When the movie trailer for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood first arrived online, plenty of viewers quickly pointed out just how much actor Tom Hanks resembled the iconic Mister Rogers.
Costume, hair, and makeup gave an assist, but there’s more to it. Little did people know that Hanks is actually related to the late Fred Rogers. Even Tom Hanks himself was unaware of that fact, until recently.
Tom Hanks finds out he and Fred Rogers are related
Recently the Access Hollywood Facebook posted a video with actor Tom Hanks. He and his wife Rita Wilson were at the premiere for the new Beautiful Day film this past weekend when Hanks was informed about how he’s actually related to the late, great Fred Rogers.
The discovery was uncovered by the popular genealogy service Ancestry.com which showed that Hanks and Rogers are sixth cousins. Their common ancestor Johannes Meffert came to the United States way back in the 1700s from Germany, per CNN’s report.
.@tomhanks it's so unbelievable, it's magic! I cannot WAIT to see this with my mom. I'm 45 years old and the trailer brings me chills EVERY TIME!
TOM HANKS IS 6TH COUSIN TO #MrRogers! @Ancestry@CNN#FamilyTree https://t.co/0yPZHPuEQ1 pic.twitter.com/VqDa6ipYyH
— Katie Hepworth Spoon (@spoonzoo) November 19, 2019
“Fred Rogers and Tom Hanks are sixth cousins sharing the same 5x great-grandfather … who immigrated from Germany to America in the 18th century,” an Ancestry.com spokesperson told CNN.
Tom Hanks and his wife were surprised upon hearing that fact since the movie’s already been filmed and this was the first they’d heard of it.
“No, impossible! You’re pulling our leg,” Rita Wilson said after Access Hollywood informed them of the news.
“It all just comes together, you see,” Hanks said upon hearing it. He also joked about having Ancestry find out if Johnny Depp is related to Fred Rogers too.
Hanks as Fred Rogers getting rave reviews?
Tom Hanks is known for a tremendous acting career including a range of great roles.
In 1994 and 1995 he won back-to-back Best Actor honors at the Academy Awards for performances in Philadelphia, and Forrest Gump, respectively. He had three other nominations for the award during his career for roles in Big, Saving Private Ryan, and Cast Away.
It’s possible A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood could put him into the discussion again.
So far, the reviews on his newest film have praised him for his portrayal of the iconic Mister Rogers. The Rotten Tomatoes website has a 97 percent aggregate score for the new film based on 117 critics’ reviews, as of this report.
One can’t help but wonder if that bloodline relationship was a big factor in Hanks giving another star performance in the role of his sixth cousin Fred Rogers.
The movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood opens Friday, Nov. 22 in theaters.