The Role: Andrew Beckett

Why It’s The Best: Tom Hank’s won his first Oscar for his outstanding performance in Philadelphia.

A film about discrimination, Hanks' character is fired from a law firm on account of having Aids, and he takes the case to court. He hires Denzel Washington’s character, a homophobic small-time lawyer, to take his case. Hanks' engaging performance lends dignity to one of the first mainstream movies to tackle the subject of Aids.

Iconic Moment: The final hospital scene where Beckett tells Miguel, his lover, that he is ready to die.

Tom Says: “There's no person who can't relate to a guy who was robbed and now wants to get back what was taken from him. Andrew discovers that he's a victim not of Aids, but of the intolerance that goes along with it."