The son of two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, Colin Hanks was born in Sacramento, California. Although his father is an acting icon, Hanks wanted to follow in his father's footsteps without a helping hand.

He studied theatre at Loyola Marymount University in California, and during his school years he starred in numerous student films and performed in countless theatrical productions, which later led to professional roles in stage productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Noises Off.

He received his first taste of working on a film set in 1995 when he was hired as a production assistant for the film Apollo 13 (which starred his dad).

After that experience, the young actor decided to try and get a role in his father's directing debut, "That Thing You Do!" Not interested in landing a role due to his name, Hanks used a stage name with producers while auditioning.

In 1999, Hanks found work outside of his father's shadow, and was cast in a starring role on the sci-fi television series, "Roswell," playing Alex Whitman.

During his off seasons from Roswell, he landed major roles in two teen flicks: "Whatever It Takes," (2000) playing Cosmo, and "Get Over It," (2001) playing Felix Woods.

Having proved his worth outside of Tom Hanks circles, Hanks decided to work with his dad in the mini-series, "Band of Brothers," which Tom directed. Hanks went on to star in the comedy "Orange County" (2002) and Peter Jackson's "King Kong" (2005). After starring in several other films, Hanks landed a recurring a role in 2010 on the television series "The Good Guys." The following year, he played the character of Travis Marshall on "Dexter." Hanks can also be seen in the comedy film "High School" (2012) about a student who tries to get his whole school high before a random drug test to avoid getting busted for smoking pot himself.

He also played a supporting role in the comedy "The Guilt Trip" about a mother and son (played by Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen) who go on a road trip together.

He most recently starred in "Parkland" (2013) alongside Zac Efron.

In addition to his acting interests, Hanks plays bass guitar for his hip-hop band, "The Underlords."