From a troubled upbringing to a controversy at the Oscars, "America's dad" has been through
some serious difficulties in his life.
These are the heartbreaking details about Tom Hanks.
As a kid, Tom Hanks was not a stranger to divorces and failed relationships.
After all, his parents had seven between them.
Hanks himself was 5 years old when his parents divorced.
They both went on to remarry several times: his dad remarried three times before he found
his true match, and his mother remarried four times before she found hers.
In an emotional interview with BBC4's "Desert Island Discs," Hanks lamented the lack of
communication between his parents and his siblings to reassure them that they were not
at fault.
What's more, Hanks was constantly on the move as a child, living in 10 different houses
in five years.
Unsurprisingly, Tom Hanks wanted the kind of stability he didn't have as a child.
As an adult, he now had the means to establish it, and so he married young.
He was 23 years old when he tied the knot with college sweetheart and actress Samantha
Lewes.
At the time, Tom's first-born son, Colin, was 2 years old.
In an interview with the Express, Hanks recalled his first marriage with some regret since
he now knows he wasn't ready.
He and Lewes met at Sacramento State University as acting students.
When they later separated, he was aware that he was placing his two children in the same
situation he once was in as a kid.
Hanks' first marriage had no chance of surviving when he met Rita Wilson in the midst of it.
When he first lay eyes on Wilson, he was smitten.
They officially met on the set of "Bosom Buddies" in 1981 and then worked together again on
"Volunteers" in 1984.
It was that second collaboration that became the point-of-no-return.
The two began dating publicly in 1986, and Hanks' divorce from Lewes was finalized in
1987.
Although Tom Hanks divorced Samantha Lewes in 1987, she was still the mother of two of
his children.
So the news of her bone cancer diagnosis in 2001 must have been devastating.
He learned of it during Oscars season, when he was nominated for Best Actor for "Cast
Away," per the New York Post.
Lewes died in 2002.
The people who felt her loss the most were likely her children.
Colin Hanks spent most of his time with his mother growing up, only seeing his dad every
other weekend and during summer vacation.
The differences between the two homes were drastic.
In an interview with the podcast "The Armchair Expert," Colin said he wasn't sure how much
his mother was getting in alimony, but he would often hear her say that they didn't
have the amount of money Tom did.
Colin also said his father's wealth was limited until he starred in "Forrest Gump," which
occurred when Colin was already 17 years old.
As one of America's most successful stars, you'd assume that Tom Hanks must have had
an easy transition to the director's chair.
In fact, for his directorial debut, "That Thing You Do!," he received help from the
great Nora Ephron, who advised him to trim down his characters and his scenes.
Hanks' movie about a one-hit-wonder band set in the 1960s was inspired by the story of
Jimmie Nicol's last-minute replacement of Ringo Starr during a Beatles tour.
He began fiddling with the story while filming "Forrest Gump" and began developing it after
wrapping up "Apollo 13."
But when the film hit theaters, it landed with a dud.
It earned only $25 million in the United States and $8.7 million internationally.
In an interview with The Ringer, Hanks said he was dismayed by its outcome.
But the movie was liked by critics, and it found a second life thanks to cable airings
and a Home Video release.
"That Thing You Do!"
eventually became a classic among a younger generation who saw it on DVD.
Stars of the film still get recognized on the streets by fans, and Tom Everett Scott,
who played drummer Guy Patterson, was given a cameo in "La La Land" thanks to his role.
The director, Damien Chazelle, considered himself the movie's biggest fan.
Audiences may not have initially shown up for "That Thing You Do!"
but film critics definitely did.
But for Tom Hanks' second directorial feat, he received love from neither.
The film in question, "Larry Crowne," is about a likable guy who is fired from his retail
job because he doesn't have a college education.
He starts taking classes at a community college and eventually falls in love with one of his
professors.
Audiences weren't enamored by the film, and it received a Rotten Tomatoes audience score
of 41%.
Critics were even more harsh.
The Wall Street Journal called it "a distinctly painful experience."
The Los Angeles Times found the movie especially disappointing considering that another typical
box-office draw, Julia Roberts, co-starred with Hanks.
Roger Ebert said "Larry Crowne" had no "reason for existing."
As harsh as it was, perhaps Hanks should have considered himself lucky that Ebert wasn't
as harsh as he could be.
"This movie was a total disappointment.
No thought went into it.
No effort went into it."
In 2015, Tom Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and took leave from the Broadway play
"Fish in the Dark."
Wilson had a full recovery, which she credited to an early detection.
In a statement to People Magazine, Wilson advocated for second opinions and stressed
the importance of an early diagnosis.
She noted that Hanks, along with other friends and family, was supportive and was by her
side during her recovery.
By 2020, she had been cancer-free for five years.
In an interview with Healthline, Wilson said she came to peace with her double mastectomy
and is grateful for reconstruction.
In 2013, Tom Hanks announced on "The Late Show with David Letterman" that he was diagnosed
with type-2 diabetes.
After battling with high blood sugar since he was 36 years old, his doctor told him he
had, quote, "graduated" into diabetes.
Tom Hanks said it was manageable through diet, and his doctor even told him he could reverse
his condition if he lost weight and reached the same weight he had in high school.
