Tom Hanks’ daughter, Elizabeth Ann, has made serious allegations of abuse against her late mother, who was the actor’s first wife.
Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks attend a screening at Odeon on February 13, 2007 in New York City(Image: Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Elizabeth Ann Hanks, the daughter of Tom Hanks, has come forward with harrowing details about her upbringing in a soon-to-be-released memoir. She alleges her late mother, Susan Dillingham, known professionally as Samantha Lewes, subjected her to “emotionally and physically violent” behaviour during her childhood.
The revelations from Elizabeth (also referred to as EA) have cast a spotlight on the troubling times she endured growing up within an unstable home environment, even in the shadow of her father’s stardom.
Speaking candidly, EA recounted her experiences between the ages of five and 14 in Sacramento as periods tinged with “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love.”
Elizabeth Ann Hanks is seen at the “CBS Morning” show in Times Square on April 09, 2025 in New York City(Image: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Tom Hanks tied the knot with his former wife, actress Susan Dillingham, in 1978, during the period when he was still aspiring for success in Hollywood. However, after nine years together, the couple parted ways in 1987.
Their union was set against the backdrop of Tom Hanks’ burgeoning career, well before he became an iconic figure in showbiz, reports the Mirror.
Tom and Susan had two children together—Elizabeth Ann and Colin Hanks. The siblings were primarily raised by their mother post-separation, though they spent weekends with their father.
Tom later remarried, this time to Rita Wilson, with whom he welcomed two more sons, Chet and Truman Hanks.
Susan tragically died from bone cancer at the tender age of just 49 back in 2002, leaving her daughter Elizabeth Ann, who was only 19 at the time, deeply affected.
Elizabeth Ann details the tumultuous relationship she had with her late mother in her autobiography, pointing to experiences of neglect and abuse during their time in Sacramento after her parents’ separation.
Elizabeth Ann lays bare her past and family dynamics in her forthcoming book “The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road.”
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Truman Theodore Hanks, and Elizabeth Hanks at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in 2020(Image: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
She touches on her claim Samantha struggled with undiagnosed bipolar disorder and sheds light on her troubled history.
An extract from the anticipated memoir reads: “I was born in Burbank, but after my parents split up, my mother took my older brother and me to live in Sacramento. I have few memories of the early years in Los Angeles.
“Eventually a divorce agreement was settled, and I would visit my dad and stepmother (and soon enough my younger half brothers) on the weekends and during summers.
“But from 5 to 14, years filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love, I was a Sacramento girl. I lived in a white house with columns, a backyard with a pool, and a bedroom with pictures of horses plastered on every wall.
Tom Hanks married actress Susan in 1978(Image: Getty Images)
“As the years went on, the backyard became so full of dog s**t that you couldn’t walk around it, the house stank of smoke. The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not, and my mother spent more and more time in her big four-poster bed, poring over the Bible.
“One night, her emotional violence became physical violence, and in the aftermath I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade.
“My custody arrangement basically switched – now I lived in LA and visited Sacramento on the weekends and in the summer.
“When I was 14, my mother and I drove across America along Interstate 10 to Florida, in a Winnebago that lumbered along the asphalt with a rolling gait that felt nautical.
“My senior year of high school, she called to say she was dying.”
The Mirror has tried to contact Tom Hanks’ representatives for a response.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!
If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.