Tom Hanks is one of the few stars who has remained unblemished at the top of Hollywood for decades and has endured the test of time.
Nobody can say anything negative about Hollywood’s favorite “Mr. Nice Guy.” On the big screen, he’s a legend. Off-screen, he appears to be the nicest man in Hollywood; a true gentleman.
But did you know Tom has been suffering from a “silent” sickness for quite some time?
Tom Hank, who played Forrest Gump, is only 66 years old, which is tough to imagine given how long he appears to have been alive.
The two-time Academy Award winner has built a reputation as a terrific performer as well as an all-around nice guy who has never let fame or fortune define him. In addition to being a cultural icon, Hanks is known as “America’s Dad” and is frequently photographed exhibiting goodwill to his fans and others he meets outside of Hollywood.
When we look at Tom Hanks’ childhood and upbringing, it becomes clear why he has maintained both feet on the ground despite his amazing profession and the millions of cash in his bank account.
Tom Hanks, who was born in Concord, California, had a difficult upbringing. He was a divorced child who had to move about a lot as a child; Tom himself described his life as nomadic.
Apparently, no one instructed him on how to brush his teeth, and Tom was frequently disregarded.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Tom said, “Maybe there was a degree of loneliness because really no one — I kind of like fell through the cracks and didn’t really have people per person who were taking care of me.”
Tom lived in ten different homes by the time he turned ten. Tom was surrounded by stepbrothers and sisters who came and went because both of his parents had multiple relationships and had been wedded “three or four times.” He has claimed that he wouldn’t recognize some of them if he saw them now.
“After our parents divorced, our younger brother and three older siblings moved in with our mother and father.” After that, we were herded back and forth. I recall times when we all shared a bedroom one minute and a vast, dispersed house the next. “At times, we went years without speaking,” Tom told the Chicago Tribune in 1984.
Tom discovered that comedy was the key to surviving his turbulent upbringing. He used it to earn acceptance every time he enrolled in a new school.
I used to be a nerd and a spaz. I was dreadfully, agonizingly bashful. I was also the one who would simultaneously shout out witty captions throughout film strips. But I stayed out of trouble. Tom stated, “I was a really good child and pretty responsible growing up.”
Tom began taking theatrical studies in high school after seeing a school play that aroused his interest in acting.
I had no idea that acting was even a possibility until that point, he admitted. I had more fun than I ever dreamed of having, he remarked.
Tom took up a new endeavor after graduating from California State University, Sacramento, and worked for the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival for three years. After learning everything there is to know about classical theater, the young actor decided he was ready for another change.
When Tom first moved to New York in 1979, he was cast in He Knows You’re Alone, a low-budget “hack and slash” movie shot entirely on Staten Island. Although the film received mainly negative reviews, it was a financial success and provided Tom, then 24, with numerous chances.
Tom originally caught the attention of Hollywood and critics when he appeared in the 1980 sitcom Bossom Buddies, but many believe his big break came with the Ron Howard-directed fantasy romantic comedy Splash.
He went on to star in Turner and Hooch and Sleepless in Seattle before winning back-to-back Oscars and Golden Globes for his main performances in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump in 1994 and 1995.
om was married to American actress Samantha Lewes when he first started acting. When Tom Hanks and Samantha got married when he was only 21 years old, their family grew quickly.
Actor Colin Hanks was born to them in 1978, and Samantha gave birth to their daughter Elizabeth in 1982.
At first, Tom and Samantha were very in love and had a lot in common because Samantha had gone through a divorce. Tom claimed that his wife “had stories about having parents with lots of marriages and divorce and all that can even beat mine.
We are both incredibly pragmatic. We are aware that our marriage could end at any moment; in fact, it nearly did, he told the Chicago Tribune in 1984.
After nine years of marriage, Tom and Samantha decided to divorce. Because of the couple’s terrible childhoods, the choice to file for divorce was especially tough. Tom went through a really dark period and sought treatment three times per week to fight his negative ideas. In retrospect, his divorce was “a tremendously traumatic time loaded with emotion and unpleasant feelings,” he says.
Tom thought he had failed as a father, but after meeting Rita Wilson, who would later become his wife, he changed his mind.
He was originally hesitant to date another woman seriously so soon after his divorce. In an interview with the “Sooo Many White Guys” podcast, Hanks recounted his feelings for Rita when they first met.
“We married, made a promise to one another, adored one another, and worked hard on our relationship… We not only love each other, but we also like each other, like spending time together, supporting one other, and keeping open lines of communication. This is always critical.
When Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, it was one of the most difficult times in their relationship. Fortunately, the physicians identified it early enough for her to obtain treatment. Tom Hanks was without a doubt on her side at all times.
Unfortunately, this was not Tom’s first cancer diagnosis. Samantha, his ex-wife, died at the young age of 50 after a battle with bone cancer.
Tom, thankfully, has never had cancer, but he does suffer from another condition that has tormented him for a long time.
It is also difficult to identify due to the disease’s lack of visible signs.
The “silent” illness has impeded Tom’s employment, and he has been forced to turn off certain possibilities because they required considerable physical changes or the use of specific foods. The Hollywood star first detected symptoms of the disease in the early 1990s, but she had no idea what it was.
Following inspections and tests, the doctors eventually gave Tom a response. In 2013, Tom stepped forward to openly discuss his type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
During an interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, the 66-year-old actor announced that he had diabetes mellitus, a condition in which the body does not produce or react to insulin as it should, resulting in excessively high blood sugar levels. Diabetes 2 can have devastating and even fatal consequences if your lifestyle and habits are not modified to accommodate it.
One out of every ten Americans, or around 37 million people, has diabetes, with 90 to 95 percent of them having type 2 diabetes. Tom, on the other hand, claims that he was taken aback when he was diagnosed.
Because many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms at initially, some media refer to diabetes as a silent killer.
“I went to the doctor, who told me that I had been dealing with high blood sugar levels since I was 36.” Well, you have a diploma! “You have type 2 diabetes, young man,” Hanks recalled.
Tom’s doctors had warned him about the possibility of having pre-diabetes earlier in his life. But he went about his business as usual, ignoring the warning indication. Tom felt like a complete stupidity when the verdict was announced.
“I thought I could get away with it by taking the buns off my cheeseburgers,” he told Radio Times.
“Well, it takes a bit more than that, I suppose.”
His lifestyle and a family history of diabetes are the primary reasons of his ailment. Because of his DNA, it wasn’t exactly ideal for him to eat whatever he wanted.
“I’m a member of the American generation that was naively dancing through the party and now finds itself with a disease,” Tom continued.
“I was somewhat heavy. You’ve seen me in films, so you’re familiar with my appearance. “I was an absolute moron.”
Doctors advised the beloved actor to retain his adolescent weight and thin down in order to put the illness in remission. Medical professionals were optimistic, but Tom remained skeptical.
“I’m going to develop type 2 diabetes because I can’t weigh what I weighed in high school,” he laughed.
But a lot has happened since the David Letterman interview in 2013. Recent images of Hanks show an apparent change of heart. Tom appeared on the red carpet at Cannes in May 2022 to promote his new Elvis film.
Many of Tom’s fans complimented him on how great he looked and how trim he was. I believe he has shed some weight!
The 66-year-old appears to work very hard to maintain his weight; he also exercises out to help regulate his blood sugar levels.
“I make an effort to engage in one hour of activity every day.” ‘So Many White Guys’ podcast: “That could be anything from a treadmill to a stroll or a hike with a dog, but it has to be one hour every day.”
