There may not be a more celebrated and revered actor in all of Hollywood than Tom Hanks. He is the male version of America’s Sweetheart. Hanks has been in the public eye for 40 years, and has routinely been acclaimed not only for his masterful craft and incredibly warm personality, but also his immense generosity and heart.
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson just did something to further cement his legacy as one of the most loved men in the industry. They donated $1 million dollars to aid in the efforts to fight the LA wildfires that have ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The entire Southland has been reeling from the damage and thousands of citizens are displaced and have lost their homes. The city faces an overwhelming uphill battle to rebuild and revive the affected areas. And this donation will go a long way toward that massive campaign.
“Like so many of us, we see the loss and devastation wrought by the Altadena and Palisades fires. The challenges to the future of these communities is immense,” they said in a statement posted to Instagram. “We are so very grateful for the First Responders and Firefighters, from all over, who fought with all they had in order to save homes and people.”
The Hollywood couple hopes that their act of charity will inspire others to act in kind. It will take a collective communal effort to rebuild much of Southern California. Hanks is not the only celebrity to donate to the wildfire efforts, but he is certainly one of the most famous faces to step up to the cause. Let us hope that his philanthropy will spur many of his fans and viewers to do something as well.
“Now we must all move forward to what is next for our city, communities and neighbors,” they said.
The $1 million dollar donation will be spread between the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Foundation, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Disaster Relief Fund, the American Red Cross and MusiCares.
Whether you know him from BIG, Forest Gump, or the Toy Story franchise – odds are that Tom Hanks performances have touched you in some way. His career has spanned decades and genres. From the beaches of Normandy in Saving Private Ryan, to the forgotten tropical isle in Cast Away, Hanks has made his mark on the screen in ways most actors could only dream of – and Hanks’ lifelong charity efforts have rivaled that of his acting accolades. This most recent donation is just the latest example of his larger than life desire to make the world a better place.