KEY POINTS

  • Tom Hanks is estimated to have received at least $400 million in acting salary alone
  • The Oscar winner reportedly made $70 million in backend points from "Forrest Gump"
  • Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were the first known celebrities to reveal they tested positive for COVID-19 last year

Tom Hanks is not only one of the most famous and highest-regarded actors in Hollywood, but he's also one of the highest-paid in the film industry.

Hanks has starred in several box office hits, including “Saving Private Ryan,” “Cast Away,” “The Da Vinci Code” and the “Toy Story” franchise. The 65-year-old Oscar-winning actor currently has an estimated net worth of $400 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Hanks' films have grossed more than $4.6 billion in the domestic box office and nearly $10 billion worldwide, so it should be no surprise that he's getting paid handsomely for each role.

So far, the biggest paycheck Hanks has received for a movie role was for the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” where he played the titular role. He was supposed to be paid $7 million to star in the film, but at some point, the movie went over budget.

Hanks then offered to give up his salary in exchange for a share of the box office receipts. After “Forrest Gump” went on to become a massive hit, the actor received roughly $70 million (around $120 million today) in backend points, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

After winning an Oscar for best actor for his role as Forrest Gump, Hanks went on to earn tens of millions from his next movies.

He reportedly made $40 million from “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) and got $20 million each for “You've Got Mail” (1998), “The Green Mile” (1999) and “Cast Away” (2000). Hanks also received $18 million for “The Da Vinci Code” (2006) and $50 million for its 2009 sequel, “Angels & Demons.”

Without adjusting for inflation, Hanks is estimated to have received at least $400 million in acting salary alone. It is unclear how much he has earned for his directing and producing stints.

Aside from “Forrest Gump,” Hanks also won an Academy Award for his performance as an HIV-positive attorney in “Philadelphia,” becoming the second actor in history to win back-to-back Oscars for best actor.

Amid his success in Hollywood, Hanks has not forgotten to give back. He and his wife, Rita Wilson, have given support to causes such as women’s cancer research, AIDS research and the assistance of neglected and abandoned children, among many others.

Hanks received the first Arts for Humanity Award from the Elie Wiesel Foundation in 2012 for all of his charitable contributions, CBS News reported.

Last year, Hanks and Wilson were the first known celebrities to openly share their COVID-19 diagnosis. At the time, the couple was in Australia for production of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley movie, in which Hanks is playing Presley’s iconic manager Colonel Tom Parker.

In a statement obtained by the New York Times, Hanks shared the symptoms he and his wife experienced, including fatigue, body aches, chills and slight fever.

A month later, Hanks announced that he and Wilson had donated blood to aid research on coronavirus treatment.

Multiple Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks was on the Gold Coast near Brisbane to film an Elvis Presley biopic when he came down with coronavirus
Multiple Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks was on the Gold Coast near Brisbane to film an Elvis Presley biopic when he came down with coronavirus AFP / Anthony HARVEY