Facts about Tom Hanks’ Brother Jim Who Became the Voice of the Woody Doll from ‘Toy Story’

Tom Hanks's brother, Jim Hanks, has been as crucial to the "Toy Story" franchise as Tom, but almost nobody knows about it. Even Graham Norton thought it was an urban myth.

Hollywood star Tom Hanks made headlines on June 16, 2022, after defending his wife, Rita Wilson, from fans and photographers as they left a restaurant in New York.

Multiple people chased Tom and Rita to take their photos, but one of them accidentally pushed Rita. She turned and firmly asked one person to stop it, and Tom shouted at the whole group to "back the [expletive] off."

WHO IS JIM HANKS?

Tom might be the most famous member of the Hanks family, but he is not the only one involved in the entertainment industry. His younger brother, Jim Hanks, is also an actor with over 80 acting credits.

Born in June 1961, Jim spent his early years away from Tom and his other siblings following their parents' divorce. While Jim lived with their mother, Janet, in Red Bluff, California, Tom, Larry, and Sandra lived with their dad in multiple Northern California cities.

Jim's foray into the entertainment industry dates back to the early 1990s when he appeared in "Buford's Beach Bunnies."

He then had a successful run voicing over Dwayne Hunter in "Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot" from 1999 to 2001 and also worked in "Blood Type" and "Abnormal Attraction."

Jim and Tom are so similar that the former was the running double of the latter in "Forrest Gump." Jim was the only person who could copy his famous brother's run.

JIM HANKS VOICES "TOY STORY'S" WOODY

Besides Forrest Gump, the most beloved Tom Hanks character is Woody, the cowboy doll in the "Toy Story" franchise.

However, not everyone knows that Tom only provides Woody's voice for films. The person we hear in other franchise products, including video games and toys, is Jim.

Acting runs through the Hanks family but having long and successful marriages does, too.

Graham Norton told Tom in a 2011 interview that he was convinced the rumor that Tom was not the only person voicing over Woody was an urban myth, but Tom explained:

"Jim works on those [projects] all year long. [They told me] 'you don't want to do this?' and I said, 'get my brother Jim. He'll do it.' So, that's my brother Jim."

While Jim prefers to keep the details of his love life under wraps, we know that he has been married to Karen Praxel since May 1986 and has a child with her.

TOM HANKS'S LOVE STORY WITH RITA WILSON

Acting runs through the Hanks family but having long and successful marriages does, too. Like his younger brother Jim, Tom has been married to his wife, Rita Wilson, since the late 1980s.

Rita and Tom met while working on 1981's "Bosom Buddies." They kept things professional because Tom was married to Samantha Lewes. In 1986, Rita and Tom went public with their relationship.

They tied the knot in 1988 and welcomed two kids, actor Chester and cameraman Truman Hanks. Tom is also the father of actors Colin and Elizabeth Hanks, born during his relationship with Lewes. What a talented family!