Tom Hanks Named Harvard’s 2023 Commencement Speaker

Cambridge, Massachusetts – Tom Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner for best actor, will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday at Harvard’s commencement on May 25, the Ivy League school said.

Hanks, 66, has acted in nearly 100 movies. Six times nominated for an Oscar, he won best actor for the films “Forrest Gump” and “Philadelphia” in 1993.

Lawrence Bacow, the president of Harvard, referred to Hanks as “a true master of his craft.”

Tom has shown both a natural sensitivity and a profound awareness of the human condition, in addition to his brilliance as an actor, Bacow said in a statement. He has enhanced our capacity to value previously unappreciated stories and histories and contributed to our country’s culture.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the late civil rights pioneer and U.S. Representative John Lewis, and director Steven Spielberg recently delivered commencement addresses at Harvard.

Early in his acting career, Hanks played humorous roles

Early in his acting career, Hanks played humorous roles; but after his breakthrough performance in the comedy “Big” in 1988, he went on to star in “Saving Private Ryan,” “Apollo 13,” and “Captain Phillips.” He provided the voice for Woody in the “Toy Story” animated movies and for several other characters in the animated movie “The Polar Express” from 2004.

He created various historical-themed works, such as “Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific,” and “John Adams.”

He is also well-known for his charitable endeavors and advocacy work, including his efforts to raise funds for the National World War II Memorial in Washington and his role as the Hidden Heroes campaign chair, which raised public awareness of the difficulties experienced by caregivers who care for veterans.

After playing a lawyer with AIDS in “Philadelphia,” Hanks became a supporter of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Foundation for AIDS Research and worked to raise awareness about AIDS.

He also received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, and other honors. In 2016, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

SOURCE – (AP)