Matthew Moore
Tom Hanks has shared a moving statement upon learning of the death of the man who inspired one of his iconic roles
tom hank was put in a reflective mood on Wednesday as the Hollywood legend paid a vibrant tribute following the death of Mehran Karimi Nasseri.
SEE: Everything you need to know about Tom Hanks’ family
Mehran was an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport after losing his refugee passport and being denied access to France. He would serve as inspiration for the 2004 film The terminalin which Tom played an Eastern European man forced to live in the terminal building of John F. Kennedy Airport after being denied entry to the United States.
WATCH: Tom Hanks chokes on remembering his late friend Peter Scolari
Tom shared a photo of Mehran standing at the airport next to an advertisement for The terminalwhich also starred Catherine Zeta-Jones.
PHOTOS: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson make a rare red carpet appearance together
MORE: Tom Hanks Loses His Cool With Overzealous Fan Following Health Issues
In sincere tribute, the Forrest Gump star wrote:Sad to learn of the death of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, alias Alfred, from Charles de Gaulle. “The airport is not so bad.” No one knew that better than Mehran. Hanx.”
Tom disabled comments for his post, but it drew a wide response from fans, racking up over 21,000 likes in less than half an hour.
Tom paid tribute to Mehran
Mehran was forced to live at the airport after he lost his documents by accidentally sending them to Belgium. He originally wanted to seek asylum in the UK after being kicked out of Iran over protests and even adopted the name Sir Alfred Mehran.
He lived at the airport from 1988 to 2006, in which he was removed after having to be hospitalized. He then stayed in a hotel before being transferred to a homeless shelter in Paris.
WATCH: Rita Wilson shares cute photos alongside husband Tom Hanks amid health issues
MORE: Tom Hanks left stunned after the Queen revealed his favorite cocktail
Mehran eventually returned to live at the airport, and he suffered a heart attack while there and sadly passed away on Saturday at the age of 76.
During his life, he could be seen studying economics in the departure lounge and regularly having food brought to him by people traveling to the airport.
Read more HELLO! American stories here
Do you like this story? Sign up for our newsletter to get more stories like this straight to your inbox.