The 19 best Tom Hanks movie performances of all time, ranked

In one of his first movie roles, Hanks is a brilliant husband-to-be who tries to stay out of trouble while his friends throw a wild bachelor party for him.

Hanks' latest powerful performance set in World War II has him playing an inexperienced Navy commander who is thrown right into the fire when he must lead an Allied convoy through dangerous waters filled with German submarines.

Hanks also wrote the screenplay.

Another classic from Hanks' romantic-comedy days, here he plays opposite Shelley Long as a couple who struggle to repair a broken-down house they've bought. Hanks' physical comedy is at its best here.

For most actors, a role like this in a Steven Spielberg movie is a highlight in their filmography. For Hanks, it's a strong performance but hard to compare to the others higher on this list. That proves his greatness.

Two years after "Bridge of Spies," Hanks and Spielberg teamed up again. This time Hanks played newspaper legend Ben Bradlee, and, with his own brand of wicked playfulness, made this movie about the publishing of The Pentagon Paper a standout.

However, compared to the other collaborations between the Spielberg and Hanks, it's still not the most memorable.

This is one of the most outlandish roles Hanks has ever played, and the closest he's ever come to playing a villain. In this underappreciated Coen brothers movie, Hanks is the mastermind of a robbery that goes wrong. Playing a "Southern gentleman," Hanks is a joy to watch.

Hanks is the bitter former ball player hired to be the manager for a team in an all-women's league. His tough-love act showed a different kind of comedy out of Hanks, who at the time was still known best for his romantic comedies.

Now we're getting into some prime Hanks/Spielberg collaboration. Here he plays a no-nonsense FBI agent who tracks down a young forger played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Hanks is perfect as the guy with the tough surface and compassionate center.

I mean, who else could pull off playing Fred Rogers? The performance nabbed Hanks his most recent Oscar nomination — his sixth to date.

Giving a tour-de-force performance as a man stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash, Hanks dropped substantial weight for the film. Virtually by himself for most of the movie, his talents are at their peak and still keep the audience utterly captivated. The performance got him an Oscar nomination.

Playing NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, commander of the trip to the moon that turned into a rescue mission after an oxygen tank on the ship exploded in space, Hanks shows his dramatic chops in a role that captures his famous line: "Houston, we have a problem."

Hanks and Meg Ryan deliver one of the most romantic movies of all time. Hanks stands out with a touching role that mixes drama and rom-com.

This performance based on the true story of a captain and his ship that is hijacked by Somali pirates earned Hanks a Golden Globes nomination but shockingly no Oscar nom.

Hanks dips his toe into dramatic waters for the first time in this touching comedy that looks at a boy who wishes to be big and then realizes life's tough as an adult.

The first feature film for Hanks is still one of his most memorable. This classic Ron Howard comedy follows Hanks as he falls in love with a mermaid (Daryl Hannah). After this we were completely hooked on Hanks.

Hanks won his first of back-to-back best actor Oscars playing a man with AIDS who is wrongfully fired by his law firm and can only find a homophobic small-time lawyer (Denzel Washington) to sue the firm.

His other Oscar win came in this movie, which will go down as likely his most iconic role as a not-too-bright man finds himself involved in some of the most famous moments in history.

Another character Hanks will forever be tied to is Woody in the Pixar hit franchise "Toy Story." You could say Hanks' voice is now more famous than his face.

Hanks has had a career filled with powerful characters, but his Oscar-nominated performance as a captain who leads a group of soldiers behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in the war is a masterful performance.

Matched by the incredible direction of Spielberg, Hanks delivers something that will be remembered for generations.