Tom Hanks & Samantha Lewes: The Pre-Fame Divorce That America's Favorite Actor Never Discusses

What Happened

Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes met in college and married on January 24, 1978, when Hanks was just 21 years old. They had two children — Colin (born 1977, before the marriage) and Elizabeth (born 1982). During their marriage, Hanks was a working actor but not yet a star, appearing in the television series Bosom Buddies and early films like Splash and The Man with One Red Shoe. The family lived modestly while Hanks built his career.

The couple separated in 1985 and their divorce was finalized on March 19, 1987. Hanks had recently appeared in The Money Pit and Nothing in Common, showing promise but not yet achieving the superstardom that would come with Big (1988), Forrest Gump (1994), and his back-to-back Oscar wins. Because the divorce occurred before Hanks' most lucrative period, the settlement — while not publicly disclosed — was likely a fraction of what it would have been had they divorced just a few years later.

The divorce was contentious. Court records showed that a judge had to order both parties to 'maintain the peace and desist from attacking, molesting, striking, battering or assaulting each other.' Lewes accused Hanks of harassment and filed for a restraining order. The children primarily lived with their mother, and Colin Hanks later revealed hearing his mother say: 'We don't have the money. Your Dad has that.'

Lewes passed away on March 12, 2002, from bone cancer at the age of 49. In the years before her death, she watched her ex-husband become one of the most beloved and successful actors in film history, amassing a fortune estimated at over $400 million. Her own net worth at the time of death was estimated at $15 million. The case illustrates the cruel timing of pre-fame divorce — had Lewes divorced Hanks even three years later, the settlement would have been dramatically larger. It also underscores the emotional toll on the left-behind spouse who watches their former partner achieve extraordinary success.

Legal Breakdown: Early-Career Divorce and Future Earnings

What This Means for Your Divorce