Tom Hanks is known for portraying variety of roles expanding from comedic to dramatic characters. Popularly called ‘America’s Dad’, the actor is a doting father to his real life kids. Hanks has always been a family man and credits all of his successes to his kids and wife. He has four children, and all of them have followed their father’s footsteps and made their way into the entertainment industry.
When he was only 21, the actor welcomed his first child, Colin Hanks. Five years later, Hanks and his first wife Samantha Lewes became parents to their daughter, Elizabeth Hanks. Although he remarried and became a father to two more children, the Forrest Gump actor never saw any difference among his kids.
Who is Samantha Lewes?
Susan Jane Dillingham aka Samantha Lewes, Tom Hanks’ first wife was an actress. Not much is known about her early life. But after her parents got separated, she was raised by her single mother and spent her childhood in California, Hawaii, Florida, and Virginia before setting her foot in the acting industry.
Over the years, she had honed her acting skills and featured in a few big projects. Her performances were widely appreciated in an episode of ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies in 1981 and the 1984 movie Mr. Success.
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes’ love story
The Toy Story actor and his first wife, the late Samantha Lewes met while studying acting at the California State University, Sacramento. They became friends and eventually love blossomed between them. Their growing relationship ended up at the altar in 1978. When he got married, Hanks was only 23 while Lewes was 26.
Before tying the knot, the couple had welcomed their first child, Colin into this world. In 1982, Elizabeth was born into the family. However, soon after, the couple started to have misunderstandings and different perceptions about life which eventually ended up being complications. And after staying separated for a while, Hanks and Lewes parted ways in 1987.
Their marriage was of nine years. Talking about it, Tom Hanks said in an interview with The Daily Express,
I was just too young and insecure for marriage. I was 23 and my son Colin was already two when I married for the first time. I was not really ready to take on those responsibilities.
Despite the differences, they stayed cordial with each other and co-parented their kids until Lewes’ demise.
How did Samantha Lewes die?
Samantha Lewes took her last breath on March 12th, 2002, in Sacramento, California, at 49. She got a bone cancer diagnosis while getting her regular checkup. When she found out about it, it was too late. The cancer had already spread to her lungs and brain, and the actress had only a few months to live.
It’s been decades since her passing but Tom Hanks and their children still miss her dearly. Samantha Lewes was not only an actress but also a loving mother to both of her children.
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes’ son: Colin Hanks
Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes’ first child and eldest son is Colin Hanks. He was born in 1977 and was the first kid to follow the path paved by his father in the industry. Debuting in 1996, he has worked on many titles, including King Kong (2005), The House Bunny (2008), Dexter (2011), the Jumanji movies, and The Offer (2022). He even got an opportunity to star beside his father in The Great Buck Howard (2009).
Colin Hanks even owned a handkerchief company named Hanks Kerchiefs. But in 2023, it went out of business. However, his notable acting career has made him quite famous, and well, he resembles his father quite a lot. Talking about stepping into the industry, in a conversation with Dax Shephard on Armchair Expert, he said,
When I was starting off, I was sort of lovingly naive, thinking that [being the son of Tom Hanks] wasn’t as big a deal as it is, that I would get the benefit of the doubt that I was my own person, and that doesn’t happen.
The Jumanji actor tied the knot with the former publicist Samantha Bryant in 2010, and shares two daughters – Olivia and Charlotte.
Tom Hanks’ only daughter: Elizabeth Hanks
Five years after Colin, Elizabeth was born – Tom Hanks’ only daughter. She is a writer by profession but she also has some acting and producing credits under her name, including Forrest Gump (1994) and That Thing You Do! (1996). Elizabeth goes by E.A. Hanks and pens her articles by it. She has written for Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, Time Magazine, and The New York Times.
Elizabeth Hanks’ first novel 10 will launch in 2025. Once in an interview with The New York Times, Tom Hanks talked about his children. He said,
My son Colin was born when I was very young. As well as my daughter, but that means we have this gestalt understanding because they remember when their dad was just a guy trying to, you know, make the rent. My other kids, they were born after I had established a beachhead in every way. And so their lives were just different.
Colin and Elizabeth both have now successful careers.
Tom Hanks’ second wife and children
After divorcing Samantha Lewes, Hanks got married to Rita Wilson. They met while filming Bosom Buddies in 1981, when he was still married to Lewes. However, they started to spend time together and kept their relationship under wraps. A year after their divorce, in 1988, Wilson and Hanks had put a ring on their relationship. When Wilson was asked about the secret of their marriage, she told US Weekly in a 2019 interview,
We got married, we committed to each other, we love each other and we work hard at our relationship. Not only do we love each other, we really like each other, and we like being together, and we support each other and we keep the communication channels open. That’s always important.
The couple has two sons – Chester “Chet” Hanks (1990) and Truman Hanks (1995).
Tom Hanks’ sons: Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks
Chet kicked off his career both as an actor and a singer/songwriter and goes by Chet Hanx. Hanks and Wilson’s oldest kid has featured in Fantastic Four (2015), Shameless (2016-2018), Empire (2018-2019), and Your Honor (2020-2023). He even worked alongside his father in Greyhound (2020) and contributed his song ‘White Boy Summer’ in Hanks’ movie, A Man Called Otto.
On the other hand, Truman Hanks much recently stepped in front of the camera. He previously worked in the production crew but in News of the World (2020) and A Man Called Otto (2022), Truman acted with his father.
While receiving a Golden Globe 2020, Tom Hanks talked about his family being the strength, and said,
A man is blessed with a family sitting down front like that. A wife who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is. I can’t tell you how much your love means to me.
Tom Hanks is surely a family man through and through.
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