Everything to Know About the Career of Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks' Brother
You've probably heard Jim Hanks' voice, and you just didn't know it.
Every Sunday on NBC, viewers can go on an epic 10-episode adventure across the American supercontinent in The Americas. The expansive documentary series is narrated by global celebrity Tom Hanks, known for his roles in Big, Turner & Hooch, Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Cast Away, and many more.
Hanks has one of the most recognizable voices on the planet, ideally suited for narrating heart-thumping dramas and breathtaking landscapes, not to mention iconic animated characters. But he’s not the only successful performer in the family. He’s not even the only Hanks to have voiced Toy Story’s Woody along the way.
Who are Tom Hanks’ siblings?
Tom Hanks is one of four siblings, alongside sister Sandra Hanks Benoiton and brothers Dr. Larry Hanks and Jim Hanks. Sandra lives in Seychelles and publishes writings on her blog Paradise Preoccupied. Dr. Hanks received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1991 and is a professor in the Department of Entomology (the study of insects) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Jim Hanks, like Tom, is an actor and filmmaker.
The (not so) secret voice acting career of Tom Hanks' brother Jim Hanks
Jim Hanks is the youngest of the four Hanks children. He was born in California on June 15, 1961, and was raised separately from his siblings. Following the divorce of his parents, Jim went to live with his mother in Red Bluff while Tom, Sandra, and Larry lived with their father.
He began acting in the early ‘90s, making his feature film debut as Jeeter Buford in the comedy Buford’s Beach Bunnies (1993). The next year he was in the recording booth providing the voice for one of the most popular animated characters of all time.
While Tom Hanks provides the voice of Woody, the diminutive plastic cowboy and star of the Toy Story franchise, for Pixar’s feature films, his younger brother Jim provides Woody’s voice for just about everything else. “My agent basically said, ‘Disney wants you to go in and do this stuff for this thing your brother’s doing… 29 years later I’m still doing it. So, I feel incredibly fortunate,” Jim Hanks said in an interview.
When you hear Woody’s voice in Toy Story: The Video Game, Disney’s Animated Storybook: Toy Story, Tiny Toy Stories, Disney Infinity, Kingdom Hearts III, Disney on Ice, pull string toys, or theme parks, you’re hearing Jim Hanks. He also brought Woody to life for the Pixar animated short Lamp Life.
With a voice so similar to his older brother's, Jim Hanks doesn’t have to try too hard to find Woody’s voice, but he does have to try. Jim’s voice is naturally a little lower and a little less explosive, so he’s found an unusual way of getting into the right register. “I’ve always said that my Woody is my impression of Tom yelling at his kids,” Jim Hanks said.
Jim Hanks' other (non-Woody) roles
Jim has also doubled for Tom on the live action big screen, standing in on the set of Forrest Gump, but not everything he does is to assist his older brother. Jim Hanks has stacked up credits for roles on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Days of Our Lives, Baby Geniuses, Dexter, and Blood Corral, among others. Hanks also provided the voice of Geoffrey the Giraffe for Toys “R” Us in everything from in-store promos to toys and commercials beginning in 2001.
Fans of Scrubs may recognize Jim Hanks for his brief appearance in the season 4 episode “My Faith in Humanity.” Hanks played the surgeon Dr. Turner, alongside Phill Lewis as Dr. Hooch, a reference to the classic human-dog buddy cop movie Turner & Hooch, starring Tom Hanks.
Where to watch The Americas
Catch more of that iconic voice (from Tom Hanks, we promise) in The Americas, airing Sundays on NBC and streaming the following day on Peacock.
