Revisit the Tom Hanks Oscars acceptance speech that Spielberg called ‘incredible’

Thirty years ago, Tom Hanks delivered a performance that reverberated through Hollywood. And it wasn’t in a movie.

Thirty years ago, Tom Hanks delivered a performance that reverberated through Hollywood. And it wasn’t in a movie. On March 21, 1994 — at the 66th Academy Awards — Hanks accepted the Best Actor statuette for his role in “Philadelphia,” a drama about a gay lawyer slowly dying of AIDS. His acceptance speech quickly went down in history as one of the most memorable and moving in Oscar history. As we gear up for the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, here’s a look back at Hanks’ groundbreaking acceptance speech, 30 years later. It starts out like any other speech, with Hanks thanking his wife Rita Wilson, as well as the film’s cast and crew — including co-stars Antonio Banderas and Denzel Washington. Then, the speech turns personal. Hanks refers to his high school drama teacher, Rawley Farnsworth, and a classmate, John Gilkerson — both gay men who Hanks said he “had the good fortune to be associated with, to fall under their inspiration at such a young age.” “And there lies my dilemma here tonight,” Hanks continues. “I know that my work in this case is magnified by the fact that the streets of heaven are too crowded with angels. We know their names. They number a thousand for each one of the red ribbons that we wear here tonight. They finally rest in the warm embrace of the gracious creator of us all. “A healing embrace that cools their fevers, that clears their skin, and allows their eyes to see the simple, self-evident, common sense truth that is made manifest by the benevolent creator of us all and was written down on paper by wise men, tolerant men, in the city of Philadelphia 200 years ago,” he says, referring to the Declaration of Independence, which states all men are created equal. “God bless you all. God have mercy on us all. And God bless America.”