Jan 15, 2015 11:44 AM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Tom Hanks is regarded as one of the best and most successful actors of his time and the award-winning thespian has said it is all because of community college.

In support of President Barack Obama's new free community college proposal, Hanks published an op-ed in the New York Times detailing that transformative part of his life. He said he aimed high in applying to colleges despite his low SAT scores, but made the practical decision in attending Chabot College.

Chablot was also tuition-free and all Hanks had to spend money on was transportation, textbooks and food.

"For thousands of commuting students, Chabot was our Columbia, Annapolis, even our Sorbonne, offering courses in physics, stenography, auto mechanics, certified public accounting, foreign languages, journalism - name the art or science, the subject or trade, and it was probably in the catalog," Hanks wrote. "The college had a nursing program that churned out graduates, sports teams that funneled athletes to big-time programs, and parking for a few thousand cars - all free but for the effort and the cost of used textbooks."

Hanks also used his time in community college as the inspiration for the film he directed, wrote and starred in, "Larry Crowne." What's more is his son Colin also starred in a film in 2002 in which the character turns down a prestigious school for a community college.

"President Obama hopes to make two years of free community college accessible for up to nine million Americans," Tom Hanks wrote. "I'm guessing the new Congress will squawk at the $60 billion price tag, but I hope the idea sticks, because more veterans, from Iraq and Afghanistan this time, as well as another generation of mothers, single parents and workers who have been out of the job market, need lower obstacles between now and the next chapter of their lives.

"High school graduates without the finances for a higher education can postpone taking on big loans and maybe luck into the class that will redefine their life's work. Many lives will be changed."

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit