Tom Hanks is a universally loved actor. The most successful arc of his career came to be in the 90s. He starred in films ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ ‘Apolo 13′, ‘The Green Mile,’ etc. He won his second Oscar in 1995 for ‘Philadelphia.’
The Oscar winner for the night got rousing applause when he took the stage to collect his award. An overwhelmed Hanks made a deep, impactful speech about people who impacted his performance in ‘Philadelphia.’ By doing so, he outed his former drama teacher, Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, to the world.
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Did Tom Hanks Out His Drama Teacher During His Oscar Speech?
The 90s was a phenomenal decade for Tom Hanks. He won back-to-back Oscars for ‘Forest Gump‘ and ‘Philadelphia.’ The Jonathan Demme-directed drama ‘Philadelphia‘ about the perception of AIDS, saw Tom Hanks turning in an emotionally enriching and complex performance.
As he began his speech and said his thanks, he singled out two individuals, Mr. Rawley Farnsworth, and John Gilkerson. He went on to call them two of the finest gay Americans and wonderful men that he was fortunate to know.
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The Controversial Speech Inspired The Movie ‘In & Out’
It is believed that the Oscar-winning actor had betrayed his professor by outing him to publish. Later, it was learned that Hanks did have Rowley’s permission to be mentioned in the speech.
This moment inspired screenwriter Paul Rudnick to write ‘In & Out.’ The movie stars Kevin Kline as a midwestern teacher who questions his sexuality after a former student comment about him at the Academy Awards. ‘In & Out‘ also features Matt Dillon, Joan Cusack, and Tom Selleck.
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