Tom Hanks delivers emotional Golden Globes speech while accepting Cecil B. DeMille Award

Tom Hanks.
(Image credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC via AP)

There was hardly a dry eye in the house at the 2020 Golden Globes as Tom Hanks took the stage, delivering an emotional acceptance speech.

Hanks received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes this year, an award handed out for contributions in the world of entertainment. Hanks, noting right away that he was fighting through a cold, quickly became choked up while thanking his wife and kids, saying, "A man is blessed with a family sitting down front like that."

Hanks reflected upon his iconic career during his speech while noting "you're a dope if you don't steal from everybody you have ever worked with" and honoring the many people he has "stolen from ... like Meryl, like Denzel, like Antonio, like Meg, like Julia."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The actor concluded with a filmmaking analogy, saying, "There is a saying in motion pictures, back when it was shot on film, that you could not move on to the next scene until the gate was good ... I have checked the gate. The gate is good. Thank you."

The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg notes that Hanks received "one of the biggest standing Os I've ever seen at the Golden Globes." Brendan Morrow

YouTube YouTube
Watch On
Explore More
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.