An actor, a writer and a rapper: Inside the lives of Tom Hanks' four children.

Tom Hanks was just 21 years old when he became a father.

The actor shares two children, Colin and Elizabeth, to his first wife Samantha Lewes, and two children other children, Chet and Truman, with his wife of 31 years, Rita Wilson.

In a November 2019 interview with the New York Times, Hanks said his children with his first wife grew up with a different version of ‘dad’ than his two younger children.

“My son Colin was born when I was very young. As well as my daughter, but that means we have this gestalt understanding because they remember when their dad was just a guy trying to, you know, make the rent. My other kids, they were born after I had established a beachhead in every way. And so their lives were just different.”

Parenting is not easy, he said. But his love for his children knows no bounds: “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? You offer up that to them. I will do anything I can possibly do in order to keep you safe.”

Hanks teared up when he brought up kids after accepting his Cecil B. DeMille Award at last year's Golden Globes. At the time, he spoke about “five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is.”

Tom Hanks accepts the Cecil B. Demille Award at the 2020 Golden Globes. Post continues below video.

The fifth child he referred to was reportedly Samantha Bryant, his daughter-in-law who has been married to his eldest son Colin since 2010. Hanks sees her ‘like a daughter’.

“I’m sorry,” he said after getting teary, taking a moment to gather his emotions.

“A man is blessed with a family sitting down front like that. A wife who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is.”

So, who are the four people lucky enough to call the 64-year-old legend ‘Dad’?

Colin Hanks.

The eldest of the Hanks children, Colin, 43, was born to Tom and Samantha Lewes when Tom was 21 years old.

Colin has followed in his father’s acting footsteps, appearing in films including Orange County, King Kong and the Jumanji series, plus TV shows like The Good Guys, and Roswell.

He has been nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role in TV series Fargo.

Colin dated Busy Phillips in college and the pair are still close friends, holidaying together with their respective families.

In 2010, he married former New York publicist Samantha Bryant, and they share two daughters: Olivia Jane Hanks, eight, and Charlotte Bryant Hanks, six.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I already know that I'm the luckiest guy I know cause she's my partner in crime, my better half, the mother of our two incredible daughters. I've made it my duty to make sure that they know how lucky they are having her as a mother. Of course, they already know it cause THAT'S how good of a mother she is. I love you Red. Happy Mothers Day

A post shared by  Colin Hanks (@colinhanks) on May 13, 2018 at 12:07pm PDT

Plus, he owns a handkerchief company with the best name possible: Hanks Kerchiefs.

Elizabeth Hanks.

 

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Team Hanks is proud. And I am proud and more than that lucky, to have a father who has taught me to always tell the truth, to move forward, that the hang is the best part of circus life and that to make art is a gift from the gods. — Dress by @zacposen, beat by @dio_mua, nails by Sharina at @sohotrightnail, styled by @abbyarad. So much love and gratitude to my dear Roman @santiromjewelry for lending me his beautiful treasures, doing my hair did, and being a true friend.

A post shared by  E.A. Hanks (@eahanks) on Jan 6, 2020 at 5:12pm PST

Elizabeth, 38, is a writer and actor who has made appearances in movies alongside her father.

As a child, she appeared as a child on the bus in Forrest Gump, who didn't allow young Forrest to sit next to her. She also appeared in That Thing You Do! and Anchorage.

As a writer, Elizabeth's byline has appeared in the Guardian, New York Times and Buzzfeed. She is currently in the process of writing her first book.

Chet Hanks.

Chet is Tom and Rita Wilson's first child together.

The 30-year-old has been sober for a couple of years, after struggling with addiction.

In 2018, Chet told Entertainment Tonight about how the impending arrival of his daughter Michaiah, who was born in April 2016, was the wake-up call he needed to take sobriety seriously.

"It was the prospect of having a kid, and I knew that in nine months there's gonna be a baby here," Hanks said.

"That gave me the motivation to be like, 'OK, I've had my time now, and I need to move on... For me, it took something drastic happening, like becoming a father, for me to make the change."

He said his famous parents "couldn't be more supportive".

"Every step of the way… They've always been there for me and I'm really lucky."

Chet is a rapper and like this father, an actor too. He has appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Shameless, and played a rapper on Empire.

He also worked alongside his father in World War II film Greyhound last year.

Earlier in 2021, Chet was blasted online for sharing an Instagram video about "white boy summer". 

"I just got this feeling man, that this summer is about to be a white boy summer, take it how you want," he began the video.

"I'm not talking about [Donald] Trump, Nascar-type white boy summer. I'm talking about me, John B, Jack Harlow type white boy summer," he added, referencing a character from the Netflix show Outer Banks, and a popular DJ. "Let me know if you guys can vibe with that, and get ready, because I am."

He also captioned the video, "Is it 'bout to be a #WhiteboySummer or am I trippin ???? Tag a REAL vanilla king #Respectfully." 

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A post shared by 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 (@chethanx)

Of course, the people of Twitter were quick to respond. 

Chet Hanks is proof that you can do everything right in the world and kids will still embarrass tf outta you

— 🌸🌼🌺 (@xojojojoxo) March 27, 2021

Are we sure that Chet Hanks is Tom and Rita's biological offspring? Something's just not adding up. pic.twitter.com/2zXXZUsrme

— Da Magdalene (@Jacquel11272160) March 27, 2021

Sitting here imagining how many times Tom Hanks has had to say to Chet, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”

— Carol Ray Hartsell (@carolrhartsell) March 27, 2021

It's not the first time Chet has caused a stir on social media. 

In March last year, he shut down rumours on Instagram that he's part of the Illuminati after getting an eye tattooed on his chest.

"I got this f**king tattoo because I'm extremely spiritual," he explained at the time.

"You mother f**kers are going to believe what you want 'cause you're already so f**king committed to your weird Internet conspiracies."

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A post shared by 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦 (@chethanx)

Truman Hanks.

Truman, 25, is the baby of the Hanks family, and seems to prefer his time behind the camera rather than in front of it.

He was a production assistant on 2019's Charlie's Angels and 2018's The Cloverfield Paradox, a cinematographer on 2019's short film The Ice Queen Society and a camera utility for upcoming 2020 drama News of the World.

According to his father, Truman also has a degree in mathematics from Stanford.

What a family.

Read more: 

• Marriage and kids at 21 and a rom-com love story: Inside Tom Hanks' family life.

This article was originally published on January 7, 2020, and was updated on March 29, 2021.

Feature image: Getty.