13 times Tom Hanks proved he is a real-life national treasure

It's hard to hate Hanks (or his movies), even if you gave it an honest try.

Not only is Hanks a phenomenal actor who commands attention in every movie he's in, but he also is extremely likable in real life.

If his acting contributions weren't enough to make him a national treasure, his philanthropic contributions officially made him one, and these 13 reasons can attest to that.

After one of his stays at the White House in 2004, Hanks became aware that the White House press gallery office didn't have an efficient coffee-maker.

Upon this realization, Hanks bought an espresso machine for the office. But he didn't stop there. He's sent updated espresso machines to that specific White House office three times over the next 13 years, according to CNN.

In 2010, he added a note that said, "I hope this machine will make the 24 hour cycle of news a bit more pleasant. Add water, insert pod, press button and report. All good things. Tom Hanks."

Business Insider reported that the most recent espresso machine sent to the White House was in 2017, during the Trump administration. White House reporter Steve Holland tweeted a thank you to Hanks for his generous offering.

"Thankx [sic] to @tomhanks for the new coffee machine for the schlubs in the WH press room," Holland tweeted.

Peter Alexander, another reporter, tweeted the note that Hanks included with his present: "To the White House Press Corps: Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially for the Truth part."

In 1993, Hanks took on a controversial role in "Philadelphia," a movie that dealt with some hefty subject matters. It told the story of gay attorney, Andrew Beckett, who was wrongfully fired by his law firm after they discovered he had AIDS. In turn, Andrew (Hanks) filed a lawsuit against them.

Even though Hanks identifies as straight in real life, he was still able to flawlessly assume the role of Andrew, and he won an Oscar for his performance in 1993.

When he won, he delivered a progressive Oscar acceptance speech for "Philadelphia" — one of the most profound award speeches in Oscar history. Hanks openly thanked and praised two gay men (his high school drama teacher that taught him to "act the part" and a gay classmate). The speech was endearing, humanizing and much-needed, since the LGBTQIA+ community was heavily discriminated against at that time.

Hanks also called out the AIDS epidemic in the US at the time, specifically saying, "The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels. We know their names. They number a thousand for each of the red ribbons we wear here tonight."

But as things have changed in both Hollywood and real life, Hanks has been reflective about what it meant for a straight man to be playing such an important gay figure.

"Let's address, 'Could a straight man do what I did in 'Philadelphia' now?' No, and rightly so," Hanks told The New York Times Magazine in 2022.

"The whole point of 'Philadelphia' was don't be afraid. One of the reasons people weren't afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man. We're beyond that now, and I don't think people would accept the inauthenticity of a straight guy playing a gay guy," he continued.

In 2008, while Hanks was filming scenes for "Angels and Demons" in Rome, a bride had to wait for filming to stop before she was able to proceed with her wedding because the Pantheon was double-booked with her wedding and the film shoot.

To make up for the delay, Hanks personally escorted the bride down the aisle to the altar.

"This limousine pulled up, and it was the bride and the groom trying to 'get me to the church on time,'" Hanks said, describing his first wedding crashing incident on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" in June 2022.

"And they couldn't do it because we had all this stuff going on. It was like, 'Uh, how do we fix this?' So, like a stalker, you know, 'Hey miss, miss, miss!' — I knocked on the window, I said, 'Hey listen, we have a thing, but would you do me the honor of escorting you to your bridal altar?' So we did it!"

It's commendable how much Hanks wanted to make his fans' wedding iconic, and this was only the beginning of Hanks' routine wedding crashing.

In 2012, Hanks took a couple of pictures with a fan who pretended to be drunk in order to score a photo with Hanks.

Little did that fan know, Hanks is dubbed one of the nicest guys in Hollywood for a reason. Hanks might've taken the picture with the fan regardless of his sobriety level, if that fan had just asked him nicely.

Instead of refusing Hanks, because it was the end of his shift, a New York cabbie made an exception for the A-lister. Only after he let Hanks in did he discover he was driving precious cargo.

Once he realized it was Hanks whom he had a "conscience" for, the driver excitedly greeted him by yelling "WILSON," a reference to Hanks' 2000 film "Castaway."

This got Hanks laughing, and in turn Hanks nicknamed the driver "Mr. Ferrari," because the cabbie was wearing a Ferrari hat and T-shirt, according to the cabbie, ABC reported in 2014.

From that moment, the two built a memorable rapport with one another, which paid off for the cab driver. Because of this mutual fondness, a few weeks after they met, Hanks invited him to his 2014 Broadway show "Lucky Guy," and even brought him backstage.

Being the nice guy that he truly is, Hanks returned a Fordham University student her ID card after finding it in a park back in 2015.

"Lauren! I found your Student ID in the park. If you still need it my office will get to you. Hanx," Hanks tweeted.

Furthermore, to possibly prevent Lauren, the young woman who lost the ID, from losing it again, Hanks wrote her a handwritten note saying, "Lauren, Hold onto this," according to Yahoo News.

When Denise Esposito gave the sketchbook to Hank's publicist to give to him during the 2016 Rome Film Festival, according to the LAist, the last thing she probably expected was for Hanks to send her a gift in return.

"For your lovely book of sketches of all those MOVIES... Here is a typewriter to do with whatever you need ... Make more art! And many thanks. Tom Hanks," he wrote.

To sweeten the deal even more, Hanks followed up by extending a personal invite to Esposito for a one-on-one meeting so they could interact face-to-face.

Their wholesome exchange is captured in a photo on Esposito's Instagram with the caption, "Dreams come true! Thank you @tomhanks for being such a wonderful guy! Here's what he called 'the proof for the internet!'"

"Elizabeth and Ryan! Congrats and blessings! Hanx," Hanks captioned on his Instagram and Twitter posts.

As a way to show his support and respect for the military and their loved ones, Hanks launched the Hidden Heroes campaign in 2016 alongside a few members of Congress and former senator and foundation founder Elizabeth Dole.

The Hidden Heroes campaign was developed to help acquire critical resources for those who invest time, energy and their own resources to help care for wounded military veterans.

"If we want to be a nation that truly cares for those who have borne the battle, we must also be a nation that cares for our caregivers," Hanks said in a Hidden Heroes campaign press release.

When 8-year-old Corona learned that both Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson had contracted COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, young Corona reached out to Hanks, according to 7NEWS Gold Coast.

In response, Hanks sent Corona a typewritten letter back, thanking him for being such a great "friend" to him and Rita and making him feel "even better." Hanks also gifted Corona a typewriter from his own collection (Hanks is an avid typewriter collector).

"I thought this typewriter would suit you. I had taken it to the Gold Coast, and now it is back — with you. Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back," Hanks wrote. He added a handwritten signature and a Woody-approved postscript: "You got a friend in ME! T."

Hank ended up taking pictures with the newlyweds, giving "a lot of positive words and good love advice [to them]," Tasha said, describing her wedding to ABC News.

It was all so Hanksian of him.

"It's my ego, unchecked," said Hanks of his wedding-crashing on an episode of "Late Night With Seth Meyers" in 2022. "I just can't help but think, 'What would these people like more than anything else to remember this magic day of days? Oh, I know: me!'"

We tend to think that all of the newlyweds he's met along the way would agree.

Hanks has touched so many people with his money, time, or both, that he's truly become America's sweetheart.