Is there such thing as the male America's sweetheart? If there is then Tom Hanks would surely have to be him. The general public love him, your mum loves him, cinephiles love him, his co-stars love him, and cinematic history definitely loves him. To say Happy Birthday let's say T-Hanks for 5 of the best characters he's gifted us after the jump...
Josh in Big
No one sells glee like Tom Hanks. Think of iconic Hanks moment, and there's a good chance it involves him throwing his head back with a grin or a cackle. Hanks started off, and maybe still is, viewed primarily as a effortless comedian. He sells the kid in an adults body so well in a performance that only ages better with the added nostalgia of the film itself. He's not just a kid in a adults body, he's a kid who wants to be an adult in an adults body. Re-watching Big now, it surprising how on the nose much of the dialogue is for such a classic, but it was Hanks ability to sell it so well that makes it iconic. Giant floor pianos and he are forever inseparable in our collective minds.
Andrew Beckett in Philedelphia
Hanks gets serious. Oscar #1 was well earned by Hanks, as a man fired from his law firm as a result of his diagnosis with AIDs and his homosexuality. If there's another actor as beloved over generations as Hanks, it's Denzel Washington, and much of the films success lies in their easy but layered chemistry as they navigate uncerainly about one another. The La Mamma Morta scene is about as breathtaking and tender as moments in cinema get. Hanks delicate balance of physical weakness with inner strength brings a needed pathos to a film that is fairly judged for stripping out much of the "gayness" of its subject matter.
Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
Becoming the second actor ever to win back to back Oscars (after Spencer Tracy), Hanks delivered another deeply iconic character. It was impossible for the Academy to ignore this massive hit of a film, which rest so firmly on Hanks shoulders, and if they were going to award the film, then they had to award him. There are elements of Hanks' Big performance here, with his naivety but there's an understanding here of the fairytale like quality of the tale his character inhabits. Gump, and his voice, have to be one of the most iconic characters of all time. Pick an quote, any quote. He sold it.
Woody in the Toy Story trilogy 
Speaking of voice, one of the first indications of Pixar's genius would have to be the choice of casting Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody. There is not a natural leap of thought between Hanks and Cowboy, but his voice has all the confidence and humour the role required. Woody's fumbled frustrations and exasperations are works of a comedic genius, and as with many of his best roles, works so well bouncing off another actor, this time the the gruff voice of Tim Allen's Buzz Lightyear. Woody is actually a bit of jerk in the first film, and it took Tom Hanks to make the audience love him anyway.
Captain Phillips in Captain Phillips
It's crazy to think that Tom Hanks hasn't been nominated from an Oscar since Cast Away, which hit screens all the way back in 2000, especially when you consider his performance in 2013's Captain Philips. His naturalism matched with Greengrass's fly on the wall camera style is perfectly matched, but with an earthiness to his performance not often seen in his work. The audience is right with him, riding his emotional wave precisely. The terror, the hope, and the million other thoughts flashing across his brain at any moment are vivid. The final scene of the film is spine tingling in both it's content, and in just how amazing his performance is.
Despite the fact that his career has never really dipped, his Captain Phillips performance could have been the start of another line of hits for Hanks. Saving Mr Banks saw him get close to an Oscar nom again, and Bridge of Spies was an Oscar hit with him at the helm. Coming up he's got potential awards magnet Sully, based on the Hudson River plane landing, directed by Clint Eastwood, as well as returning as Robert Langdon for Inferno.
Got a personal favourite Hanks performance? Leave your "where is Splash?!?" comments below.