Tom Hanks’ Typewriter Obsession Makes Him the Proud Owner of More Than 250 Models
Celebrities are known to have strange quirks. Some even collect interesting objects to showcase in their house. Last year, Best Life wrote an article about how celebs are not like everybody else. For instance, Lady Gaga bought a ghost detecting machine. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has his fire department. However, one of the most enduring celebrity facts on the list is Tom Hanks and his collection of 250 typewriters.
Who is Tom Hanks?
Hanks is a very well known and accomplished actor. He was born July 9, 1956, in Concord, California. According to Britannica, after studying drama at California State University, Hanks started his acting career in an 80s TV show titled Bosom Buddies.
However, the 1984 movie Splash was his break out role. After this, his career took off, and the 90s being the height of Hanks’ career. In 1988, he starred in Big, in which he received his first Academy Award nomination. Hanks then starred in some romantic comedies, such as Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but then he moved on to more serious roles.
In 2013, Hanks starred in a Broadway play called Lucky Guy, which is based on the life of journalist Mike McAlary. This performance led to a Tony Award nomination.
In addition to acting, Hanks writes and directs movies, such as the 1996 film That Thing You Do, and he also acted in this movie. Another film he co-wrote, directed, and starred in was Larry Crowne with Julia Roberts. Hank has also produced a few movies and TV miniseries.
Hanks has made so many films that it’s no wonder he has also won quite a few awards. For instance, he is one of two actors to have won back-to-back best actor for the Oscars. He has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award-a Golden Globe for a lifetime.
His typewriter obsession
Hanks started collecting typewriters at the age of 19. According to Catawiki, Hanks took a plastic typewriter to a restorer. He refused to fix it and called the typewriter a toy. Hanks then bought his first, real typewriter, a Hermes 2000.
He now has so many that he has had to sell some due to lack of space. For Hanks, it’s all about the sound of the machine; it’s the sound of productivity. He also feels that each one has its personality, and he is in awe of the fact that you are using something precisely the same as when it was made.
His love of typewriters inspired him to write a collection of short stories called Uncommon Type. While the stories are not about typewriters, there is one in every story. Hanks has also sent a typewriter to a young boy.
According to an article in Vulture, written earlier this year, a boy wrote to Tom Hanks about his classmates making fun of his name, Corona. So, Hanks sent him a Corona typewriter.
Tom Hanks wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times
In 2013, Tom Hanks wrote an opinion article for the New York Times on his love for typewriters. In the article, Hanks says he loves to type up snail mail letters, thank you notes, to-do lists, etc.
He then explains that real work should be done on a modern computer, like writing term papers or other relevant documents. In addition to this, he says that for him, it’s all about the sound a typewriter makes, and you can find one that suits your sound signature.
Hanks also believes letters typed on a typewriter are also works of art. So, if you want to find your signature sound and send your friends a unique letter, go find a typewriter today!
