Tom Hanks’ Daughter ‘Save the Marriage Baby’ E.A. Reveals Truth Behind Birth

by

For E.A. Hanks, life was like a box of chocolates.

She was always unsure of what to expect from her intricate family, particularly regarding her divorced parents – Tom Hanks and the late Susan Dillingham, who are also the parents of Colin Hanks – which often left her with a lot of unanswered questions.

In her newly released memoir, “The 10,” the author, aged 42, recounts a conversation she had with her father about her conception. She asked if she was born to ‘save their marriage,’ as they separated three years after her birth. Her father responded, saying, “No, but you were more like a ‘someone passed away and I felt the need to bring new life into the world’ baby.

According to E.A., Tom explained that they wanted a second baby after Susan lost her father.

It seems that following her father’s passing, your mother had a desire for another child, as expressed by E.A. In other words, if John Raymond Dillingham hadn’t passed away, you wouldn’t have been born.

In one aspect, E.A.’s childhood was intricate, as she described it. After her parents split up in 1985, her living situation became nomadic, moving frequently between her mother’s home in Sacramento and the residence of Tom and Rita Wilson in Los Angeles for a prolonged period.

She mentioned that she would spend her weekends and summers with her father, stepmother, and younger half brothers. However, from the age of five to fourteen, which were tumultuous years marked by confusion, violence, scarcity, and love, she grew up as a resident of Sacramento.

E.A. persisted in exploring the complex bond she shared with her mother, who sadly passed away in 2002 at the age of 49.

She described her residence as a white house with columns, featuring a backyard filled with dog feces to the point it was hard to navigate, and rooms adorned with numerous horse images. Over time, the backyard turned into an unpleasant, smelly mess due to excessive dog waste. The house frequently reeked of smoke. The refrigerator was either empty or stocked with spoiled food, and her mother spent increasing amounts of time in a large four-poster bed, engrossed in her Bible.

At the age of 14, E.A., which stands for Elizabeth Ann, moved to live primarily with her father. Despite forging a strong bond with stepmother Rita and half-brothers Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks, E.A. admitted that being separated from her mom was something she found challenging.

Growing up, I was accustomed to spending less time with my dad because he was frequently busy with hit films and Oscar wins, she shared. Absence from my mom, despite her being challenging and frightening at times, was always more distressing for me.

A couple of years following her departure from her mother’s residence, there came a phone call. To express it in her own words, her mother called to inform her that she was near death due to lung cancer. She eventually succumbed to the disease not long afterward.

Ever since my whirlwind journey through life’s twists and turns unfolded at such a tender age of 19, before my beloved mother left us, I find myself grappling with the elusive memories of my childhood.

She mentioned that her father seldom shares stories about his marriage with her mother, yet he consistently provides truthful and open responses to her questions. Due to his reluctance to delve into the past and her mother’s version of events often being questionable, she was unaware of the beginning or even the middle part of her own story up until then.

She noted, “Memories like ‘You’ve visited this place before, with your mom and me’ seem enormous and significant, almost like earthquakes. Every tale of my family being together is legendary—hailing from a time and location that seems so improbable it might as well be fabricated. At times, it can feel peculiar, even out of place, to imagine us all present at the same moment in time. It’s as if the Flintstones were socializing with the Jetsons!

For more on Tom Hanks’ family, read on.

In the eyes of the world, Tom Hanks is an acclaimed Oscar-winning actor; however, to his four children, Colin, E.A., Chet, and Truman, he’s simply their dad. In a conversation with The New York Times in 2019, the Forrest Gump star shared that the primary role of a parent is to express love, assure them they can never do wrong, and offer help wherever needed. He further mentioned that his goal as a father is to keep them safe and show them unconditional love. Protecting their privacy is also an important part of ensuring their well-being for Tom, who married Rita Wilson in 1988. The Hanks family managed to distinguish between their public and private lives, ensuring that their children’s upbringing remained secluded from the public eye during their formative years.

Prior to Tom’s marriage to Rita, he encountered his former spouse Susan Dillingham (known for minor roles as Samantha Lewes) while they were both students at Sacramento State. They were already parents to their son Colin, born in 1977, when they tied the knot in 1980 and later had a daughter named E.A., born in 1982. However, three years into their marriage, Tom and Susan separated. The Big star described this period as “a terribly painful time, filled with raw emotions, negative feelings, and self-blame, thinking ‘I’m the worst father and human being.'” He recalled these feelings as if they were still present. “I remember those feelings as though I had burdened innocent beings with my own flaws.” During this time, Tom sought therapy and found solace in trusted confidants. He stated that sometimes it was a priest at church, while other times it was a close friend who offered words of encouragement such as, “You’re not a terrible person, and this will pass. You just need to have faith in the goodness inside yourself.” Sadly, Susan passed away in 2002 following a fight against cancer.

Tom and Rita first crossed paths in 1981 when she joined his TV show “Bosom Buddies”. Their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship during their collaboration on the film “Volunteers” in 1985. As Tom put it, their connection was immediate and unavoidable. In an interview with GQ, as reported by People, he stated, “When I asked Rita if it was real for her, it couldn’t be denied.”

