While Tom Hanks’ son Chet often makes headlines for all the wrong reasons, and his oldest son Colin is an established actor in his own right, Truman Hanks is far more likely to fly under the radar. He followed his father into entertainment, but he typically prefers to remain behind the camera. However, you can see him onscreen in A Man Called Otto, in which he played a younger version of his father’s character.
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Here’s an inside peek into the life of Truman Hanks, the youngest son of Tom Hanks and his wife of 33 years, Rita Wilson.
Truman Hanks Was Born In 1995 To Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson
Truman Theodore Hanks came into the world on December 26, 1995. Unlike Chet and his half-brother Colin, Truman has spent most of his life out of the public eye. Photographers have caught glimpses of Truman over the years, and he has made occasional red carpet appearances with his family. It seems like perhaps the youngest of the Hanks family prefers a quiet life.
We know that Truman did obtain a formal education. From 2010 until 2014 he attended The Thatcher School, a private boarding school in Ojai, California. He then went on to attend college at Stanford University, graduating in 2018.
He Performed Opposite His Father In ‘A Man Called Otto’
In 2023, fans got a rare opportunity to see Truman onscreen. He appeared as a young Otto Anderson alongside his father in A Man Called Otto. The film features Tom as a curmudgeonly older Otto who gave up on life after losing his wife, only to find fresh hope in a new friendship. Tom told People that is was “special” getting to work with his son, and Truman joked that all of the Hanks children are experts at imitating their famous dad.
While he’s largely chosen to remain behind the camera, Truman clearly isn’t lacking in talent.
Truman Hanks Has Been Behind The Scenes In Many Films And Productions
According to his LinkedIn and IMDb pages, Truman is following in his father’s footsteps in the entertainment business. But he appears to be pursuing a career primarily behind the camera rather than focusing on acting. He worked as a production assistant on the 2018 film The Cloverfield Paradox and the 2019 film version of Charlie’s Angels. Truman has also worked as a production assistant for Bad Robot, a well-known film and television production company led by J. J. Abrams.
In addition to production, he also served in the camera and electrical departments of famous films like Black Widow (2021) and West Side Story (2021). The film adaptation of West Side Story was directed by Steven Spielberg, who worked with Truman’s dad on several movies, including Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, Bridge of Spies, and The Post.
Truman Hanks does have an Instagram account, but he keeps it private. Clearly, this Hollywood kid enjoys living his life away from the spotlight.
Tom Hanks Has Four Children Altogether
Tom Hanks is the proud father of four talented kids. The Castaway actor became a first-time dad at the tender age of 21 and has admitted to making mistakes along the way. “I start thinking about mistakes I made with my own kids and not explaining things or not being there for them,” he told The New York Times in 2019. “Or being so preoccupied with other things that are going on in our adult world.”
But Hanks says in the end, he’s realized the best way to show up as a father is to offer unconditional love. “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 explained. “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 Hanks Is An Actor, Too
Hanks’s first son, Colin, was born on November 24th, 1977. Colin’s mom was Samantha Lewes, Hanks’s first wife, who was married to the Bosom Buddies actor from 1978 until 1987. Sadly, Lewes died of bone cancer in 2002 when she was just 49 years old.
A successful actor in his own right, you may recognize Colin for parts on TV shows and in movies. His credits include Orange County, Roswell, Band of Brothers, Untraceable, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Jumanji: The Next Level. In 2010, he married former New York publicist Samantha Bryant and together, they have two daughters, Olivia and Charlotte. That makes Tom Hanks a grandpa!
Elizabeth Ann Hanks Is Tom’s Only Daughter
Colin has a sister, Elizabeth Ann Hanks, who was born on May 17, 1982. She’s a writer, actress, and producer who appeared in a couple of her dad’s films, including Forrest Gump and That Thing You Do! She’s also been in film and TV shorts, such as Anchoraged, City Kitties: The Article, and Big City Greens.
Tom Shares Chet And Truman With Rita Wilson
Because Colin and Elizabeth were born before Tom became a huge Hollywood star, The Da Vinci Code actor says they had a different upbringing than his other two children. “We have this gestalt understanding because [Colin and Elizabeth] remember when their dad was just a guy trying to, you know, make the rent,” Tom admitted in The New York Times interview. “My other kids, they were born after I had established a beachhead in every way. And so their lives were just different.”
Tom had those other two children after he split from his first wife and married actress Rita Wilson in 1988. Now together for more than three decades, the couple had Chester “Chet” Hanks on August 4th, 1990. Five years later, their youngest son, Truman Hanks, was born.