?

Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan Sr. in this story about a family involved with the Irish mob. "Road to Perdition" also features Paul Newman and Daniel Craig, and it received positive reviews all around, including an Oscar win for Best Cinematography.

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Can you name this film where Tom Hanks falls in love with a mermaid?

This film might not sound like the greatest plot, but it nabbed an Oscar nod for best original screenplay at the 1985 Academy Awards. Daryl Hannah played the mermaid and John Candy also starred in the film.

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Can you name this paranoid husband who thinks his neighbors are satanists?

When you look back at Tom Hanks' earliest movie roles, they were mostly comedies, like this one called "The 'Burbs" that came out in 1989. It's the classic story about a young couple who moves to the perfect neighborhood, only to find out it's the opposite of perfect.

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What lawyer turned CIA spy does Tom Hanks play in this Steven Spielberg flick?

You've got to hate it when the CIA comes knocking on your door and forces you to spy for them. That's the role Tom Hanks played in "Bridge of Spies," directed by Steven Spielberg and written by the Coen brothers. The story takes place during the Cold War.

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He plays an ad exec who is nothing like his father in what movie?

Comedy legend Jackie Gleason made his final film appearance in the 1986 movie "Nothing in Common," starring alongside Tom Hanks as his father. As expected, the two have nothing in common and end up learning a lot from each other.

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Do you know his character's name in "You've Got Mail"?

The verge of the millennium was the perfect time to tackle the proliferation of internet dating. In "You've Got Mail," two people fall in love online but despise each other in real life. This timely movie is titled after an AOL notification.

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Tom Hanks played what character that moves to Seattle and falls in love?

Tom Hanks really started dominating the Hollywood scene in the early 1990s, and he teamed up with Meg Ryan in 1993 for this romantic comedy, "Sleepless in Seattle." He starred in "A League of Their Own" the year before, and he was about to star in the two biggest roles of his career, "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump."

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He played the prison officer in charge of death row (a.k.a. the green mile) in this film. Can you remember his name?

This Stephen King masterpiece is told through a flashback from the point of view of Tom Hanks' character in the film, Paul Edgecomb, who is the head guard in charge of death row. It's a classic Stephen King story that was adapted into a memorable movie.

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Can you name this character who considers jumping into a volcano?

When Tom Hanks' character, Joe, learns that he is dying in the movie "Joe Versus the Volcano," he is offered a way to die with purpose and dignity: by jumping into a volcano. It was one of many times he starred alongside Meg Ryan.

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He's tasked with saving Private Ryan in this film. What's his name?

This is one of the best war movies ever made, and Hanks and Spielberg were both at the top of their games. Hanks' character in the film is the captain tasked with saving Private Ryan, played by Matt Damon.

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What professor and master of cryptography is this?

Tom Hanks plays Professor Robert Langdon in the movie adaptation of Dan Brown's novels. Three of Brown's books that feature the professor have already been adapted to the screen, most famously "The Da Vinci Code."

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Tom Hanks played the founder of a fictional company that is a combination of Facebook and Google in what film?

This story is another one from David Eggers, and it tackles a dystopian future where giant tech companies control everything we do. It's grim, but not as grim as the book. Emma Watson stars as the lead character, Mae Holland.

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What was the name of the detective who chased Leonardo DiCaprio around the world in "Catch Me If You Can"?

"Catch Me If You Can" is the true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who was played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Abagnale was known for being a con man and check forger, but he did pass the bar exam on his own. Hanks played Carl Hanratty, the detective who chased him around the world.

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Do you know what astronaut he portrayed in "Apollo 13"?

Who can forget Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell, doing 15-digit math problems in his head and double checking them with pen and paper while hurtling through the universe in a doomed spaceship? Ron Howard directed the 1995 flick that went on to win two Oscars.

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Can you remember the name of this character who lived at JFK Airport for several months?

Tom Hanks played the fictional Viktor Navorski from the fake country of Krakozhia in "The Terminal." The story was inspired by the real-life 18-year stay of an Iranian refugee at France's Charles de Gaulle Airport from 1988 to 2006.

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Do you know this Texas congressman?