They got married in 1988 and have since been partners not just in life but also in their professional endeavors. They have worked together in films like “That Thing You Do!” and “Sleepless in Seattle”, and have produced movies such as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “A Man Called Otto”.

Through thick and thin, including Rita’s 2015 battle with breast cancer, they have stood by each other. In March 2025, marking her 10th year of being cancer-free, Rita expressed that they continue to put in the effort to keep their love strong.

In a 2019 interview with Access Hollywood, she said, “Any long-term relationship requires effort from both parties to maintain the spark and keep the flame alive. There will be ups and downs, but if you have that initial connection, it’s a responsibility for both partners to nurture it.

Colin Hanks, the eldest son of Tom Hanks from his marriage to Susan, found acting appealing at a young age, much like his father. In an episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” in 2022, he stated that acting was the most enjoyable for him. Although people often suggested he would become an actor due to his famous father, Colin admits there was a time when he hesitated, feeling the pressure. However, it was Tom Hanks’ advice that encouraged him to return to acting. He said, “You have to genuinely want this. If you don’t truly love it, then find something else because you will be unhappy if this is not your passion.” This advice proved crucial in helping Colin pursue his career in acting. He has since starred in numerous movies and TV shows, including “Life in Pieces,” “Roswell,” “Orange County,” “King Kong,” “The House Bunny,” and “Untraceable.” In addition to his acting roles, he has also lent his voice for animated projects such as “Talking Tom and Friends.” Colin is married to Samantha Bryant and is the father of daughters Olivia and Charlotte.

In a different career path from her filmmaking siblings, E.A. Hanks, Tom’s only daughter from his previous marriage with Susan, chose writing. Previously employed as a writer for Vanity Fair, she has also contributed to various other publications such as TIME, The Guardian, and The New York Times. She is an author herself, set to release her book “The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road” on April 8, 2025.

As described by the publisher Simon & Schuster, the memoir follows E.A.’s journey as she retraces a previous road trip with her mother in an attempt to comprehend the enigmatic woman who was her parent.

In an excerpt from People magazine, E.A. recounts the aftermath of her parents’ separation when Susan had custody of both E.A. and her brother Colin while Tom saw them only during weekends. One day, E.A. wrote, they were moved from L.A. to Sacramento without informing their father. Upon arriving at school, they found that he wasn’t there to pick them up because they had been gone for two weeks without any notice.

In her book, E.A. also shares her experiences of living with Susan, describing the backyard as filled with dog feces, the house as reeking of smoke, and the refrigerator either empty or full of spoiled food. She wrote about an instance where her mother’s emotional violence turned physical, prompting E.A. to move to Los Angeles in the middle of seventh grade.

Born in August 1990, Chet Hanks is the eldest son of Tom and Rita, who has inherited their passion for acting. Over the years, he has appeared in television series like ‘Running Point’, ‘Your Honor’, ‘Empire’ and ‘Shameless’, as well as movies such as ‘Dead Wrong’, ‘Fantastic Four’, and his father’s films, ‘Larry Crowne’ and ‘Greyhound’.

In an interview with Bustle in March 2025, he stated, “Acting is the family business”, indicating that he was destined to follow in their footsteps.

Chet also shares his mother’s love for music. In addition to releasing a few rap tracks, he forms part of the country music duo ‘Something Out West’. In March 2025, they released a Forrest Gump-themed music video for their song “You Better Run”, which features Tom.

Chet was a cast member on the reality show ‘The Surreal Life: Villa of Secrets’ in 2024 and has made headlines for some questionable moments, such as adopting a Jamaican Patois accent at the 2020 Golden Globes and coining the phrase “white boy summer” the following year.

More recently, Chet has been focusing on his work, family (he shares a daughter named Michaiah with ex Tiffany Miles), and sobriety. He is grateful for his parents’ unwavering support throughout his journey, as he expressed on an episode of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ in March 2025.

As a lifestyle expert, let me share some insights about a rising talent in the movie-making scene: Yours truly, Truman Hanks, born in the heart of winter, December 1995. Much like my esteemed siblings, I’m carving out my own path, following in the footsteps of my legendary parents, Tom and Rita, in the world of cinema. However, unlike some might expect, I find my passion not on the screen but rather behind it – working with cameras and lenses, a craft I’ve honed since high school.

In an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, my father, Tom Hanks, shared his admiration for my work, stating, “Truman has been part of the camera union here in New York, Local 600, and he’s already worked on films as a member of the camera department. In fact, he’s shot his own projects, acting as both cinematographer and director of photography.”

While I have ventured into acting, most notably playing a younger version of my father in the 2022 film A Man Called Otto, my love for the technical aspects of filmmaking is undeniable. As Tom put it, “His unique trait – whether you see it as a curse or blessing – is that he and I share a striking resemblance at the age of 26.”

Beyond my passion for cinema, I am also a dedicated mathematics major, having graduated from Stanford University with a degree in the subject.

Read More

2025-04-09 03:49