One of the best actors in Hollywood, Tom Hanks has wed twice. Samantha Lewes, an actress, was the first woman he wed; nevertheless, their union did not last through their tenth wedding anniversary.

The couple, who had been first lovebirds in college, embarked on motherhood at a young age when they received their first child, Colin Hanks. When Colin’s parents were married in 1978, he was already two years old.

Hanks said that getting married at such a young age was likely motivated by loneliness during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

Hanks, though, decided to let everything happen because he thought it was important to follow ‘the natural order of things.’

The actor once acknowledged that his upbringing had made him crave for stability, but in reality, he was far too young and uneasy about getting married. By the time he was ten, the actor had lived in ten different homes in five different places.

His inability to manage the duties of fatherhood and marriage ultimately led to the breakdown of his marriage to Lewes.

A QUICK SPARK

Tom Hanks was still wed to Lewes when he first met Rita Wilson, the woman he would eventually settle down with.

When he was a cast member of the sitcom “Bosom Buddies” in the early 1980s, they became friends.

When they collaborated with John Candy on the film ‘Volunteers,’ the two actors reconnected. Hanks claimed that he and Wilson had taken a single look at each other and sensed a spark that could not be denied, despite the fact that he was still wed to Lewes.

He also added that by that point, his connection with Lewes was over. When their second child, Elizabeth, was three and Colin was seven, Hanks and his first wife divorced.

Although the divorce wasn’t formalized until 1987, the actor and Wilson had already made their relationship known by 1986.

On April 30, 1988, the two fell in love and decided to get married. Hanks made the decision to make some modifications so that their union would not turn out like his first.

When he married Rita, he admitted to Oprah in 2001, ‘I thought, This is going to need some change on my part.’

The two are still going strong decades after exchanging vows, proving that they made the right choice.

Hanks stated during his interview with Oprah that their relationship cannot be summed up in the terms ‘wife,’ ‘girlfriend,’ or ‘mother.’ He also mentioned how their connection had benefited him professionally as an actor.

Hanks claimed to Oprah that he was able to put the things he did in ‘Philadelphia’ together because of his love for her (1993).

He claimed that he felt the same way about her as his fictional lover did in the film.

Hanks said to Oprah that he experienced the same feeling when portraying Forest Gump, who was in love with Jenny. He stated:

‘I don’t know how I would have been able to connect with what Forrest was going through without my connection with Rita,’ the speaker says.

Even before Hanks became a well-known actor, Wilson and Hanks had a strong romantic bond. In 1990, they had Chet, their first child together. In 1995, they added a second boy child, whom they called Truman, to their family.

Even though Tom Hanks has become very famous in Hollywood today, his early years as an actor were the toughest.

In a 2019 interview, the proud father opened up about what it was like raising his kids with Lewes as a struggling actor.

Hanks said his younger kids have been privileged to live a totally different life than his two eldest kids, whom he had with Lewes in his twenties.

According to the talented actor, Colin and Elizabeth have a better idea of their humble beginnings because while they were growing up, he wasn’t so rich. He said:

‘We have this gestalt understanding because [Colin and Elizabeth] remember when their dad was just a guy trying to, you know, make the rent.’

Hanks also acknowledged that he occasionally failed to distinguish between his roles as an actor and a father back then, which left him feeling absent from his children’s life. He felt bad as a father as a result of the divorce from their mother.

He eventually got the hang of it and decided to accept his role as their supporter while pleading for their pardon.

Hanks once acknowledged that the key to solving problems involved persistent effort and acceptance of the possibility that a victory might not always be achieved.

Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks’ first child, has chosen to follow in his father’s acting career and has made appearances in the ‘Orange Country,’ ‘King Kong,’ and ‘Jumanji’ series of films. He founded the Hanks Kerchiefs handkerchief firm in addition to being an actor.

He has two children, Olivia Jane and Charlotte Bryant, with his wife Samantha Bryant. Hanks’ only child is Elizabeth, who is his sister.

She is a writer who has appeared in supporting roles in a few of Hanks’ films, such as “That Thing You Do” and ‘Forrest Gump.’

Tom Hanks’ fourth kid, Truman, is far less well-known than his three older siblings. With accomplishments like being a production assistant in ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ under his belt, he also appears to be pursuing an acting career.

Hanks and Wilson are in a contented relationship, and their social media updates demonstrate this. They frequently share photos from their travels together and events marking significant anniversaries in their life.

There are updates that show them going to museums, birthday updates where she refers to him as the ‘love of my life,’ updates that show them celebrating their anniversary, and many more that their admirers adore seeing.

Hanks has stated that there is no secret to their wonderful connection, despite the fact that many have asked what it is.

2015 saw him say: ‘You know, I wish there was a secret. We simply get along. You begin there.’

Additionally, he has expressed surprise that a woman like Wilson would agree to a date. He claimed in 2015 that if he had run across her in high school, he wouldn’t have had the nerve to approach her.

Of course, things haven’t been perfect for the couple. She received a breast cancer diagnosis a few years ago, and she had to have both a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

She was grateful that Hanks never wavered during her difficulties. She overcame cancer with help from him, friends, medical professionals, and other family members, and she returned to resume her Broadway career.

Three grandchildren, two from the actor’s first child, Colin, and a third from their first child together, Chet, make up the proud family of Hanks and Wilson.

They have been characterized as relaxed grandparents with grandchildren who are unaware of their fame in Hollywood.

They are just like any other grandparent in the eyes of the kids, and when they get together, they behave like any other family.

On April 30, Hanks and his wife celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary, and Wilson, as usual, posted a picture of the couple to Instagram to commemorate the occasion.

This time, she revealed an old wedding photo of them grinning, which warmed many people’s hearts.

Hanks has always been open about how much he loves his wife, but never has it been more obvious than it is right now.