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# Tom Hanks's Hobby Journey

b. 1956

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker, and author

## Hobby Timeline

### Teens / Early Career

Got his first typewriter at age 19 — a cheap plastic model

### Early Career (1978)

Typewriter restoration (a Cleveland restorer introduced him to steel machines)  Hermes 2000 (cornerstone of his collection)

### Career Peak

Typewriter collecting (amassed nearly 250)  Creating a typewriter app for Apple  Short fiction writing

### Later Life

Giving away his collection (one lovingly wrapped typewriter at a time)  Writing  Philanthropy

## Surprising hobbies

- ✦  Collected nearly 250 typewriters over 40+ years

- ✦  Created an iPad app that simulates authentic typewriter sounds

- ✦  Published 'Uncommon Type: Some Stories' — 17 short stories all revolving around typewriters

- ✦  Anonymously sends typewriters to antique shops across the country

## How hobbies shaped their career

Typewriters connected him to the tactile, physical process of storytelling. The collection inspired his debut fiction book. His appreciation for mechanical craftsmanship mirrors his approach to acting — valuing precision and authenticity. Giving away his collection reflects the generous public persona central to his career.

> “Everything you type on a typewriter sounds grand, the words forming in mini-explosions of SHOOK SHOOK SHOOK. A thank-you note resonates with the same heft as a literary masterpiece.”
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> — Tom Hanks

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> Source: https://significanthobbies.com/journeys/tom-hanks