Tom Hanks Set to Star as Mister Rogers This Year

Tom Hanks, will star in a biopic film about the 60’s children’s star ‘Mister Rogers’ called ‘You Are My Friend,’ set to begin filming this year. The original Fred McFeely Rogers was not a singer, nor actor, nor an author, but became an American icon for our children as the host of the long-running Mister Rogers Neighborhood, airing from 1968 to 2001.

Fred Rogers would begin in Pittsburgh, working as a puppeteer at the Public Television affiliate before moving to Canada to star in front of the camera was himself. He would eventually acquire the rights of his children’s show, moving back to Pittsburgh for national distribution. Mister Roberts Neighborhood debuted in America on February 19th, 1968.

Mister Rogers was unique in that Fred wrote the show’s theme music, storylines, and a revealing message about being respectful, kind, generous, and kind-hearted. The personal material and inspiration for this biopic comes from a 1998 Esquire magazine article written by journalist Tom Junod, profiling the man behind the sweater.

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