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The multi-talented Tom Hanks received the American Film Institute's (AFI) 30th Life Achievement Award on June 12, 2002 (telecast - USA Network, June 24). Steven Spielberg presented him with the award at the tribute, which was held in the Kodak Theatre - refashioned as a ballroom for the evening - at Hollywood & Highland.

The tribute also featured a number of Hanks' friends and colleagues - including Tim Allen, Jim Carrey, Melissa Etheridge, Ron Howard, Helen Hunt, Steve Martin, Meg Ryan, Gary Sinise, Sharon Stone, Charlize Theron, Denzel Washington and many more.

Tom Hanks - actor, producer, writer and director - has been nominated five times for the Academy Award^® and has won two Oscars ("Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump"), becoming the first man since Spencer Tracy to receive back-to-back Academy Awards^® for Best Actor. He was also the recipient of an Emmy Award^® in 1998 (Executive Producer, "From the Earth to the Moon") and an AFI Award 2001, for executive producing the Mini-Series of the Year, "Band of Brothers."

While Hanks first gained notice for his television work, it was Ron Howard's "Splash" (1984) that launched his career as a leading man on the big screen. After numerous romantic comedies throughout the 1980s, Hanks received his first Academy Award^® nomination for Best Actor for his endearing comic portrayal of a young boy trapped in a man's body in Penny Marshall's "Big" (1988). After starring opposite Meg Ryan in Nora Ephron's "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), Hanks surprised audiences and critics by taking on the dramatic role of a gay lawyer dying of AIDS in Jonathan Demme's "Philadelphia" (1993). Hanks proved his ability to capture the soul of dramatic material, receiving the Academy Award^® for Best Actor. The following year, Hanks repeated his Oscar win for Best Actor, playing the title role in Robert Zemeckis' "Forrest Gump" (1994).

In 1995, Hanks re-teamed with Ron Howard for the Oscar-nominated "Apollo13" and provided the voice of 'Woody' in the breakthrough animated film "Toy Story." A year later, Hanks made his feature directorial debut with "That Thing You Do!" (1996), which he also wrote.

Hanks appeared in three high-profile projects in 1998. The first, "From the Earth to the Moon," signaled a new phase in Hanks' career-an increased presence behind the camera in projects that celebrate America's history and the human spirit. Hanks executive produced "From the Earth to the Moon," an HBO 12-part Emmy^®-winning mini-series, and he also directed one episode and wrote four others.

Also in 1998, Hanks starred in Steven Spielberg's WWII drama "Saving Private Ryan" (for which he received another Oscar^® nomination) and Nora Ephron's comedy "You've Got Mail." In 1999, Hanks returned as the voice of 'Woody' in "Toy Story 2" and won critical acclaim in "The Green Mile."

In 2000, Hanks had the starring role in "Cast Away," which garnered him an Oscar^® nomination for Best Actor. In 2001, Hanks re-teamed with Spielberg to produce "Band of Brothers," the 10-part HBO mini-series event based on WWII historian Stephen Ambrose's non-fiction book about an Army rifle company parachuting into France on D-Day. Hanks also co-wrote one episode and directed one episode. Most recently, Hanks has completed the starring role in Sam Mendes' the "Road to Perdition" and just wrapped Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can." Both are slated for release in 2002.