People Are Shocked To Learn How Long Tom Hanks Went Between Oscar Nominations

Tom Hanks: you know him, you love him.

The nice-guy actor recently received the Cecil B. DeMille Award, due to his “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” at the Golden Globes, and he’ll be a fixture at the Academy Awards next month, too, having been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Even as the Oscars make the same mistakes year after year, at least we can all agree: Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers is a good thing. It’s his first nomination in that category, but sixth overall.

Hanks was nominated for Best Actor for Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, and Cast Away, winning for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Two things jump out there: Hanks hasn’t won an Oscar since going back-to-back in 1994 and 1995; and before A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, he hasn’t been up for any Oscar since Cast Away. That movie came out in 2000! Russell Crowe won for Gladiator! Point is, it’s been awhile (“It’s Been Awhile” came out the same month as those Oscars) since Hanks — who could have been nominated for Catch Me If You Can, Bridge of Spies, or Sully — was up for an Academy Award, and people this morning were surprised to learn this.

— Adam Chitwood (@adamchitwood) January 13, 2020

Tom Hanks getting his first Oscar nomination in 20 years is a Good Thing even despite the Very Bad Thing that already happened

— kateyrich (@kateyrich) January 13, 2020

Tom Hanks ends his nom drought! Believe it or not first one since Cast Away! #OscarNoms

— Erik Hurt (@ErikDHurt) January 13, 2020

Today Tom Hanks got his first Oscar nomination since 2001. You read that correctly.

— Joe Neumaier (@NeumaierMovies) January 13, 2020

Congratulations to Tom Hanks on his first Oscar nomination in nearly 20 years! pic.twitter.com/SJssxySnsN

— That's Auntertainment (@auntertainment) January 13, 2020

That feeling when Tom Hanks gets his first nom since Cast Away which came out 20 years ago pic.twitter.com/KVLmNecJQ4

— Kenan Stewart (@RealKenan) January 13, 2020

Wait a minute…this is the first time in 19 years that Tom Hanks has gotten an acting nomination!

I'm honestly surprised because I could have sworn he was nominated once in between that time.

— Harrison Milfeld (@hmilfeld) January 13, 2020

This is the first Oscar nomination Tom Hanks has gotten in nearly 20 years. (The last one was for CAST AWAY.)

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) January 13, 2020

Something I just realized: Tom Hanks' first (Big) and most recent Oscar nominations (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) were for movies directed by women.

— Anna is too old for this sh*t. (@MovieNut14) January 13, 2020

He’s not the only one in the category to go decades (!) between nominations, either.

— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) January 13, 2020

It’s almost if the universe is telling us something:

— Anna is too old for this sh*t. (@MovieNut14) January 13, 2020

You think Hanks had it rough Guess how long it’s been since two women were nominated for Best Director!