Tom Hanks named Harvard’s 2023 commencement speaker

Two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks was named the principal speaker at Harvard’s commencement on May 25, the Ivy League university announced Tuesday.

Hanks, 66, has appeared in almost 100 films. Nominated for an Oscar six times, he won best actor for “Philadelphia” in 1993 and “Forrest Gump” the following year.

Harvard President Lawrence Bacow called Hanks “a true master of his craft.”

“In addition to his brilliance as an actor, Tom has demonstrated both an innate empathy and a deep understanding of the human condition,” Bacow said in a statement. “He has contributed to our national culture and expanded our ability to appreciate stories and histories that have been previously unexamined.”

Recent Harvard commencement speakers included former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, late civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

A comedic actor early in his career, Hanks transitioned seamlessly to dramatic