Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon.[2] Hanks’s films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide,[3]
making him the fourth-highest-grossing actor in North America.[4] Hanks made his breakthrough with leading roles in a series of comedies: Splash (1984), The Money Pit (1986), Big (1988) and A League of Their Own (1992). He won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor, playing a gay lawyer suffering from AIDS in Philadelphia (1993) and the title character in Forrest Gump (1994).[5] Hanks collaborated with Steven Spielberg on five films: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Terminal (2004), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017), as well as the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers (2001), The Pacific (2010) and Masters of the Air (2024). He has also frequently collaborated with directors Ron Howard, Nora Ephron and Robert Zemeckis.
Hanks’s other films include the romantic comedies Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998); the dramas Apollo 13 (1995), The Green Mile (1999), Cast Away (2000), Road to Perdition (2002) and Cloud Atlas (2012); and the biographical dramas Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), Captain Phillips (2013), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Sully (2016), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), News of the World (2020) and Elvis (2022). He appeared as the title character in the Robert Langdon series and voiced Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story films (1995–2019). Hanks directed the comedies That Thing You Do! (1996) and Larry Crowne (2011), and acted in both.
Poor Old Lady Rejected in Business Class Until a Photo of a Little Boy Falls from Her Handbag
An elderly woman named Rhea longed to reconnect with her son, so she decided to fly in business class, hoping to get closer to him. On the day of her flight, she felt nervous as she boarded the plane and took a seat among wealthy passengers. Wearing her best but worn clothes, she stood out, attracting disapproving looks from those around her.
Once seated, a man beside her noticed her and reacted with disgust. He called a flight attendant, complaining about her presence. Other passengers joined in, expressing their desire for Rhea to leave, claiming she didn’t belong in business class. Despite their harsh words, Rhea remained calm and told herself that things would get better, even as tears streamed down her face.
Feeling humiliated, Rhea decided to leave and began gathering her belongings. As she stood up, she stumbled and fell to her knees, scattering the contents of her purse. Instead of helping her, the man beside her stepped back, but an elegant older woman came to her aid, kneeling beside her.
The atmosphere shifted as the woman picked up a photo of a young boy from Rhea’s bag. Rhea shared that the boy was her son, whom she had to give up for adoption when he was five due to financial struggles. She had been searching for him for years and had finally learned he was now a pilot. To be closer to him, she saved money for this flight, which she saw as a birthday gift for herself.
As Rhea spoke, the passengers listened, and many were moved to tears. The mood in the cabin changed, and those who had mocked her began to feel ashamed. After sharing her story, Rhea gathered the courage to meet her son, who was piloting the plane.
When he announced over the intercom that his mother was on board for her birthday, the passengers applauded, and those who had previously criticized Rhea apologized. Finally, after years apart, Rhea was reunited with her son, Joseph, embracing him tightly.
This story teaches us the importance of kindness and perseverance. It shows that standing up for others can change lives and that never giving up on what matters most can lead to beautiful reunions. Share this story to inspire others and brighten their day.
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