Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as
Gus Grimly on the
FX crime series ''
Fargo'' (2014–2015), which earned him nominations for a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
, a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, and a
Critics' Choice Television Award
The Critics' Choice Television Awards were accolades that were presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fou ...
.
Hanks gained mainstream attention after a main role on the
WB science fiction series ''
Roswell'' (1999–2001) and his lead role in the film ''
Orange County'' (2002), which was followed by a starring role in the
blockbuster ''
King Kong
King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
'' (2005). Hanks has also had starring roles in the films ''
The Great Buck Howard'' (2008), ''
Untraceable'' (2008), ''
The House Bunny'' (2008), ''
Parkland'' (2013), and ''
Elvis & Nixon'' (2016). He had a supporting role as Alex Vreeke in the
''Jumanji'' film series (2017–2019)
Hanks had a main role as Jack Bailey on the
Fox series ''
The Good Guys'' (2010) and had a role as Travis Marshall, the main antagonist on the 6th season of
Showtime series ''
Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
People
* Dexter (given name)
* Dexter (surname)
* Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973)
* Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993)
Places United ...
'' (2011), the latter of which earned him a
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
nomination. Hanks' other main television roles include Greg Short on the
CBS sitcom ''
Life in Pieces'' (2015–2019), Barry Lapidus on the
Paramount+
Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
miniseries ''
The Offer'' (2022), and Bob Broberg in
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
's ''
A Friend of the Family'' (2022). He voiced the titular character on the web series ''
Talking Tom & Friends'' (2014–2021).
Hanks directed the documentary films ''
All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records'' (2015) and ''
Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)'' (2017).
Early life
Hanks was born in
Sacramento, California
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
[
*a "I was born and raised in Sacramento, California, which most people don't know is where ]Tower
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
started and was based until the end." — ¶ 4. to actor
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
and producer and actress Samantha Lewes (born Susan Jane Dillingham). He has a sister, Elizabeth, and through his father's marriage to his stepmother, actress
Rita Wilson, he has two younger half-brothers,
Chester "Chet" and Truman.
Hanks attended
Sacramento Country Day School, and then
Chapman University
Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...
, before transferring to
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...
. He left without earning a degree.
Career

In 1999, Hanks was cast as Alex Whitmann in the science-fiction series ''
Roswell'', where he appeared for the first two seasons (making a brief appearance in the third). During that time, he acted in the teen comedies ''
Whatever It Takes'' with
Shane West and ''
Get Over It'' with
Ben Foster. Hanks also made an appearance in an episode of ''
The OC''. He appeared in part eight of
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
mini-series ''
Band of Brothers'' as Lt. Hank Jones. In 2002, he starred in his first film as Shaun Brumder in ''
Orange County'', alongside
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
and
Schuyler Fisk. The comedy features Hanks' character trying to get into
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
after his guidance counselor mistakenly sends out the wrong transcript.
In 2005, he appeared in the remake of ''
King Kong
King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...
'', playing the assistant to Jack Black's character. In 2006, Hanks had a cameo role in Black's ''
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny'', playing a drunken fraternity brother. He starred in the romantic comedy ''
The House Bunny'' in 2008, playing Oliver, a charming manager of a nursing home and the love interest of
Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris ( ; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. Known for playing comedic roles, she rose to prominence with the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie (film series), ''Scary Movie'' films (2000–2006). Her film credi ...
' character. In 2008, Hanks began work as director on ''
All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records'', a documentary about
Tower Records
Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
which ultimately premiered on March 17, 2015, at
South by Southwest
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
in Austin, Texas. The film received funding of nearly $100,000 through a Kickstarter campaign.
In 2009, Hanks appeared in ''
The Great Buck Howard'', which was produced by his father and also starred
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...
. He also played
Father Gill, a young
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest, in season 2 of the TV show ''
Mad Men
''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...
''. In 2009, he made his Broadway debut, acting alongside
Jane Fonda
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
in the
Moisés Kaufman
Moisés Kaufman (born November 21, 1963) is a Venezuelan American theater director, filmmaker, playwright, founder of Tectonic Theater Project based in New York City, and co-founder of Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre. He was awarded the ...
play ''
33 Variations''. Hanks starred in the 2010 Fox TV series ''
The Good Guys'' as young detective Jack Bailey, alongside
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
who played an old-school detective (Dan Stark). In 2011, he starred in the indie film ''
Lucky'', alongside
Ari Graynor,
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...
, and
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...
. He also joined the cast of ''
Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
People
* Dexter (given name)
* Dexter (surname)
* Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973)
* Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993)
Places United ...
'' for season six opposite
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...
, where he portrays an art historian
Travis Marshall who is involved in a murderous
apocalyptic cult
Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
.
In 2014, he starred as Allison in the second season of the web series ''
Burning Love''. The same year, he also portrayed
Dr. Malcolm Perry in the historical film ''
Parkland''. In 2015, he played Officer Gus Grimly in the
FX television series ''
Fargo'', for which he received
Critics' Choice Television Award
The Critics' Choice Television Awards were accolades that were presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fou ...
and
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nominations. In 2014, Hanks began a voice role in the show ''
Talking Tom & Friends''. He voices Talking Tom, the main character.
In 2018, Hanks appears as the adult Alex Vreeke in the film ''
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'', a role he would later reprise in the film's 2019 sequel, ''
Jumanji: The Next Level''. In 2019, Hanks portrays a young
Fred Rogers
Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television s ...
on the Comedy Central show ''
Drunk History''. The same year, Hanks appears as a guest judge on Netflix's baking competition ''
Sugar Rush'' in the episode "Sweet Geeks".
Personal life
Hanks dated
Busy Philipps in the 1990s while in college. In June 2009, Hanks became engaged to former New York publicist Samantha Bryant.
The couple married on May 8, 2010, in Los Angeles.
Together, they have two daughters, one born in 2011,
and the other born in 2013.
Hanks is a
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
baseball fan and attended their World Series-clinching victory in Texas in November 2010. He also directed a ''
30 for 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series und ...
'' short, ''The Anti-Mascot'', about their disastrous
Crazy Crab stint in the 1980s. He is also a fan of
Liverpool FC
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...
, the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
,
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...
, and
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
. He was the official ''
Kevin and Bean'' Los Angeles Kings playoff correspondent for the 2011–12 and 2012–14 seasons.
[Kevin & Bean Podcasts – May 2013]
. KROQ. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanks, Colin
1977 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
American people of English descent
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
American people of Portuguese descent
Chapman University alumni
Comedians from Sacramento, California
Film directors from California
Film producers from California
Colin Hanks
Living people
Loyola Marymount University alumni
Male actors from Sacramento, California
Theatre World Award winners