Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson are one of the few Hollywood couples who have been married for 38 years.
The couple first met in 1981 on the set of the sitcom Bosom Buddies. However, at that time, Tom was married to his college sweetheart, Samantha Lewes.
Tom and Rita crossed paths again in 1985 when they starred in the film Volunteers. Again, Tom was still married to Samantha.
But, as fate would have it, Tom ended up separating from Samantha shortly after Volunteers, and Tom and Rita made their red carpet debut in 1986 at the premiere of Three Amigos.
They tied the knot just two years later in April 1988 — with Rita wearing a still-talked-about short-length wedding dress — and the rest is history.
Tom and Rita share two children, Chester and Truman, who have starred in six films together, the most recent being Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. The couple celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary in 2026.
In 2015, Rita underwent a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery following her breast cancer diagnosis. In 2026, she revealed the two requests that she had of Tom during her cancer. First, if her cancer was fatal, she wanted him to be “sad for a very long time”, and second, she wanted him to celebrate her life.
“Throw me a party. I want it to be a celebration of life. I want it to be about people telling stories and joy and remembering me in that way.” Rita made the comments at the Sound of a Woman: Rita Wilson in Conversation with Demi Moore in New York.
Read on to see Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s sweetest moments.
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Just two weeks before their 38th wedding anniversary, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson attended the opening gala for the David Geffen Galleries. Rita wore a dazzling turquoise sequinned suit, which really popped next to Tom’s all-black ensemble.
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Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson stunned on the carpet of the 2024 Governors Awards on November 17.
Tom looked incredibly sharp in a tailored black suit and silver tie, while Rita wore a glittery silver floor-length gown.
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Rita penned an incredibly sweet message for Tom in honour of his 67th birthday. “Happy Birthday to this man who is my lover, my best friend, my family, the father of my children,” she wrote on Instagram along with this picture.
“He loves a typewriter just slightly less than me, 😂 (why is there no typewriter emoji?) invents cocktails like Diet Cokecaine (Diet Coke mixed with Champagne) or a Cokearita (Diet Coke mixed with margarita), DJs regularly on @bossradio66 , is happiest being surround by his family and friends, and has committed to telling the stories of veterans and has created his own coffee brand supporting veterans, @givehanx Hanx for our Troops.”
“He is one of the smartest people I know, has made me laugh everyday for 38 years, can nap anywhere at any time. Happy happy birthday my love! 🎂💕🌸💐💕🎂🌸💐💕🎂🌸🎂💕🌸.”
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Tom and Rita celebrated their milestone wedding anniversary with cake. “35 years of marriage. April 30 1988. Love is everything,” Rita shared on Instagram in early May 2023.
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Tom and Rita were filming in Australia in early 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic. The couple were forced to isolate when they both contracted COVID-19 but seemed to be in good spirits throughout.
“Hello folks. @ritawilson and I want to thank everyone here Down Under who are taking such good care of us. We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else. There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball,” Tom wrote on Instagram.
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Tom and Rita celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in April 2018 with cardboard cutouts of themselves. How creatively sweet!
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In honour of Mother’s Day 2017, Tom publicly thanked Rita on Instagram. “Hey, Baby @ritawilson, it’s me. Happy Mothers Day! I love you everyday and so much. Hanx,” he wrote along with this cute picture.
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Tom and Rita got married on April 30, 1988.
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Tom and Rita took their relationship public in 1986 and made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Three Amigos.
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Tom and Rita first became friends when they played a couple in the 1985 comedy film Volunteers.
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