Did This 69-Year-Old Hollywood Icon Have the Greatest Run in Movie History?

Tom Hanks is synonymous with greatness. Whether you're a new fan or an older movie obsessive who has been following the legend's career for decades, it's easy to pick a favorite Hanks movie. He's won multiple Academy Awards and continues to appear in huge films in 2026. He'll reprise his role as Woody in Toy Story 5 this summer.

Now, social media users are debating whether Hanks' prime ranks as the best stretch of movies an actor has ever had in the industry's history.

Tom Hanks did these 12 movies IN A ROW. What a run. https://t.co/Dhgq1mjU1ypic.twitter.com/VVtq29hJIf

— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) May 9, 2026

The nine-year run of greatness starts with 1992's A League of Their Own. A baseball movie with a great sense of humor, Hanks showed his comedy roots could lead to box office stardom.

Romance was in the air with 1993's Sleepless in Seattle. Comedy actors are often easily convinced to do rom-coms, and Hanks' chemistry with Meg Ryan was unlike anything else on the big screen in the early '90s.

The next two films were the ones in which Hanks was awarded his Oscars for Best Actor. Philadelphia and Forrest Gump were very different roles, yet Hanks traversed both outings with grace, wit, and intensity.

Apollo 13 was the type of movie that really flexed the type of star Hanks had become by 1995. The space docudrama film about the failed mission to the moon wouldn't have made the impact it did without Hanks in the lead role.

Toy Story is now perhaps the franchise Hanks is most associated with, or at least it's the one that has made the most money. 30 years later, this Pixar series is one of the most recognizable in film history. Hanks doing voice work at the height of his career demonstrated his versatility and his willingness to shake things up.

That Thing You Do! put Hanks in the role of director and writer for the first time. Saving Private Ryan took Hanks to a darker place as a soldier in World War II. The opening scene remains violent and harrowing to this day.

Another romantic comedy with Meg Ryan came out in 1998 with You've Got Mail. Toy Story 2 was more of the same great voice work from Hanks that we got in the first movie.

The Green Mile thrust Hanks into the fantasy genre, and Cast Away was a one-man show in which Hanks' main scene partner was a volleyball with a bloody face.

When looking at the totality of these 12 movies, it's easy to see why Hanks might have put up a run that can compare with anybody who has ever acted.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 1:08 AM.