Tom Hanks has become known as "America's Dad," thanks to his feel-good movie roles and kind
nature.
That being said, it hasn't always been smooth sailing.
From his early romantic relationships to his own upbringing, join us as we discover the
tragic real-life story of Tom Hanks.
The Forrest Gump star was born on July 9, 1956, in Concord, California, as Thomas Jeffrey
Hanks, per Biography.
While his mother worked in a hospital, his father was a cook.
However, Hanks has spoken about his upbringing on several occasions, noting that it wasn't
picture perfect.
According to The New York Times,
"Hanks grew up in Northern California, in the era of the Zodiac Killer and Patty Hearst
and the Black Panthers and the People's Park riots."
The publication also noted that Hanks' dad worked a lot, often leaving the children to
their own devices at home.
The actor revealed to The New York Times that there were some things he wasn't taught to
do as a child.
He explained,
"No one told me how to brush my teeth [...] I never flossed until I was out of high school,
because dental hygiene was handled by a filmstrip that we saw in second grade that said, really,
try to eat an apple, and that cleans your teeth.
So, hey, I had an apple last week, so my teeth are kind of clean."
Despite missing out on some of the basics as a child, Hanks seems to have turned out
okay.
According to Closer, Tom Hanks' parents divorced when he was a child, with the actor explaining,
"Our world did not reflect everybody else's or what we saw on TV [...] My baby brother
stayed with mom, and we went off with my dad."
Tom has two brothers, Jim and Larry, and a sister called Sandra.
Both of the actor's parents remarried, his father on two occasions, so according to the
Express,
"[Tom is] known as Number Nine in a family of 16 siblings and step-siblings."
The Oscar winner elaborated on his childhood during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert
Island Discs, and said,
"We were confused because no one explained anything to us.
No one said, 'Hey listen, you guys are great.
You haven't done anything wrong – give us a couple of moments and we will figure out
what we are going to do.'
Nobody ever said that to us."
Tom Hanks has been happily married to actress Rita Wilson since 1988, so a lot of fans might
not realize that the Philadelphia star was married once before.
Hanks got married to Samantha Lewes in 1978, and the couple had two children together,
son Colin, who is also an actor, and daughter Elizabeth.
However, according to the New York Post, Hanks and Lewes separated in 1984 and later divorced
in 1987, with Tom remarrying the following year.
"We've been married for 25 years and it feels like 2 and a half to me, it's flown by so
quick."
According to People, Hanks told GQ that he very quickly developed feelings for his second
wife, Wilson, on the set of 1985 movie Volunteers, having previously co-starred with her on the
sitcom Bosom Buddies in 1981.
The actor opened up about the failure of his first marriage during an interview with the
Express and said,
"I was looking for something I had not found as a kid.
A broken marriage meant I was sentencing my own kids to the sort of feelings I had at
their age.
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.
[...] My own life has not been as smooth as my career."
In 2001, it was revealed that Lewes, who was born Susan Dillingham, was dying following
a bone cancer diagnosis.
She passed away on March 12, 2002, in Sacramento, California.
Fans were shocked when Tom Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, revealed in April 2015 that she'd
been diagnosed with breast cancer.
In a statement to People, Wilson announced she'd undergone a double mastectomy and breast
reconstruction following her diagnosis.
The actress credited getting a second opinion and catching the condition early for her recovery,
and revealed,
"[A] friend who had had breast cancer suggested I get a second opinion on my pathology and
my gut told me that was the thing to do."
Wilson gave an interview to Sunday People singing her husband's praises for supporting
her throughout her cancer diagnosis.
She said,
"When I was going through my diagnoses and surgery, the one thing I really­ wanted to
tell people­ is that there are still times when you have love and you smile and you laugh.
[...] [Tom and I] watched movies­, we watched great documentaries­, we ate good food and
we did our best to maintain­ our spirit and be thankful."
As of 2020, Wilson has been cancer-free for five years.
"I'm sticking with her, man."
During an appearance on Late Show with David Letterman in 2013, Tom Hanks revealed that
he'd been diagnosed with diabetes.
When the host complimented his trimmer figure, Hanks replied,
"I went to the doctor, and he said, 'You know those high blood sugar numbers you've been
dealing with since you were 36?
Well, you've graduated."
"You've got type 2 diabetes, young man.'
Well, it's controllable."
During a 2016 interview with Radio Times, Hanks appeared to blame himself and suggested
that a poor diet led to the diagnosis.
The Captain Phillips star said,
"I'm part of the lazy American generation [...] I was heavy.
You've seen me in movies, you know what I looked like.
I was a total idiot."
Most people are well aware that Tom Hanks was one of the first celebrities to reveal
that they'd tested positive for coronavirus.
Hanks made the announcement in an Instagram post on March 12, 2020, and wrote,
"[Rita Wilson] and I are down here in Australia.
We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches.
Rita had some chills that came and went.
Slight fevers too.
To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus,
and were found to be positive."
Both Hanks and Wilson made full recoveries, and on March 23, the Toy Story star wrote
on Twitter,
"Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better."
Since then, the award-winning performer has revealed that he is helping coronavirus research
by donating blood and plasma.
During an interview on NPR's Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!, Hanks joked,
"We have not only been approached; we have said, do you want our blood?
Can we give plasma?
And, in fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would
like to call the Hank-ccine."
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebs are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.