It can’t be a coincidence that the 35th wedding anniversary is also referred to as a “canvas wedding”. At least not with the actor couple Tom Hanks (66) and Rita Wilson (66), who have been happily married to each other for exactly 35 years.
No wonder the two are regularly asked about the secret of their happy marriage. However, they have not revealed it yet, although they recently offered to reveal it at a price of 17 billion dollars. At the 2023 Grammy Awards, Hanks opened up to the stunned reporters, “We always like to let the press know there’s a secret. Now we’ve bottled it – and we’re going to sell it to you individually for $17 billion.”
The secret is probably quite simply that the two harmonize perfectly with each other. In a talk with star presenter Oprah Winfrey (69), Tom Hanks described their relationship as follows: “I consider my wife my significant other and we have a bond that goes beyond words like girlfriend or mother.”
By the time Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s love story began, the two actors were still on the verge of their big breaks. Hanks, then married to college sweetheart Samantha Lewes (1952-2002), first met Rita Wilson while filming the comedy Volunteers. As he remembers in an interview with “GQ”, everything happened very quickly: “Rita and I just looked at each other and – kaboing – it happened”.
After Hanks’ divorce in 1987, the path to their enduring marital bliss was finally clear. On April 30, 1988, the two young stars, who were still completely wrinkle-free, exchanged vows in Los Angeles.
The common offspring was not long in coming. In 1990 their son Chet (32) was born, followed in 1995 by his brother Truman (27). Both sons would later also become actors.
The couple celebrated their big breakthrough as Hollywood stars in 1993 with the huge success of the film “Sleepless in Seattle”, for which they stood in front of the camera together for the first time. For Hanks in particular, one career highlight followed the next in the coming years. He received his first Oscar for his leading role in the AIDS drama “Philadelphia” in 1994, and the following year he received the same award for “Forrest Gump”.
Since 1996, Tom Hanks has also been behind the camera and produces films with his own company Playtone. There are regular joint projects with his wife. The two produced the hit comedy “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” together in 2002, and their tragic comedy “A Man Named Otto” premiered in 2022, starring Tom Hanks and son Truman in the role of young Otto.
As of 2020, Hanks and his (American-Greek) wife also hold Greek citizenship and spend a lot of time together at their home on the Greek island of Antiparos. This is probably also the place where they will spend their 35th wedding anniversary – without much hype and all alone with the secret of their great love.
