A lawyer fired after his illness becomes known, fighting for dignity in court — Tom Hanks gives Philadelphia its quiet, devastating heart.
Released in 1993, Philadelphia stars Hanks as Andrew Beckett, a successful lawyer who is dismissed from his firm after colleagues learn he has AIDS. He hires Joe Miller, played by Denzel Washington, to sue for wrongful dismissal.
Hanks plays Beckett with dignity and vulnerability, never asking for pity. The courtroom scenes are powerful because Beckett’s case is about more than a job: it is about being seen as a person, with talent, humour and a life worth defending.
It is a signature role, and the one that won Hanks the Academy Award for Best Actor, because it showed he could carry a serious, socially important drama with complete honesty.