Tom Hanks, one of the world’s most recognizable actors, simply likes being called “Papou.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight’s Nancy O’Dell, where Hanks talks about his new film, “Captain Phillips,” being released October 11, based on the true story of a captain whose U.S. ship was attacked by Somali pirates and eventually rescued, told O’Dell that his grandchildren call him “Papou,” Greek for grandfather.
In April, 1988, Hanks married actress Rita Wilson, whose father was a Bulgarian born in Greece, and her mother, an ethnic Greek born in Albania, but was raised Greek Orthodox. Hanks converted to Greek Orthodoxy and has expressed his love for the Greek culture.
Hanks began his film career in 1980 appearing in a low-budget slasher-movie, He Knows You’re Alone. He went on to star in such classics as Sleepless in Seattle, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, Toy Story and numerous others.
Hanks’ son, Colin, and his wife, Samantha Bryant, gave birth to their second daughter, Charlotte Bryant Hanks in July, 2013. Their first daughter, Olivia Jane Hanks, was born in 2011. Together with his other grandchildren, Tom Hanks will be simply known as “Papou.”