RANKED: The 16 best Tom Hanks performances ever

Warner Bros./YouTube

“Sully.”

For over three decades, Tom Hanks has been almost every type of character.

Starting his career as a funnyman on the TV series “Bosom Buddies” and then taking his nice-guy style to the big screen in romantic comedies like “Splash” and “The Money Pit,” Hanks moved to more dramatic work in 1993 with his Oscar-winning role as an AIDS patient in “Philadelphia.”

Since then, Hanks has gone back and forth, showing his diverse talents but often playing characters that deep down are upstanding men.

In Hanks’ latest role, playing “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in the Clint Eastwood-directed “Sully” (out in theaters Friday), he once again proves he’s the Jimmy Stewart of our era. 

Here are Hanks’ 16 best performances ever, ranked:

16. Rick Gassko in “Bachelor Party” (1984)

In one of his first movie roles, Hanks is great as a soon-to-be-married guy who tries to stay out of trouble after his friends throw an insane bachelor party for him. 

15. Walter Fielding, Jr. in “The Money Pit” (1986)

Another classic from Hanks’ romantic-comedy days, in which he plays opposite Shelley Long as a couple who struggle to repair a broken-down house they’ve bought. Hanks’ physical comedy is at its best here.

14. James B. Donovan in “Bridge of Spies” (2015)

For most actors, a role like this in a Steven Spielberg movie is a highlight in their filmography. For Hanks, it’s a strong performance but hard to compare to the others higher on this list. 

13. Professor G.H. Dorr in “The Ladykillers” (2004)

One of the most outlandish roles Hanks ever played (and the closest he’s ever come to playing a villain). In this underappreciated Coen brothers movie, Hanks is the mastermind of a robbery that goes wrong. Playing a “Southern gentleman,” Hanks is a joy to watch.

12. “A League of Their Own” (1992)

Hanks is the bitter former ball player who is hired to be the manager for a team in an all-women’s baseball league. His tough-love act showed a different kind of comedy to audiences, who at the time still knew him best for his romantic comedies.

And who can forget his great line: “There’s no crying in baseball!” 

11. Carl Hanratty in “Catch Me If You Can” (2002)

Hanks plays the no-nonsense FBI agent who tracks down a young forger played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Hanks is perfect as the guy with the tough surface but compassionate center.

10. Chuck Noland in “Cast Away” (2000)

Giving a tour-de-force performance as a man who is stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash, Hanks dropped substantial weight for the film. Virtually by himself for most of the movie, his talents are at their peak — he can still keep the audience utterly captivated. The performance got him an Oscar nomination.

9. Jim Lovell in “Apollo 13” (1995)

Playing NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, commander of the trip to the moon that turned into a rescue mission after an oxygen tank exploded in space, Hanks shows his dramatic chops in a role that captures his famous line, “Houston, we have a problem.” 

8. Sam Baldwin in “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993)

Hanks and Meg Ryan deliver one of the most romantic movies of all time. And Hanks shows that he can play a dramatic romance role as good as a rom-com.

7. Captain Richard Phillips in “Captain Phillips” (2013)

Made when Hanks’ box-office clout was on the decline, this performance based on the true story of a captain and his ship that is hijacked by Somali pirates proved he’s still got it.

6. Josh in “Big” (1988)

Hanks dips his toe into dramatic waters for the first time in this touching comedy that looks at a boy who wishes to be big and then realizes life’s tough as an adult.

5. Allen Bauer in “Splash” (1984)

The first feature film for Hanks is still one of his most memorable. This classic Ron Howard comedy follows Hanks as he falls in love with a mermaid (Daryl Hannah). 

4. Andrew Beckett in “Philadelphia” (1993)

Hanks won his first of back-to-back best actor Oscars playing a man with AIDS who is wrongfully fired by his law firm and can only find a homophobic small-time lawyer (Denzel Washington) to sue the firm. 

3. Forrest Gump in “Forrest Gump” (1994)

His other Oscar win came in this movie, which will go down as likely his most iconic role. A not-too-bright man finds himself involved in some of the most famous moments in history.

2. Woody in “Toy Story” (1995) and the sequels

Another character Hanks will forever be tied to is Woody in the Pixar hit franchise “Toy Story.” You could say Hanks’ voice is now more famous than his face.

1. Captain Miller in “Saving Private Ryan” (1998)

Hanks has had a career filled with powerful characters, but his Oscar-nominated performance as a captain who leads a group of soldiers behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in the war is a masterful performance. Matched by the incredible direction of Spielberg, Hanks delivers something that will be remembered for generations to come.

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.