Tom Hanks got choked up early during his acceptance speech for the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. The cause: His family.
“A man is blessed with a family sitting down front like that,” Hanks said gesturing at his family sitting nearby after he’d taken a step away from the mic to compose himself. “With a wife, who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is and a loving group of people who have put away with me being away for months and months and months at a time … I can’t tell you how much your love means to me.”
Hanks has been married to wife Rita Wilson since 1988. He has two kids with her, Chet and Truman. He also has two older kids, Colin and Elizabeth, from his first marriage to Samantha Lewes. The fifth child refers to Samantha Bryant, Colin’s wife.
Hanks and Wilson posed with their four kids (and Bryant, at far left) before the Golden Globes ceremony as seen below.
Clearly their love and support have buoyed Hanks on through his long and accolade-strewn career, which includes classics like “Big,” “A League of Their Own,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump,” the “Toy Story” movies, “Saving Private Ryan,” “Castaway” and more recent critically acclaimed films like “Captain Phillips,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Sully” and “The Post.”
Hanks also gave a shout-out to one of his first screen roles, a part on the TV show “The Love Boat,” in his Golden Globes speech. Plus, he praised those who influenced and helped him throughout his acting and directing career.
The actor early on informed the audience that he was suffering from a cold “the size of Merv Griffin’s ‘Jeopardy’ royalties” and referenced it again as he choked up again towards the end of his speech.
“It’s [my] cold that’s making this happen. I swear to God, I’m not nearly this emotional at home,” he joked.
In his conclusion, Hanks thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the Golden Globes, and other industry players in attendance by using the phrase “check the gate,” a phrase filmmakers say when a shot is finished.
“Thank you for all your inspiration and all of your work and all of the struggle that you guys go through in order to hit the marks and tell the truth. I have checked the gate; the gate is good,” he said.
To check out the entire speech, a highlight of the 77th Golden Globe Awards ceremony, check out NBC’s YouTube page:
We love this heartfelt, emotional speech and we love Tom Hanks!
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