Samantha Dillingham: The Untold Story Of Tom Hanks' First Wife
Who Was Samantha Dillingham?
Before Rita Wilson, before global superstardom, Tom Hanks was married to a woman named Susan Jane Dillingham, who performed under the stage name Samantha Lewes. Their story is a foundational chapter in the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved actors, marked by young love, family, heartbreak, and later, painful revelations. Samantha Dillingham was not just a footnote in Tom Hanks' biography; she was a talented actress, a mother to his two eldest children, and a figure whose own life was cut tragically short. Her legacy is complex, shaped by her own career, her marriage to a rising star, and the traumatic childhood her daughter later publicly described.
This comprehensive look delves into everything we know about Tom Hanks' first wife, from their college meeting and Hollywood marriage to the struggles she faced and the shocking truths revealed by her children. We'll explore her biography, her career, the dissolution of her marriage, and the enduring impact of her life and death.
Biography and Personal Details
Early Life and Background
Susan Jane Dillingham was born on November 29, 1952, in San Diego, California. Her zodiac sign was Sagittarius, and she held American nationality. Little is publicly known about her early family life in San Diego before she pursued higher education and a career in acting. She later adopted the professional name Samantha Lewes, a choice that would become intrinsically linked to her identity in the public eye during her marriage and beyond.
Bio Data Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Susan Jane Dillingham |
| Stage Name | Samantha Lewes |
| Date of Birth | November 29, 1952 |
| Place of Birth | San Diego, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, Producer |
| Spouse | Tom Hanks (m. 1978; div. 1987) |
| Children | Colin Hanks (b. 1977), Elizabeth "E.A." Hanks (b. 1982) |
| Date of Death | 2002 |
| Place of Death | Carmichael, Sacramento County, California |
| Cause of Death | Lung Cancer |
The Beginning: College Sweethearts in Sacramento
Where Did Tom Meet Samantha?
Tom met Samantha, whose real name was Susan Dillingham, while they were both studying theatre at California State University in Sacramento. This was the mid-1970s, a time when both were young, ambitious students dreaming of careers in performance. Their shared passion for theater created an immediate bond. Sacramento State's theater program was their incubator, a place where they honed their craft and built a relationship that would quickly become serious.
Their romance blossomed against the backdrop of college life—classes, local theater productions, and the shared struggle of breaking into a notoriously difficult industry. For Tom Hanks, this was his first major relationship, a partnership that would precede his move to New York and then Los Angeles for professional opportunities. Samantha Lewes was there from the very beginning of his journey, a witness to his earliest steps as a working actor.
A Hollywood Union: Marriage and Motherhood
The Wedding and Early Years
Tom Hanks married Susan Dillingham, widely known as Samantha Lewes, in 1978. The ceremony marked the formal union of two college lovers now navigating the precarious world of show business. At the time, Tom was a struggling actor with minor roles, and Samantha was building her own resume under her stage name. They married before Tom achieved the fame that would later define his life.
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To this marriage two children were born: a son in 1977 and a daughter in 1982. Notably, their son, Colin Hanks, was born in 1977, a year before the couple's official wedding. This detail places the beginning of their family prior to their legal marriage, a common occurrence that speaks to the organic evolution of their relationship. Their daughter, Elizabeth Hanks (who now goes by E.A. Hanks), arrived five years later, completing their family unit.
Life in the Spotlight
As Tom Hanks' career began to gain momentum with roles in television and film, the family dynamic shifted. Samantha Lewes was an actress in her own right, with credits including a role in the 1980 film "Bosom Buddies" (the same project that gave Tom his breakout TV role) and a part in the 1981 film "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge". However, her career was often overshadowed by her husband's rapidly ascending star.
A iconic photo from this period captures Samantha Dillingham (a.k.a. Samantha Lewes) and Tom Hanks at the premiere of "Splash" in 1983. This film was a major turning point for Tom, catapulting him to leading-man status. The image of the couple at the premiere symbolizes a pivotal moment: they were a Hollywood pair, but the scales were beginning to tip, with Tom's fame growing exponentially while Samantha's own acting career remained in supporting roles.
The Cracks Appear: Divorce and Its Aftermath
The End of the Marriage
Thomas and Susan divorced in March of 1987. After nearly a decade of marriage and two children, the couple separated. The divorce came at a time when Tom Hanks was becoming a bonafide movie star, with hits like "Big" (1988) on the horizon. The pressures of fame, coupled with the inherent challenges of their relationship, proved insurmountable.
The divorce was finalized, and Samantha Lewes retreated from the Hollywood spotlight that now fully embraced her ex-husband. She returned to her roots in Sacramento, seeking a quieter life away from the glare of tabloid attention that followed Tom and his subsequent marriage to actress Rita Wilson in 1988.
