They made romantic sparks at the box office in the blockbuster 'Sleepless in Seattle'.  Now Tom Hanks is falling for Meg Ryan in 'You've Got Mail,' an update of the '40s romance 'The Shop Around the Corner' that takes courtship into cyberspace.

The first actor in 50 years to be awarded back-to-back Academy Awards, Hanks is one of the most industry's admired and popular actors.   He took home his first Best Actor Oscar in 1993 for his compelling performance as an AIDS-stricken lawyer in Philadelphia.  In 1994, he was awarded for a different kind of role, as the title character in 'Forrest Gump'.

This past summer, Hanks generated buzz for what almost amounted to his third Oscar with his performance in Steve Spielberg's critically-acclaimed World War II drama 'Saving Private Ryan'.  Hanks was also lauded for another recent role, as astronaut Jim Lovell in Ron Howard's space-exploration epic, 'Apollo 13'. 

In 1996, Hanks made his feature-film writing and directing debut with 'That Thing You Do!', the story of a 1964 rock band's meteoric rise to (and fall from) fame.

Hanks got his first big break dressing in drag in the comedy television series "Bosom Buddies".  This led to starring roles in the successful big-screen comedies 'Bachelor Party' and Ron Howard's 'Splash,' followed by a string of films including 'Volunteers,' 'The Money Pit,' 'Nothing in Common, 'A League of Their Own' and 'Punchline'.

Hanks earned his first Academy Award nomination as well as a Golden Globe Award for his endearing performance as the little boy in a businessman's body in 'Big'.  This demanding role also earned Hanks the Los Angeles Film Critics Best Actor Award -- his first honor as a "serious" actor.  In 1993, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in 'Sleepless in Seattle'.  Hanks also created the role of cowboy Woody in the Disney animated classic 'Toy Story'. 

Last year, Hanks became an Emmy Award-winner by executive producing "From the Earth to the Moon," HBO's 12-hour anthology exploring the Apollo space program.  Hanks directed the first episode and wrote and appeared in the series' final installment.

Next up for Hanks are an eclectic bunch of films which will showcase his talent and range.  The Green Mile is an adaptation of the Stephen King serial, Toy Story 2 is the lighthearted sequel to Disney's first ever computer-animated movie, and Dino is a Dean Martin biopic in which hanks is slated to play the famous entertainer.