Any chance of that?
"What did you weigh in high school?"
"I weighed 96 pounds in high school."
Hanks believes that losing and gaining weight for roles might have led to his diagnosis,
but he believes he was also genetically inclined to get it.
He also blames the lifestyle and eating habits he's kept since he was a kid.
In a very public news cycle, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson were among the first celebrities
to become publicly infected with COVID-19.
He announced the news on March 11, 2020, on his Instagram, informing his followers of
the protocol they adhered to.
His listed symptoms included body aches, exhaustion, and a fever.
They caught COVID-19 while Hanks was working on Baz Lurhmann's "Elvis" in Australia.
A few days later, production on the film was postponed.
Hanks and Wilson weren't sure how they got infected, but doctors assume both received
it from the same persons.
Hanks said that since social distancing hadn't caught on yet, he had been shaking hands and
hugging numerous people.
Their symptoms were so severe that they could've been hospitalized, but they weren't aware
of how worrisome the news seemed to the rest of the world.
Hanks and Wilson have said that they were mostly offline while trying to get better.
On Twitter, Hanks said that he and his wife felt better after two weeks, and were soon
spotted back in Los Angeles.
Whereas Tom Hanks' wholesome, nice-guy persona has earned him the title of "America's Dad,"
his son Chet Hanks' image hasn't been so clean.
Chet's been involved in a few controversies including an Instagram post denouncing the
COVID-19 vaccine.
But his troubled life goes beyond social media comments and into the realm of substance abuse.
In 2015, Chet released a series of videos on Instagram, explaining his whereabouts after
an absence online.
He had undergone treatment at a rehab center, revealing that he previously sold and used
cocaine.
But he since found himself in a better place and opened up on the lifelong pressures he's
struggled with.
Seeing a child struggle with addiction and drug abuse is harrowing for any parent, and
it's no different for Tom Hanks.
Tom praised his son for his openness and honesty and said that he loves his children unconditionally.
Chet said becoming a father forced him to recover, and he credited his own parents'
support during the process.
We all know "Forrest Gump," "Apollo 13," and "Saving Private Ryan."
But have you heard of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "A Hologram for the King"?
Although Tom Hanks has starred in various hits that have likely been preserved and sanctified
by the Library of Congress, he's had his share of misfires.
"The Bonfire of the Vanities" is one of Hanks' most notorious failures, making only $15 million
against a $47 million budget.
Its failures were even detailed in a best-selling book called "The Devil's Candy."
Another bomb, "Cloud Atlas" seemed sure to be a hit, considering that the filmmakers
behind "The Matrix" were helming it.
But it only garnered $130 million worldwide, with only $27 million of that being domestic,
against a whopping $150 million budget.
Hanks has said that he's experienced periods of despondency as a result of failed features.
Filming "Cloud Atlas" was life-changing for him, and it was the only film of his he's
seen more than once, so he had high hopes.
But failure comes with the territory: he believes that 80% percent of an actor's films end up
being financial failures.
But Hanks, whose net worth is an estimated $400 million, can afford to make a couple
duds here and there, so it's not all doom and gloom.
"Tomorrow the sun will rise, who knows what the tide may bring."
Even as successful as Tom Hanks is, he doesn't put himself or his work on a pedestal.
His highest-earning franchise is no exception.
The "Da Vinci Code" series was mightily successful at the box office: its first installment garnered
$760 million in revenue worldwide, making it Hanks' most financially successful film.
In an interview with The New York Times, he defended himself against accusations of cynicism,
which argued that he only acted in its sequels for money.
Although he called the series a "commercial enterprise," he believed the series sought
to entertain people with pure motives.
However, he also called the movies "hooey," comparing their accuracy to the espionage
in James Bond movies.
By the end of the franchise, Hanks believed it was no longer, quote, "good commerce."
In 2002, Hanks said that he didn't believe any of his movies were underrated and all
received at least their deserved praise.
In an interview with The Guardian, Hanks admitted that he's made movies that didn't make a lot
of sense, but they all required effort.
Even then, he doesn't like to think about his past roles, because they remind him of
individual acting decisions he regrets making.
When "Forrest Gump" won Best Picture at the 1995 Oscars, it was immediately controversial.
Not because it didn't deserve the win on its own terms; in fact, the movie presented an
impressive feat of digital filmmaking that allowed Forrest to interact with dead figures
in old footage.
Rather, it was controversial because it won over "Pulp Fiction."
Quentin Tarantino's cult film set in motion a wave of indie filmmaking, and his stylistic
directing and sleek dialogue was perceived as a breath of fresh air for cinema.
Since then, people are quick to crown "Pulp Fiction" as the true winner, and "Forrest
Gump," despite its cultural weight, as the upset.
"And?"
"And nothing, that's it."
But Tom Hanks wants none of it.
Although he admits that "Forrest Gump" relied on Baby Boomer nostalgia and calls "Pulp Fiction"
a masterpiece, he believes that his movie has an "undeniable heartbreaking humanity"
that makes it worthy of its Oscar.
In an interview with The New York Times, Hanks said he believes the movie's immediate financial
success dampened its legacy since it's never on any lists for the best movies of all time.
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