"Charlie Wilson's War" tells the story of the time the United States of America decided to fund this small rebel group in the Middle East as they fought Russia. The small group of rebels eventually turned into a terrorist group led by the world's most notorious terrorist.

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Have you ever seen "The Ladykillers"? What role did he play?

Hanks plays a Southern professor, Goldthwait Higginson Dorr, who puts together a ragtag crew to rob a casino, and the only person who might stop them is a sweet old landlady. If it sounds like a Coen brothers film, that's because they wrote and directed it.

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What's the name of this rich kid who joins the Peace Corps to escape angry debtors?

Tom Hanks played the wealthy Lawrence Bourne III in the 1985 comedy "Volunteers," about a rich kid who grows a heart and experiences how the other half lives. Hanks starred alongside John Candy in this film, the second time the two joined forces.

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Who does Tom Hanks portray in "Saving Mr. Banks"?

Australian author P.L. Travers began her "Mary Poppins" book series in 1934, and in 1964 Walt Disney wanted to adapt the story for the big screen. This movie tells that story, and Walt Disney is played by Tom Hanks.

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He travels through time and plays six different roles in this genre-bending mystery. Can you name the movie?

Hanks has played roles in two adapted novels from David Eggers, and he also starred in the lead role in this David Mitchell story, so he's clearly a fan of contemporary literature and does a great job portraying these characters.

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What is his name in "A Hologram for the King"?

This Eggers novel was shortlisted for awards around the world and was adapted for the screen in 2016 when Tom Hanks took over the lead role. It was the first time Hanks would star in an Eggers adaptation, but not the first time he'd adapt a contemporary American novel.

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What was his character's name in "That Thing You Do"?

Tom Hanks wrote, directed and starred in this film that centers around a local band in Pennsylvania. It was the first movie credit for his son, Colin, who has since gone on to star in dozens of TV shows and movies.

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Who is this guy who decided to go back to school after losing his job?

It's never too old to go back to school — "Larry Crowne" taught us that in 2011. It obviously helps if you go back to school and happen to fall into a relationship with Julia Roberts, but this is a movie after all, and it's not based on a true story.

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What's his character's name in "Bachelor Party"?

Tom Hanks plays a groom-to-be who hasn't had the most successful life and is hated by his in-laws. His friends decide to do what all good friends do: throw him an epic bachelor party. To no one's surprise, everything goes haywire.

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What was his character's name in "The Money Pit"?

Most newlywed couples dream of buying a house in the perfect neighborhood one day, and when the Fieldings find an offer they simply can't refuse, they pounce on it. As expected, the offer turns out too good to be true, and they spend a fortune on renovations.

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Do you know this legendary newspaper editor?

The best movie about Ben Bradlee and the "Washington Post" will always be the 1976 classic "All the President's Men," but Hanks does a pretty good job starring alongside Meryl Streep in "The Post," about the Pentagon Papers. The role earned him a Best Actor nod at the Golden Globes.

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Tom Hanks played a man named Elliot in his first ever movie. Do you know what it was called?

Everybody has to start somewhere, right? Back in 1980, Tom Hanks played the role of Elliot in this low budget horror thriller that didn't exactly go on to achieve greatness. Hanks focused on TV roles for the next four years after this movie.

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Do you know what role Hanks played in the 9/11 drama?

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" was one of the first major films to tackle the 9/11 attacks and was ultimately nominated for two Oscars, including Best Picture. The film follows a boy who copes with the loss of his father after the attacks. Hanks played the father.

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Do you remember what character he played in "Dragnet"?

Hanks stars alongside Dan Aykroyd in this 1987 film about a strait-laced detective (Aykroyd) who has to work with a man who looks like he crawled out of the gutter (Hanks) to solve a crime mystery. The film is part of the "Dragnet" franchise that includes the TV show.

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Tom Hanks played his real-life son's father in "The Great Buck Howard." What's his name?

Colin Hanks plays Troy Gable and Tom Hanks plays Mr. Gable in this film about a declining magician and his personal assistant. The first movie Colin Hanks appeared in with his father was "That Thing You Do" in 1996.

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