logo
GettyImages
GettyImages

Tom Hanks' Actor Brother Jim Uses Their Similar Voices to Get Work

Bettina Dizon
May 16, 2019
10:27 P.M.

Jim Hanks looks and sounds like his brother, Tom Hanks, which is both a blessing and a curse for his career.

Advertisement

Tom Hanks is a name in Hollywood that will never be forgotten for his exceptional talent in acting, directing, writing, and producing. With such a big name in the scene, any other Hanks would have difficulty living up to their name, which is what Jim Hanks, Tom’s brother, experienced in his accidental acting career for decades.

Tom Hanks giving a speech. | Source: Getty Images

Tom Hanks giving a speech. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS

Jim Hanks will always be dubbed as Tom’s younger brother, yet the two were nothing alike in their growing years, now were they raised by the same parent. Jim, the youngest among four siblings, was only an infant when his parents, Amos and Janet divorced.

Advertisement

Amos had custody of the three oldest kids and settled in Northern California, while Janet took Jim and stayed in Red Bluff, California. The brothers were not completely separated as they still had contact, yet their lives growing up were different from each other.

“Since I moved to L.A.,” Jim shared with People, “we’ve slowly built a relationship. It’s strange. He sounds and looks a lot like me, but our backgrounds are very different.”

Advertisement

SAME CAREER

Acting was not always the path Jim set foot on, but after the talent agent his aspiring actress wife, Karen Praxel, worked for encouraged him, he began auditioning for roles. He took acting classes, which allowed him to start earning.

Being in the same field was quite a hassle for Jim after his brother had already made a name for himself. He shared that he once auditioned for something and later received news that the casting director was clouded by his physical similarity with Tom, to the point that he did not hear his audition.

Advertisement

As a solution, another casting director suggested that Jim hide his last name as not to be associated with his big-time brother just yet. He recalled:

“The casting director said you should go in and not tell them your real name. So he took my headshot and but my name off, and I used my middle name. I went as Jim Matthews.”

After using that strategy, Jim landed the role of Jeeter Buford in “Buford’s Beach Bunnies.” He could not wholly hide his roots, and directors saw his Hanks genes as a somewhat more affordable version of his brother.

Tom Hanks | Source: Getty Images

Tom Hanks | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

THE OTHER HANKS

Being brothers with a celebrity also had its advantages for Jim, one being the closer relationship he was able to build with Tom. Additionally, their physical and vocal similarity allowed Jim to serve as a double for Tom in some films like “Forrest Gump” and “Toy Story.”

Although Jim and Tom are both in the acting field, the two have never shared a screen, more so play on-screen brothers. Despite that fact, what mattered most is the bond they were able to share through their career.

Tom rose to fame in 1989 after his outstanding performance in “Big,” and has since made his way up the Hollywood scene. He has won two Oscars, four Golden Globes, and seven Emmys.

Among his recent works are “Toy Story 4, “Greyhound,” and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Recently, it was reported that Tom might play the role of Elvis Presley’s manager in a movie.

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

Tom Hanks Said He ‘Couldn’t Be a Worse Father’ – He Was Afraid He ‘Cursed’ His Own Children amid Divorce

February 07, 2022

Martin Sheen's Four Children Follow in His Footsteps - One of Them Also Inherited His Vices

February 04, 2022

Ron Howard Owned a $12,5M Central Park Apartment & $27,5M Mansion — Inside His Luxury Lifestyle

March 19, 2022

Rock Hudson & Jim Nabors Never Spoke Again after They Were Reportedly Seen Getting Married

March 13, 2022

Jim Carrey's Wife Fell for Him When He Made $150 a Week — She Demanded $5-10 Million during Their Divorce

April 05, 2022

Inside Tom Bergeron's Marriage with Wife of 39 Years Who Helped Him with His Anger Management

April 14, 2022

Poor Man Wakes up One Morning and Finds His Late Father’s Old Trailer in His Backyard — Story of the Day

April 22, 2022

Grandparents Kick Pregnant Teen Out in the Cold, Years Later They Ask For Her Help — Story of the Day

March 12, 2022

Jim Morrison Left His Inheritance to His Only Love Whom He Didn't Trust — She Never Received It before Passing

May 23, 2022

Pierce Brosnan Suffered ‘Cruelness’ as a Child after Mom and Dad Left Him: ‘It Was Ugly'

February 26, 2022

‘Adam-12’ Star Kent McCord Has Been Married to His High School Sweetheart & Mom of His 3 Kids for 60 Years

February 17, 2022

Every Day Man Sees Blind Girl Selling Flowers, Starts Searching for Her Once She Vanishes — Story of the Day

May 15, 2022

Donnie Wahlberg Became 'Another Dad' to His Autistic Stepson after Marrying Mom Jenny McCarthy

March 14, 2022

Man Gives Teen Boy a Family Heirloom with Lincoln’s Portrait That Helps Him Find Treasure – Story of the Day

February 21, 2022