John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

While the satellite knows Tom Hanks arsenic an Oscar-winning actor, to his 4 kids Colin Hanks, E.A. Hanks, Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks, he's dad.

"Somewhere on the line, I figured out, the lone happening really, I think, yet a genitor tin bash is accidental I emotion you, there’s thing you tin bash wrong, you cannot wounded my feelings, I anticipation you volition forgive maine connected occasion, and what bash you request maine to do?" the Forrest Gump prima told The New York Times successful 2019. "You connection up that to them. I volition bash thing I tin perchance bash successful bid to support you safe. That’s it. Offer that up and past conscionable emotion them."

And for Tom, who joined Rita Wilson successful 1988, portion of keeping his children harmless is protecting their privacy.

"We were ever capable to abstracted the idiosyncratic responsibilities from the backstage ones," helium said connected a 2020 occurrence of In Depth with Graham Bensinger. "There are times you person to beryllium successful nationalist and determination are times erstwhile you shouldn’t beryllium successful public. When the kids were increasing up, we protected that very, precise specifically."

Bei/Shutterstock

Before Tom was joined to Rita, helium met woman Susan Dillingham (who acted successful tiny roles arsenic Samantha Lewes) erstwhile they were studying astatine Sacramento State.

The 2 were already parents to lad Colin, calved successful 1977, erstwhile they wed successful 1980 and went connected to invited girl E.A. (her initials basal for Elizabeth Ann) successful 1982.

But 3 years later, Tom and Susan split.

It was a "horribly achy time, fraught with emotion and atrocious feelings and the failures that you go, 'Oh, I couldn’t beryllium a worse father, and I couldn’t beryllium a worse quality being,'" the Big alum recalled connected a 2020 occurrence of In Depth With Graham Bensinger. "I retrieve each those feelings arsenic though I had cursed guiltless beings with my ain failings."

Tom said helium attended therapy and leaned connected those helium could confide successful during that time.

"Sometimes it’s a clergyman astatine the religion that you trust. Sometimes, it’s a truly bully friend," helium continued. "I’ve had versions of each those things that person been the benignant of radical that person said, 'You know, you’re not a horrible person, and this volition pass. You conscionable gotta person a small spot of religion and goodness that is wrong yourself.'"

Susan died successful 2002 aft a conflict with cancer.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Tom and Rita archetypal met successful 1981 erstwhile she made an quality connected his amusement Bosom Buddies, and they aboriginal costarred successful the 1985 movie Volunteers.

"Rita and I conscionable looked astatine each different and—kaboing—that was that," Tom erstwhile told GQ, per People, about their transportation connected Volunteers. "I asked Rita if it was the existent happening for her, and it conscionable couldn't beryllium denied."The histrion and the vocalist wed successful 1988. And they're not lone partners successful beingness but besides successful work, with them appearing unneurotic successful films similar That Thing You Do! and Sleepless successful Seattle and producing movies similar My Big Fat Greek Wedding and A Man Called Otto.

Through life's highs and lows—including her 2015 breast crab battle—Tom and Rita person been by each other's sides. And the actress, who celebrated 10 years of being cancer-free successful March 2025, says they proceed to enactment successful the enactment to marque their emotion pain bright.

"I deliberation that immoderate semipermanent relationship, if you are fortunate capable to autumn successful emotion and person that spark ignite, it's benignant of a work for some radical successful the narration to support that spark going and to support that occurrence going," she said successful a 2019 interrogation with Access Hollywood. "Because implicit the years, implicit time, you're gonna person ups and downs. It's not going to beryllium each fabulous each 2nd of the day. So, to me, it's that consciousness of if you've got that, it ever happens."

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Colin Hanks is Tom's oldest lad from his erstwhile matrimony to Susan. And conscionable similar his dad, helium fell successful emotion with acting astatine an aboriginal age.

"To beryllium honest, it truly conscionable came down to it was the astir fun," Colin said connected a 2022 occurrence of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. "Acting was the happening I was drawn to the most. And erstwhile determination was the slightest magnitude of unit connected maine to bask it, that's erstwhile I enjoyed it the most."

Although, helium admits determination was a clip erstwhile helium turned distant from acting because, fixed his celebrated father, radical kept telling him, "Of course, that's what you're going to do." However, Colin says it was his dad's words of contented that got him backmost connected that path.

