Tom Hanks Was Already Married When He Felt A 'Real' Connection With Current Wife Rita Wilson

May 05, 2022 by apost team

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are a well-known power couple in Hollywood and their lasting marriage has always appeared rock solid. A fixture in the entertainment industry for decades, they're not only known for their individual work as successful actors and filmmakers, but for their wonderful love story that really does appear as if it's straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Both show business veterans, Tom is a two-time Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker, while Wilson is also an award-winning actress and producer. The couple has two sons together, Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks, while Tom has two children from a previous relationship, Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks. Colin and Chet both have careers in show business.

The couple, who are both 64 years old, has been married since 1988, and on April 30, 2021, they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary! To mark the occasion, Wilson shared a gorgeous new photo to her Instagram account, with a moving caption alongside it. Depicting her and Tom dressed in crisp white at a seaside locale, the gorgeous photo shows them incredibly happy, while their love and respect for each other is apparent solely from this picture. It's beautiful to see any love shared publicly, but especially one of Hollywood's favorite couples. 

Fans were quick to congratulate the couple, while more than a few famous friends did the same. From Cindy Crawford to Julianne Moore, the comments section on the post looks like a star-studded Hollywood party! Let's take a look at their beautiful love story and sweet anniversary celebration.

The couple first met in 1980 on the set of "Bosom Buddies," a sitcom in which Tom was a regular for two seasons. Wilson appeared as a guest star in an episode about a video dating service. Tom later told GQ, as reported by People:

“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.”

However, there was one problem — Tom was still married to his high school sweetheart Samantha Lewes. Despite his instant connection with his future wife, he tried to make his marriage work before it eventually ended in divorce. By 1985 the two reunited for the movie "Volunteers." 

When the duo reunited on the screen in "Volunteers" they were joined by funnyman John Candy. Since Tom was single, the pair began their relationship and the rest, as they say, is history. Decades later, Tom told Entertainment Tonight:

“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.” 

The couple took their relationship public in 1986 when they began to attend premieres together, with the first one being "Three Amigos." At the time, Tom was separated from Lewes before their divorce was finalized in 1987.

The couple finally tied the knot on April 30, 1988. But years later Wilson revealed that her mom was shocked that she didn't marry someone that was Greek. She told Us Weekly:

"She could not believe that I didn't marry a Greek man. But (my parents) thought he looked enough Greek and that he could blend in!"

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Together they had two children, Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks.

Wilson honored her beloved marriage to Hanks by posting to her personal Instagram account on the date of their 33rd wedding anniversary, April 30. Sharing a beautiful photo of the two of them, which looks to have been taken on holiday somewhere by the sea, the couple looks vacation-appropriate with their white outfits, tanned skin, and relaxed smiles. A golden wash of sunset only adds to the atmosphere. Captioning the post, she wrote:

"33 years of marriage to my BFF, my lover, my man. Love wins. ❤️"

In response to the special occasion and ode to their relationship, the comments section was full of friends and fans wishing them the best. This included a bevy of famous faces such as Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth, and Rosie O'Donnell, among others. 

Tom's son from his first marriage, actor and filmmaker Colin Hanks wrote, "Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids," while actress Julianne Moore commented, "Happy anniversary beauties ❤️ ." Meanwhile, supermodel Cindy Crawford kept it simple with, "Lovebirds! Congrats!" Actress Viola Davis also left a touching message:

"Beautiful couple!!! Congrats!! Here's to many more years 💛💛👊🏿"

Her sentiment was shared by Wilson herself the previous year when she celebrated her and Tom's 32nd anniversary on Instagram, writing:

"32 years with this guy! @tomhanks Happy Anniversary, my love. Let's go 32 more and then some!" 

It's incredibly sweet knowing that the couple is so public about their love every year, and as they should be — they're not one of Hollywood's favorite couples for no reason!  

They've even opened up in the past about what makes their long-running marriage work. When appearing on Kelly Clarkson's daytime talk show in April 2020, Wilson revealed that Tom's talkative character was "one of the things, when we met, that we just got along instantly," as reported by People. She continued:

"First of all, I love a good storyteller. So anybody who could tell a good story, I'm down with that ... I love that. He makes me laugh all the time. He's a great storyteller."

Speaking at the Outfest Legacy Awards in Los Angeles in 2015, Tom discussed his relationship with his wife and how they keep it going. As detailed by People, he joked that he "still can't believe my wife goes out with me," before adding:

"If we were in high school and I was just funny, I'd never have the courage to talk to her ... I wish there was a secret, you know; we just like each other. You start there." 

Very wise words from a couple whose marriage is in its fourth decade! In the same interview Tom suggested that "no one should get married before they're 30," before adding: 

"They say it must be hard work — no, it's not. Every now and again, you know, you gotta get over some stuff, but life is one damn thing after another and it's actually more pleasant to be able to go home with someone you like to spend time with in order to get with it."

Well, it's clear from both of their previous comments that one of Hollywood's favorite couples has a very healthy idea of what it takes to make a marriage work, and clearly that shows in their 33-year-long union. Congratulations and all the best to them!  

What do you think about Rita Wilson's touching anniversary message to her husband Tom Hanks? If you found this article sweet, be sure to pass it on to your friends!