Tom Hanks on Oscars voice acting: 'A voice actor can win Best Actor'
Synopsis
Tom Hanks — returning as Woody in Toy Story 5 after 30 years — has come out against a dedicated Oscar category for voice actors, arguing the Best Actor race is already open to them. With no voice actor ever winning an acting Oscar since 1929, his view lands at the centre of one of Hollywood’s most unresolved debates about what counts as a performance.
Key Takeaways
Tom Hanks told Gold Derby that a separate Oscars category for voice actors is unnecessary, saying 'a voice actor can win Best Actor.' Hanks cited Andy Serkis — known for Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes — as an example of a non-on-screen performer who came close to a nomination.
No voice actor has won in an acting category at the Academy Awards since the show began in 1929 .
The Best Animated Feature category was introduced in 2002 ; Best Animated Short Film dates to 1932 .
Toy Story 5 premieres on 19 June , more than 30 years after the original 1995 film.
Oscar-winner Tom Hanks has argued against creating a separate Academy Awards category for voice actors, saying the existing acting categories are already open to standout vocal performances. Hanks made the remarks ahead of the release of Toy Story 5, in which he reprises his role as Sheriff Woody — a character he has voiced for over 30 years.
What Hanks Said
'I think they have enough categories. The truth is, a voice actor can win Best Actor. The judgment is, ‘any performance that moved you,’' Hanks said in an interview with Gold Derby.
Hanks pointed to Andy Serkis — known for his motion-capture work in the Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes franchises — as a precedent. 'Even though he does not appear as Andy Serkis, he gives all the raw material for it. There’s been people who have been close to being nominated that do not appear on camera. That could happen to a pure-vocal actor,' he added.
The Oscars and Voice Acting: A Long Gap
Since the Academy Awards were first held in 1929, no voice actor has ever won in any of the acting categories. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did introduce the Best Animated Feature category at the 2002 ceremony, and the Best Animated Short Film category dates back to 1932 — but neither recognises individual vocal performance.
Notably, the debate over whether voice acting deserves its own Oscar category resurfaces periodically in the industry. Hanks’ comments are the most prominent recent contribution to that conversation, carrying particular weight given his decades-long association with one of animation’s most beloved franchises.
Toy Story 5 and the Franchise Legacy
Toy Story 5 is set to premiere in theatres on 19 June, more than 30 years after the original Toy Story debuted in 1995 as one of the first fully computer-animated feature films. The franchise centres on a group of toys, led by cowboy doll Sheriff Woody and spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear.
The series now comprises six films — Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 4, Toy Story 5, and the spin-off Lightyear — making it one of Pixar’s most enduring properties.
What It Means for the Industry
Hanks’ position reflects a broader debate about how the Academy defines and values performance. As animation and motion-capture technology advance, the line between on-screen and off-screen performance continues to blur. Whether the Academy will ever act on the question remains to be seen, but Hanks’ view — that the current framework is sufficient — represents one of the clearest statements from a major voice actor on the subject.
Point of View
Not one voice actor has broken through in the acting categories. Saying the door is open is not the same as saying it has ever been walked through. The Academy’s reluctance to recognise vocal performance as a standalone discipline reflects a deeper bias toward physical presence on screen — one that motion-capture and animation have made increasingly hard to justify. Hanks is the most credible voice in this debate, which makes his defence of the status quo the most interesting wrinkle in it.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Tom Hanks oppose a separate Oscars category for voice actors?
Hanks believes the existing acting categories — including Best Actor — are already open to voice performers, and that a strong enough vocal performance can and should compete on equal footing. He argued that the standard for any Oscar win is simply whether a performance moved the audience.
Has any voice actor ever won an Oscar for acting?
No. Since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, no voice actor has ever won in any of the acting categories. The Academy did introduce the Best Animated Feature award in 2002, but that recognises the film as a whole, not individual vocal performances.
Who is Andy Serkis and why did Hanks mention him?
Andy Serkis is a British actor best known for motion-capture roles including Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Hanks cited him as an example of a performer who delivers a full performance without appearing on screen in his own likeness — and who has come close to an Oscar nomination without ever receiving one.
When does Toy Story 5 release and what is it about?
Toy Story 5 is set to premiere in theatres on 19 June, more than 30 years after the original Toy Story debuted in 1995. The franchise follows toys led by cowboy Sheriff Woody, voiced by Hanks, and spaceman Buzz Lightyear, and now spans six films including the spin-off Lightyear.
What is the history of animated categories at the Oscars?
The Best Animated Short Film category has existed since 1932, originally under the name Short Subjects, Cartoons. The Best Animated Feature category was added much later, at the 2002 ceremony. Neither category specifically recognises individual voice acting performances.