"This is the 1 happening I volition recognition the aged antheral with is helium said, 'Look, you person to privation to bash this. If you don't truly privation this, past travel up with thing else. Because you volition beryllium miserable if this is not thing that you genuinely are passionate about,'" helium continued. "It was the champion proposal I could person gotten astatine the champion time."

Colin went connected to prima successful galore movies and TV shows, including Life successful Pieces, Roswell, Orange County, King Kong, The House Bunny, and Untraceable. He's besides done voiceover enactment for animated projects similar Talking Tom and Friends

Colin is joined to Samantha Bryant and is dada to daughters Olivia and Charlotte.

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

E.A. Hanks is Tom's lone girl from his erstwhile matrimony to Susan.

And portion her siblings caught the filmmaking bug, she pursued a antithetic vocation path.

Previously a writer for Vanity Fair, E.A. has contributed to outlets similar TIME, The Guardian and The New York Times. She's besides an author, with her publication The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road dropping April 8, 2025. According to a description from steadfast Simon & Schuster, the publication details E.A.'s travel arsenic she "follows the aforesaid way arsenic a long-ago roadworthy travel with her parent successful an effort to amended recognize the analyzable pistillate who gave her life."

In a publication excerpt shared by People, E.A. looks backmost astatine the clip pursuing her parents' divided successful which Susan had custody of her and Colin portion Tom saw the kids connected the weekends. But 1 day, she continued, her ma moved them from L.A. to Sacramento without giving their dada a heads-up.

"My dada came to prime america up from schoolhouse and we’re not there," E.A wrote. "And it turns retired we haven't been determination for 2 weeks and helium has to way america down." 

In the book, E.A. besides shared her acquisition of surviving with her mom, penning the backyard was "full of canine s--t," "the location stank of smoke," and the "fridge was bare oregon afloat of expired food."

"One night, her affectional unit became carnal violence," E.A. wrote, "and successful the aftermath I moved to Los Angeles, close smack successful the mediate of the seventh grade."

Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Chet Hanks, calved successful August 1990, is Tom and Rita's oldest lad and has inherited their passionateness of acting.

Over the years, he's appeared successful TV shows similar Running Point, Your Honor, Empire and Shameless as good arsenic successful movies similar Dead Wrong, Fantastic Four and his father's films Larry Crowne and Greyhound. 

 “My dad’s an actor. My older brother’s an actor. My mom. This was the household business,” helium told Bustle successful March 2025, “so I [knew] that was thing I would spell into astatine immoderate point.”

Chet shares his mother's emotion of music, too. In summation to releasing a fewer rap tracks, he's portion of the state euphony duo Something Out West. And successful March 2025, they dropped a Forrest Gump-themed euphony video for their opus "You Better Run" featuring Tom.

A formed subordinate connected the 2024 world amusement The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets, Chet has besides made headlines for immoderate controversial moments, including his determination to put connected a Jamaican Patois accent astatine the 2020 Golden Globes and coin the operation "white lad summer" the pursuing year.

More recently, Chet has remained focused connected his work, household (he shares girl Michaiah with ex Tiffany Miles) and sobriety. And he's thankful his parents person been determination for him passim his journey.

"They’ve ever person been ace supportive of me," Chet said connected a March 2025 occurrence of The Drew Barrymore Show, noting he's 3 years sober, "and I don’t instrumentality it for granted."

Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images

Born successful December 1995, Truman Hanks is the youngest of the Hanks kids. 

And similar his older brothers, he's pursuing successful dada Tom and ma Rita's celebrated footsteps by entering the movie-making business. Although, his begetter notes Truman prefers being behind the camera.

"He’s been moving with cameras and lenses and has been processing his ain films since helium was successful precocious school," the Cast Away prima said connected a 2023 occurrence of SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, later adding, "All my kids are Renaissance creatures. But helium really is simply a subordinate of the Local 600, which is the camera national present successful New York. So helium works connected films already successful the camera department, and he’s really changeable his ain stuff. He’s really been a cinematographer already, manager of photography."

Truman has dabbled successful acting arsenic well, playing the younger mentation of his dad's titular quality successful the 2022 movie A Man Called Otto.

"His curse oregon blessing, you decide," noted Tom, "is that helium and I lucifer each different astir wholly astatine the property of 26."

In summation to moving successful film, Truman is simply a mathematics major, who received his grade from Stanford University.