The Surprising Job Tom Hanks Had Before He Was Famous

Tom Hanks is an American icon who transcends beyond his movie roles, as evidenced in 2020 when he became the first Hollywood star to admit to being diagnosed with COVID-19. The night that announcement was made on Twitter, the world seemed to change, as it understood the gravity of what was happening. But Hanks' fame didn't come easy and when he was in high school he made money any way he could. That job from before he was ever famous would eventually make a comeback in his life in the summer of 2020.

Hanks is a California native, born on July 9, 1956, according to Biography. He grew up as an Oakland Athletics fan, and when he was a teen he tried to make a few bucks by selling concession items in the stadium. However, it was not the job he expected it to be and he has a few warnings for anyone else ever considering this, reports MLB.

"I went down to sell peanuts and soda, and thinking it would be like in a TV show where you saw the young kid trying to make a thing," Hanks told late night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel (via MLB). "Well, first of all, I got robbed twice. Note to self: Hide those wads of cash. Don't be walking with a wad of cash in your pocket. Then, I came across professional vendors, who did not like the fact kids were there."

That didn't mean Hanks didn't want the job again. When the coronavirus pandemic kept fans out of the stands in the summer of 2020, those in charge of Major League Baseball decided they still wanted the games to have that magical all-American feeling. Many of us remember seeing cardboard cutouts of people in the stands, but Tom Hanks was also a part of one Oakland A's game, hawking popcorn and peanuts over the loudspeaker (via MLB). Hanks came full circle, indeed.