Before He Was Famous, Tom Hanks Once Kicked Fonzie in the Face

Before Tom Hanks was Forrest Gump or the voice of everyone’s favorite toy cowboy Woody, he donned a teased-up wig and some pink lipstick in his first major role. Though Hanks, who turns 69 on July 9, 2025, had previously appeared on The Love Boat and in the low-budget 1980 slasher He Knows You’re Alone, his first serious gig was the role of Kip Wilson (as well as Kip’s alter ego, Buffy Wilson) in ABC’s Bosom Buddies, which ran for only two seasons from 1980-81.

The show followed the lives of two young male advertising executives (played by Hanks and Peter Scolari), who had to impersonate women in order to find a cheap place to live in New York City.