Colin Hanks Biography

COLIN HANKS

Date of Birth: November 24, 1977

The son of two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, Colin was born in Sacramento, California. Although his father is an acting icon, Hanks wanted to follow in his father's footsteps without a helping hand. He studied theatre at Loyola Marymount University in California, and during his school years he starred in numerous student films and performed in countless theatrical productions, which later led to professional roles in stage productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Noises Off.

He received his first taste of working on a film set in 1995 when he was hired as a production assistant for the film Apollo 13 (which starred his dad). After that experience, the young actor decided to try and get a role in his father's directing debut, That Thing You Do!. Not interested in landing a role due to his name, Hanks used a stage name with producers while auditioning. He bagged a small role as a "male page."

In 1999, Hanks found work outside of his father's shadow, and was cast in a starring role on the sci-fi television series, Roswell, playing Alex Whitman. During his off seasons from Roswell, he landed major roles in two teen flicks: Whatever It Takes (2000) playing Cosmo, and Get Over It (2001) playing Felix Woods.

Having proved his worth outside of Tom Hanks circles, Colin decided to work with his dad in the mini-series, Band of Brothers, which Tom directed.

Colin went on to star in the comedy Orange County (2002) and Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005). After starring in several other films, Hanks landed a recurring a role in 2010 on the television series The Good Guys. The following year, he played the character of Travis Marshall on Dexter. Hanks can also be seen in the comedy film High School (2012) about a student who tries to get his whole school high before a random drug test to avoid getting busted for smoking pot himself. He also played a supporting role in the comedy The Guilt Trip about a mother and son (played by Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen) who go on a road trip together.

He more recently starred in Parkland(2013) alongside Zac Efron and Vacation alongside Ed Helms and Christina Applegate. In 2016, he starred in the political biopic Elvis & Nixon, and the comedy No Stranger Than Love.

In addition to his acting interests, Hanks plays bass guitar for his hip-hop band, The Underlords.

Filmography:

No Stranger Than Love (2016)
Elvis & Nixon (2016)
Vacation (2015)
Parkland (2013)
The Guilt Trip (2012)
High School (2012)
Lucky (2011)
Barry Munday (2010)
W. (2008)
The House Bunny (2008)
Homeland Security (2007)
Careless (2007)
The Great Buck Howard (2007)
Alone with Her (2006)
Tenacious D In: The Pick of Destiny (2006)
King Kong (2005)
Rx (2005)
Standing Still (2004)
11:14 (2003)
Orange County (2002)
Under the Mimosa (2001)
Get Over It (2001)
Whatever It Takes (2000)
That Thing You Do! (1996)