Tom Hanks’s older Son Colin not Growing up in a "super-rich" Household Helped to Keep him Grounded

Dec 03, 2021 by apost team

Tom Hanks — known as "America's Dad" — is a world-renown Hollywood legend. Born in bred in the heart of California, Hanks has won countless awards and accolades. While anyone would be lucky to receive tips from the acting guru, imagine being lucky enough to be Tom Hanks’ son — and then luckier still to inherit his looks! Colin Hanks, Tom's first child, currently has his own legacy of acting and has also created his own path. We're taking a look at the similarities and differences between the father-son duo, both in looks and in terms of their Hollywood repertoires.

While Colin has gone on to follow in his father's footsteps and has become an actor and producer in his own right, he is not the typical "star kid" that people expect him to be. Tom is certainly one of the biggest Hollywood stars yet, but his start did not come easy. Like many others in Tinseltown, Tom forged his own path to fame and acclaim, and nothing came easy. 

Unlike his children with his second wife, Rita Wilson, the children he had from his first marriage, which included Colin had a very different upbringing. This is because at the young age of 21, Tom was still trying to find a path to fame, and this meant that there were times when money was tight and Tom wondered if he would even make the rent for that month. Tom opened up about some of his struggles in an interview in November 2019 and said that Colin and his sister Elizabeth remember him differently than his younger children. 

America’s favorite actor, Tom Hanks, is a celebrated figure for his Hollywood roles in both comedy and drama. Aside from being an American cultural icon, Hanks is known worldwide for his acting chops on the big screen. With a combined career of over four decades and counting, Hanks has a repertoire in both stage and on-screen. His stage productions included a performance of Shakespeare's "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" in 1978 which won him the Cleveland Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

More recently, the well-seasoned actor has played in 2018's "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" and in 2019 he voiced the role of Sheriff Woody in "Toy Story 4" as well as played the beloved Mister Rogers in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." Other than movies, Hanks has even branched out recently to TV series with the role of Commander Ernest Krause on Apple TV's "Greyhound " in 2020. However, like all actors, Hanks didn't start directly in the spotlight. His upbringing and the early beginnings of his career are what led him to his success today.  

Tom Hanks was born on July 9th, 1956 in Concord, California to his parents Janet Marylyn and Amos Mefford Hanks. According to Film Reference, his mother Janet was a hospital worker, while his father was an itinerant cook. Unfortunately, Tom Hanks' parents divorced in 1960 when he was just five years old. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Hanks reflected on the nomadic childhood he had with his father, and how acting gave him an outlet for his emotions.

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He also talked about how the divorce affected him and his siblings:

"[The divorce] was more about complexity than crossfire. I never came across anybody that was abusive or angry to the point that they took it out on us. We were confused because no one explained anything to us. No one said, 'Hey listen, you guys are great. You haven't done anything wrong – give us a couple of moments and we will figure out what we are going to do'. Nobody ever said that to us."

He went on to talk about how his childhood and life was hard for him, and he is clearly still working through it. He said he grew-up in a "blended" family and often felt that he was just “imitating the way he was supposed to be." He also gave a word of advice from his own personal experience as he said:

"There’s a difference between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness is to be avoided.”

Hanks' emotions heightened in the interview; the interview Kirsty even made him cry. However, the interview did bring some insight as to just how and why he has been able to give Hollywood such amazing performances — most notably his role as Forrest Gump.  

"Forrest Gump" is a romantic comedy-drama film depicting the life of Forrest Gump: a kind-hearted Alabama man who's not the sharpest crayon in the box, but nonetheless influences more than one of the defining historical events of the 20th century. The film goes through Kennedy and Johnson's presidencies, the Vietnam War, and even Watergate. Originally, the story of Forrest Gump comes from the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom.

Hanks played the starring role of Forrest Gump in the film — which featured several decades of the man's life — and it was arguably one of the roles that really rocketed Hanks to fame. He played the role of a man who maybe only had an IQ of 75, but genuinely wanted to reunite with his highschool sweetheart no matter what trouble he faced. According to Houston Chronicle, famous actors Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and John Travolta were all at one point up for the role of Forrest Gump, but it eventually landed with Hanks.

"Tom Hanks may be the only actor who could have played the role," esteemed film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his 1994 review.

"I can't think of anyone else as Gump, after seeing how Hanks makes him into a person so dignified, so straight-ahead. The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths."

The movie was highly successful both in the United States and around the world. According to Box Office Mojo, it raked in a whopping $24,450,602 just on opening day back on July 6th, 1994.

