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Tom Hanks has four children: Colin Hanks, Elizabeth Anne Hanks, Chet Hanks, and Truman Hanks. Colin and Elizabeth are his children with Samantha Lewes, while Chet and Truman are his sons with Rita Wilson. Their public careers are distinct: acting and filmmaking, writing, acting and music, and film.
Tom Hanks has four children: Colin Hanks, Elizabeth Anne Hanks, Chet Hanks, and Truman Hanks. They come from two marriages: Colin and Elizabeth are Hanks’s children with his first wife, Samantha Lewes; Chet and Truman are his sons with Rita Wilson.
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The siblings have followed notably different professional paths. Colin became an actor and filmmaker, Elizabeth built a career as a writer, Chet has worked in acting and music, and Truman has worked in film, including a project with his father.
Tom Hanks’s family: the basic relationships
| Child | Birth year | Mother | Public career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Hanks | 1977 | Samantha Lewes | Actor and filmmaker |
| Elizabeth Anne Hanks | 1982 | Samantha Lewes | Writer and journalist |
| Chet Hanks | 1990 | Rita Wilson | Actor and musician |
| Truman Hanks | 1995 | Rita Wilson | Film actor and production professional |
Hanks had Colin and Elizabeth with Samantha Lewes before their marriage ended in divorce. He married Rita Wilson in 1988, and they later had Chet and Truman. In age order, Colin is the oldest sibling, followed by Elizabeth, Chet, and Truman. Birth years are used here rather than changing age figures, which become outdated over time.
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1. Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks is Tom Hanks’s eldest child. He followed his father into acting, but his career is not limited to performing. He has also worked as a filmmaker and director, establishing a professional identity behind the camera as well as in front of it.
His acting credits include film and television work, while his documentary filmmaking has provided a more direct outlet for his interests as a director. One notable example is John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary directed by Colin Hanks. The project is a useful reminder that his career is broader than the often-repeated description of him as simply “Tom Hanks’s son.”
Colin’s story is therefore best understood through his own body of work: acting on one side and documentary and other filmmaking work on the other. There is no need to assume that his career follows the same creative style or trajectory as his father’s.
2. Elizabeth Anne Hanks
Elizabeth Anne Hanks is Tom Hanks’s daughter with Samantha Lewes. Unlike her father and two of her brothers, she has primarily developed a public professional identity as a writer and journalist.
Her most relevant book for readers interested in the Hanks family is The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road. The book is built around a solo cross-country road trip and an exploration of family history, identity, memory, and the connection between place and personal experience. It is Elizabeth Hanks’s own memoir—not a comprehensive biography of all four Hanks children.
That distinction matters when discussing celebrity families. Elizabeth’s published work offers a way to consider her as an author in her own right, rather than treating her only as one member of a famous family.
3. Chet Hanks
Chet Hanks, whose full name is Chester Marlon Hanks, is Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s older son. His documented creative work spans acting and music.
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His acting credits include appearances in Larry Crowne, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Project X. He has also released and performed music, and entertainment listings describe him in both roles: actor and musician.
Because music catalogs, artist projects, and release platforms can change, current music availability should be checked against an official artist or platform listing before publication. The most dependable summary is that Chet has pursued both acting and music, rather than presenting him as having followed a single career path.
Coverage of Chet Hanks is often pulled toward internet controversy and unverified personal-life reporting. Those subjects are not necessary to explain his place in the family or his documented work, so this profile focuses on his public creative credits.
4. Truman Hanks
Truman Hanks is Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s younger son. His best-known connection to his father’s screen career is the film A Man Called Otto.
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In the film, Truman appears in the cast alongside Tom Hanks. The production is an adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestselling novel A Man Called Ove. That makes it a notable professional connection between father and son, but it is important to describe the project accurately: A Man Called Otto is a fictional feature film, not a documentary about the Hanks family.
Truman has generally maintained a lower public profile than Colin and Chet. The film is consequently the clearest, widely documented entry point for discussing his professional connection to his father without speculating about his private life.
How the four Hanks children differ
The family connection is the reason these four names are often discussed together, but their careers should not be collapsed into one “Hanks family” brand.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →- Colin Hanks: an actor who also works as a filmmaker and documentary director.
- Elizabeth Anne Hanks: a writer and journalist whose memoir examines family, memory, identity, and travel.
- Chet Hanks: a performer working across acting and music.
- Truman Hanks: a film professional whose most visible family-linked screen credit is A Man Called Otto.
In short, Tom Hanks’s four children have taken different approaches to public work. Colin entered acting and expanded into filmmaking; Elizabeth pursued writing; Chet combined acting with music; and Truman developed a film career that includes appearing alongside his father.
Frequently asked questions
How many children does Tom Hanks have?
Tom Hanks has four children: Colin Hanks, Elizabeth Anne Hanks, Chet Hanks, and Truman Hanks.
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Who are Tom Hanks’s children with Samantha Lewes?
Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Anne Hanks are Tom Hanks’s children with his first wife, Samantha Lewes.
Who are Tom Hanks’s children with Rita Wilson?
Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks are Tom Hanks’s children with Rita Wilson, whom he married in 1988.
Which of Tom Hanks’s children appeared in A Man Called Otto?
Truman Hanks appeared in the cast of A Man Called Otto alongside his father, Tom Hanks. The film is adapted from Fredrik Backman’s novel A Man Called Ove.
Did all four of Tom Hanks’s children become actors?
No. Colin is an actor and filmmaker, Chet works in acting and music, and Truman has worked in film. Elizabeth Anne Hanks is primarily known publicly as a writer and journalist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children does Tom Hanks have?
Tom Hanks has four children: Colin Hanks, Elizabeth Anne Hanks, Chet Hanks, and Truman Hanks.
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Who are Tom Hanks’s children with Samantha Lewes?
Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Anne Hanks are Tom Hanks’s children with Samantha Lewes.
Who are Tom Hanks’s children with Rita Wilson?
Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks are Tom Hanks’s children with Rita Wilson.
Which of Tom Hanks’s children appeared in A Man Called Otto?
Truman Hanks appeared alongside Tom Hanks in the fictional film A Man Called Otto.
The Bottom Line
Tom Hanks’s four children have distinct public careers: Colin Hanks is an actor and filmmaker, Elizabeth Anne Hanks is a writer, Chet Hanks works in acting and music, and Truman Hanks has appeared in film, including A Man Called Otto with his father.
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