The note, which was penned in 1974 when Hanks was an 18-year-old school student, has been shared by workers at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, California.

In the letter, Hanks praises the moviemaker for his work on The Sting and declares that it is "fitting and proper that you should 'discover' me", adding, "My looks are not stunning. I am not built like a Greek God, and I can't even grow a mustache, but I figure if people will pay to see certain films ... they will pay to see me."

Hanks goes on to set out his plan for superstardom, writing, "I stumble into your office one day and beg for a job. To get rid of me, you give me a stand-in part in your next film. While shooting the film, the star breaks his leg in the dressing room, and, because you are behind schedule already, you arbitrarily place me in his part and - BANGO - I am a star."

The actor concludes the letter by confessing his dreams about fame, adding, "Let's get one thing straight. Mr. Hill, I do not want to be some bigtime, Hollywood superstar with girls crawling all over me, just a hometown American boy who has hit the big-time, owns a Porsche, and calls Robert Redford 'Bob'."

Five years after writing the letter, Hanks moved from his home in California to New York to pursue his acting career, making his film debut in low-budget horror movie He Knows You're Alone in 1980 before eventually landing his breakout role in 1984 romantic comedy Splash.