In an interview with CBC's Brain Johnson, Hanks talked about what it was like to play the Forrest Gump, and the collaboration it took between him, director Robert Zemeckis, and screenwriter Eric Roth:

"We had to build this guy piece by piece. Even after we were done shooting it, we were laying down some of the new narration tracks. Because Forrest just doesn't understand an awful lot about how the world works, so he can't be too knowledgeable."

However, the filming of the movie wasn't always easy. In an interview with USA Today, Hanks said:

"It was an absolute crapshoot. It’s a really crazy, unique motion picture without a doubt. And it's a movie in which the great moments that resonate are going to change depending on when you’re watching it.”

Hanks' remarkable portrayal of Forrest Gump secured Tom Hanks the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1995. Perhaps this is because Hanks was truly able to relate to Gump's story — as he himself had endured some heartache. 

Not only is Tom Hanks an acting legend — having taken on versatile roles throughout his career that have touched people’s hearts — but he is also a loving family man. He has been married twice: his first marriage to late actress Samantha Lewes in 1978 ended in divorce in 1987. They had two children: Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Ann Hanks. Samatha passed away from complications from bone cancer in September 2002, according to Oprah Magazine.

His second marriage to Rita Wilson is still touted as a rare Hollywood success and their story a treat for those who are romantics at heart. They first met on the set of “Bosom Buddies,” an ABC sitcom, and then starred together in the movie “Volunteers.” "Rita and I just looked at each other and — kaboing — that was that. I asked Rita if it was the real thing for her, and it just couldn’t be denied.” Tom told GQ, according to Daily Mail. 

In a 2015 interview with Entertainment Tonight Tom Hanks said he just knew she was the one:

"When we first looked at each other there was definitely a kind of like, 'Hey, this is the place!' I felt that, anyway. I think the end result is that we got married for all the right reasons," Tom said.

Colin has followed in his father’s footsteps and gone into acting. His first significant role was “Alex Whitman” in the series "Roswell," which he played as a teen. He has steadily been building a strong acting legacy since then, with roles in TV shows such as "Band of Brothers," "Dexter," and "Fargo," as well as movies such as "Orange County," "King Kong," and "Jumanji" series.

Speaking of their relationship, Colin had a very different upbringing as compared to his half-siblings from Tom’s marriage to Rita. In an interview with Dax Shephard on the podcast "The Armchair Expert," Colin Hanks talked about the Hanks family dynamics.

Unlike his half-brothers who grew up with both parents, Colin mainly grew up with his mother Samantha after his parents divorced. He would travel to see his father every other weekend or travel with him during the summer. “It was just a fun sort of getaway,” he told Dax. He was 17 years old when Tom Hanks’ fame shot upwards after his role in "Forrest Gump." This meant that Colin did not grow up in a “super-rich” household, which has helped to keep him grounded throughout his life. 

Tom too opened up about this in an interview with Closer Weekly in November 2019, and said,

"We have this gestalt understanding because [Colin and Elizabeth] remember when their dad was just a guy trying to, you know, make the rent," and added, "My other kids, they were born after I had established a beachhead in every way. And so their lives were just different."

Tom also opened up about what parenting meant to him in the same interview. "I start thinking about mistakes I made with my own kids and not explaining things or not being there for them," Tom candidly confessed. "Or being so preoccupied with other things that are going on in our adult world."

However, he has taken everything he has learned along with him and has become a supportive parent to his children. "Somewhere along the line, I figured out, the only thing really, I think, eventually a parent can do is say, 'I love you, there’s nothing you can do wrong, you cannot hurt my feelings, I hope you will forgive me on occasion, and what do you need me to do?'" he told the publication. 

He continued, "You offer up that to them. 'I will do anything I can possibly do in order to keep you safe.' That’s it. Offer that up and then just love them."

Colin also revealed what it's like to be Tom Hank's son, as he said:

“When I was starting off, I was sort of lovingly naive, thinking that [being the son of Tom Hanks] wasn’t as big a deal as it is … that I would get the benefit of the doubt that I was my own person … and that doesn’t happen.”

When it comes to his appearance and charisma, Colin and his dad are remarkably similar. With the same face structure, height, build, and a love for acting, one could easily mistake Colin for a younger Tom Hanks! 

What did you think of Colin's looks? Do you think he looks like his father? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments, and do share this article with your friends to show them how Colin is following in his father's acting footsteps!