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E.A. Hanks, Daughter of Tom Hanks, Details Childhood Marked by “Violence” and “Deprivation” in New Memoir
Elizabeth Anne Hanks, known as E.A. Hanks, the daughter of acclaimed actor Tom Hanks and his former spouse Susan Dillingham (also known as Samantha Lewes), has disclosed unsettling revelations regarding her upbringing. In her forthcoming memoir, she describes her childhood as being characterized by “violence” and “deprivation.” These details about her early life are coming to light as she prepares to release her book, offering a candid account of her experiences.
Memoir “The 10” Explores Family History and Road Trip
E.A. Hanks, using her abbreviated given name, delves into her troubled formative years in her highly anticipated book, titled “The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road.” The memoir recounts a significant six-month journey in 2019 along Interstate 10, tracing a path from Los Angeles to Palatka, Florida. This location holds significance as the former residence of her mother.
“The 10” chronicles E.A.’s quest to gain deeper insight into the complex and challenging life of her late mother, Samantha Lewes (Susan Dillingham).
Samantha Lewes’ Life and Family Dynamics
Samantha Lewes, who adopted her stage name early in her acting career, passed away in 2002 at the age of 49 due to lung cancer. According to claims made by her daughter E.A. Hanks, now 42, in “The 10,” Lewes allegedly subjected both E.A. and her brother, Colin Hanks, to physical abuse and neglect.
Recollections of a Childhood Amidst Parental Separation
In an excerpt from her memoir published by People, E.A. Hanks shares poignant memories of her parents’ relationship. “I am a child from the First (non-famous) Marriage,” she writes. “My only recollections of my parents together are at Colin’s high school graduation, and then my own high school graduation. I possess just one photograph of myself positioned between my parents. In that image, my mother’s wig, her best one, is slightly askew.”
Following their separation in 1985, Susan Dillingham relocated with E.A. and Colin to Sacramento, California, the city where she and the renowned “Forrest Gump” star initially met as drama students.
Early Life in Los Angeles and Sacramento
E.A. Hanks reflects on her early years, stating, “I have scant memories of our initial period in Los Angeles.” She further explains that after her parents’ official divorce in 1987, she and Colin would visit their father, stepmother Rita Wilson, and younger half-siblings, Chet and Truman, “during weekends and summer holidays.” However, from the age of 5 to 14, E.A. identifies as a “Sacramento” resident, experiencing “years marked by confusion, violence, deprivation,” but also acknowledging the presence of “love.”
Describing her childhood home, she recalls, “I resided in a white house distinguished by columns, a backyard featuring a pool, and a bedroom adorned with horse pictures covering every wall.”
Deteriorating Conditions and Family Struggles
However, E.A.’s home life took a turn for the worse as time progressed. She recounts the family’s backyard becoming severely unkempt, “so full of dog excrement that it was impossible to walk through,” and adds, “the house reeked of cigarette smoke.”
Further detailing the decline, she states, “The refrigerator was often empty or filled with spoiled food, and my mother increasingly spent her days in her large four-poster bed, engrossed in reading the Bible,” as noted by the Vassar College alumna.
Turning Point and Relocation to Los Angeles
“One evening, her emotional abuse escalated into physical violence, and in the aftermath, I relocated to Los Angeles, abruptly in the middle of seventh grade.”
Subsequent to this incident, “the custody arrangement essentially reversed.” E.A. and Colin moved to Los Angeles “and would visit Sacramento on weekends and during the summer months.”
Inspiration for Cross-Country Memoir Journey
The transcontinental expedition undertaken in 2019 was inspired by a prior journey along the same Interstate 10 route with her mother.
“When I was 14, my mother and I embarked on a drive across America along Interstate 10 to Florida, in a Winnebago that ambled along the asphalt with a rolling motion reminiscent of being at sea,” she recounts.
It was during her final year of high school that Susan Dillingham “telephoned to inform me that she was terminally ill.”
Relationship Timeline: Marriage and Divorce
Samantha Lewes and Tom Hanks married in 1978, a year after their son Colin was born. They later separated in 1985, with their divorce finalized in 1988. While Lewes never remarried, Hanks married Rita Wilson, currently 68 years old, in 1988.
“The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road” Release Date
“The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road” by E.A. Hanks is scheduled for release on April 8.