Tom Hanks, known worldwide as a beloved actor and symbol of the “All-American Dad,” is now facing a deeply personal and emotional revelation — not from the media, but from his own daughter. Elizabeth “E.A.” Hanks, his daughter from his first marriage, has shared a raw and painful look at her childhood in her upcoming memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road.
Far from the polished Hollywood image, E.A.’s account paints a complex picture of confusion, emotional trauma, poverty, and love, all while growing up away from the spotlight.
Life Outside the Limelight
E.A. Hanks is the daughter of Tom Hanks and his first wife, Samantha Lewes, whom the actor was married to from 1978 to 1987. Together, they had two children — Colin Hanks, now 47, and E.A., now 42. After their divorce, Tom married actress Rita Wilson, with whom he shares two more sons, Chet (34) and Truman (29).
While Hanks went on to build a widely admired career, E.A.’s childhood took a very different path. After the divorce, she and her brother moved with their mother from Los Angeles to Sacramento — far from the Hollywood life.
“The House Was a Mess”
In the memoir, E.A. recalls years that were difficult and chaotic. She describes how her father once came to pick them up from school, only to find they hadn’t been there for two weeks — he had to track them down.
From age 5 to 14, she lived primarily with her mother in Sacramento, and describes the environment as neglected and unstable.
“The backyard became so full of dog s— that you couldn’t walk around it,” she writes. “The house stank of smoke. The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not.”
A Family Struggling with Mental Health
E.A. also opens up about her mother’s mental health, claiming Samantha Lewes likely had bipolar disorder, although she was never officially diagnosed. She writes that her mother suffered bouts of paranoia and emotional instability, which later turned physically violent. After one such episode, E.A. moved back to Los Angeles with her father during seventh grade.
She discovered her mother had bone cancer during her senior year of high school, and Samantha Lewes died in 2002.
Not an Attack on Tom Hanks — But Still Painful
Though the book includes emotional stories from her past, sources close to the family stress that the memoir is not an attack on Tom Hanks. One insider told the Naughty But Nice podcast:
“This book doesn’t attack Tom. But it does show that things were messy, especially in the early years. It’s brutally honest — and that honesty hurts.”
Tom Hanks is reportedly saddened by the book’s contents, but he hasn’t denied any of it. The source added:
“He loves his daughter, but this has been a hard one to swallow. It strips away the polish — and that’s hard for someone who’s always tried to do the right thing.”