A Mother's Struggle and a Daughter's Revelation
Years after the divorce, a deeply personal and painful narrative emerged from the family. Hanks, the daughter of actor Tom Hanks and his first wife, Susan Dillingham, has revealed shocking details about her childhood. In a memoir, Elizabeth Anne (E.A.) Hanks detailed a traumatic upbringing under her mother's care.
Tom Hanks’ daughter Elizabeth has written a memoir detailing her traumatic childhood with mum Susan Dillingham, who she says ‘pushed me, shook me, pulled my hair and locked me in a closet’. These allegations paint a stark picture of physical abuse and emotional neglect. E.A. stated that her mother "pushed me, shook me, pulled my hair and locked me in a closet," and that this abuse was directed at both her and her brother, Colin. She also claimed her mother struggled with mental health issues.
This memoir, published decades after the divorce, forced a public reckoning with the private pain that existed within the family during and after the Hanks-Dillingham marriage. It framed Samantha Lewes not just as Tom Hanks' first wife, but as a mother battling her own demons, with devastating consequences for her children.
Later Life and Tragic Death
Health Battles and Final Days
After her divorce from Tom Hanks, Samantha Lewes largely lived out of the public eye in the Sacramento area. According to accounts from her daughter, she continued to struggle with mental health challenges. Her life came to a premature end.
She died at her home in Carmichael, Sacramento County.Samantha Lewes passed away in 2002 from lung cancer. She was only 49 years old. Her death was a quiet affair, a stark contrast to the global fame of her ex-husband. It was reported that she was a private person in her final years, and her passing was noted primarily in local Sacramento obituaries and by those who remembered her acting work or her connection to Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks was once married to Samantha Lewes, who struggled with mental health issues before dying of cancer, according to their daughter E.A. This sentence succinctly captures the arc of her later life: a battle with internal struggles, culminating in a fatal illness, all while living in the shadow of a famous ex-spouse.
The Complex Legacy of Samantha Lewes
Career and Recognition
She is best known for being the first spouse of Tom Hanks (American actor and filmmaker). This is the undeniable, if reductive, public fact. However, she did have her own artistic pursuits. Beyond "Bosom Buddies" and "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge," she had small acting roles and worked as a producer. Her talent was real, but the trajectory of her career was forever altered by her marriage and its aftermath. Samantha Lewes was a talented Hollywood actress who never achieved the breakout role that might have defined her independently.
Family and Moving Forward
Her two children have taken very different paths. Colin Hanks followed his father into acting, building a respected career with roles in "Fargo," "Life in Pieces," and "Toy Story 4." He has generally been discreet about his childhood. E.A. Hanks became a writer and journalist, using her platform to process and share her difficult experiences through her memoir. Their stories are the living legacy of their mother—a woman they remember with a mixture of love, pain, and complexity.
Addressing the Central Questions
- Who was Tom Hanks’ first wife? She was Susan Jane Dillingham, a San Diego-born actress who used the name Samantha Lewes professionally. She was a theater student at Sacramento State, the mother of Colin and Elizabeth Hanks, and Tom Hanks' first spouse.
- What happened to her? After a divorce in 1987, she lived privately in Sacramento, struggled with mental health, and died of lung cancer at age 49 in 2002.
- What is her story? It's a story of young love in college, a Hollywood marriage during its early, uncertain years, motherhood, the collapse of that marriage under the weight of changing circumstances and personal struggles, and a quiet, tragic death. It is also, through her children's eyes, a story of trauma and its long-lasting effects.
Conclusion: Beyond the "First Wife" Label
The story of Samantha Dillingham is intrinsically tied to the story of Tom Hanks' rise. She was his partner during his most formative, pre-fame years, the mother of his first children, and a person who lived a full life beyond her connection to him—a life marked by her own artistic ambitions, her personal battles, and her eventual, early death.
The later revelations from E.A. Hanks' memoir complicate this narrative, introducing a layer of profound personal tragedy. It reminds us that behind every public figure are private individuals with their own struggles, and that the collateral damage of family breakdown can be severe and long-lasting.
Ultimately, Samantha Lewes remains a figure of interest not because she was Tom Hanks' first wife, but because her life encapsulates a specific, bittersweet era in Hollywood history—the era before the superstar, when two theater students from Sacramento were simply trying to make it, together. Her legacy is a reminder of the human stories that exist in the margins of fame, stories of talent, love, hardship, and loss that deserve to be remembered in their own right.
Samantha Fraser | Shapes, Inc
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Catherine Dillingham – Medium
