Dive into Tom Hanks' Personal Life

Tom Hanks is married to his second wife, Rita Wilson: The Oscar winner is a father to four children!  

Tom Hanks is one of the most recognizable stars of Western cinema. A few numbered actors have had a career as transcending and illustrious as Hanks'. Tom ascended into movie stardom in the 90s with roles in A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Forrest Gump, and Philadelphia, which won him his first Oscar.  

Born Thomas Jeffrey Hanks on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, the actor had a disorderly early life, further marred by his parents' multiple divorces. The two-time Oscar winner is happily married and is a father to four children. And while it may seem like Hanks has it all, there was a time when the Forrest Gump actor felt like a total failure in his life.  

Inside Tom Hanks' Second Conjugal Life with Rita Wilson!  

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson as a couple is the true epitome of the power couple. The pair have been together for over thirty-five years of their lives. The enduring spouses celebrated their 35th anniversary earlier this year in May. "35 years of marriage. April 30, 1988. Love is everything," Tom's wife, Rita, wrote on her social media.   

The Oscar-winning actor was married to his first wife when he first met Wilson, in 1981. The two met on the set of their ABC sitcom, Bosom Buddies, and reportedly hit off as friends. The co-stars-turned-friends landed another opportunity to work together in Volunteers, in 1985, and it was when things started shifting for the actors.  

Hanks and Wilson made their red-carpet debut in late 1986- long after Tom's first marriage had unraveled. The Philadelphia actor and Wilson enjoyed two years of dating bliss and tied the knot in April 1988. The pair went on to welcome two kids and collaborated on several films.  

Debunking the idea of a perfect marriage, the Oscar winner once said, "Not that marriage doesn't come close to being hell in a handbasket sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we'll be with each other — and we'll get through it."  

The long-married pair have weathered their share of battles in the last decades; the most recent being the Covid pandemic when both Hanks and Wilson suffered their bouts with the virus. "We were taking care of each other instead of having the pressure of taking care of one person and no one taking care of you," Wilson explained.   

The long-married couple shares the secret behind their successful marriage! 

Although better known to the world as the second wife of Hanks, fans certainly reckoned the stellar profile of Hanks' wife. Rita, 66, is a multi-hyphenated star. Aside from being an A-list actress, she is also a singer and producer. Her most notable credits are Sleepless in Seattle, Now and Then, Runaway Bride, and It's Complicated.

Who was Tom Hanks' First Wife?  

Before Hanks built a family with Wilson, the Cast Away actor was married to his first wife, actress Samantha Lewis, who he met in college. Hanks married Samantha in 1978 and welcomed two children with her during their decade-long nuptial. Although not much is known about Tom's first marriage, the actor once said that parting ways with Lewis was the right move.   

The Oscar winner was, however, plagued with guilt when he finally pulled the plug on his relationship with Samantha. The Philadelphia actor called the divorce phase the lowest time of his life. "I felt like I was a complete, abject, total failure," the actor explained.  

For the two-time Academy winner, the guilt of hurting his two oldest kids in the process was greater than abandoning his wife. Tom's now-wife, Wilson, once shared that the Forrest Gump actor even let go of a great work opportunity because of the bleak circumstances at home. 

"People probably don't know this, but Tom was offered 'When Harry Met Sally,' and he turned it down because he was going through a divorce," Wilson shared. Hanks' ex-wife tragically died from bone cancer at the age of 49, in 2002.  

Who are Tom Hanks' Children?  

Hanks fathered four kids across his two marriages. The Forrest Gump star's oldest two, son Colin, 45, and daughter Elizabeth, 41, are both stars in their own rights. Being born to one of the most renowned actors of the 20th century has its own perks and having a ready footing in career is just one of the many.   

Colin has successfully followed in his father's footsteps, raking acting credits in Orange County, King Kong, The House Bunny, the Jumanji film series, and more. Throughout his two-decade-long career in Hollywood, Colin has garnered Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. The eldest Hanks has been married to Samantha Bryant, with whom he shares two kids, since 2010.  

Colin's younger sister, Elizabeth, dabbled in acting as a kid, appearing in her father's big flicks, including Forrest Gump and That Thing You Do! But Tom's oldest daughter has since left the acting world to cement a career in writing. Elizabeth has written for renowned publications like Time, The New York Times, The Guardian, and more.  

Both of Tom's first two kids, who he co-parented with Samantha until her demise in 2002, now share a loving bond with their step-mom Wilson, and their two step-siblings. Hanks' youngest two, Chester, 32, and Truman, 27, are also in the entertainment business.   

Chester, who uses the moniker, Chet Haze, is a musician and has dabbled in acting. Chester infamously sparked headlines in 2014 when the news of his addiction battle was unveiled. He later got candid about his sobriety journey and credited fatherhood for changing him. Chester shares a daughter with his ex, Tiffany Miles.  

Hanks' youngest, Truman, often accompanies his famous father on red carpets, and in public. But unlike his better-known siblings, Truman prefers to live a life away from the spotlight. Truman has reportedly worked on many films as a member of production teams. The youngest Hanks' recent collaboration was with his father on his movie, A Man Called Otto.  

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