Tom Hanks’ only daughter is offering a rare glimpse into her upbringing.
Elizabeth Anne Hanks, known professionally as E.A. Hanks has come forward with allegations of abuse against her late mother, Susan Dillingham—who acted under the name Samantha Lewes and was previously married to the Oscar-winning actor.
According to the 42-year-old, the alleged abuse began after her parents divorced in the 1980s, when Susan was granted primary custody of her and her brother, Colin Hanks, now 47. E.A. claims their mother abruptly moved them from Los Angeles to Sacramento, California—a decision that reportedly blindsided Tom, according to E! News.
“My dad came to pick us up from school and we’re not there,” E.A. wrote from her book The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, per People. “And it turns out we haven’t been there for two weeks and he has to track us down.”
She explained that after the divorce agreement was finalized, she would spend weekends and summers with her father, stepmother Rita Wilson, and eventually her younger half-brothers, Chet and Truman Hanks. However, from the ages of 5 to 14—years marked by a mix of confusion, violence, deprivation, and love—she primarily lived in Sacramento.
Her childhood house shifted from “white house with columns, a backyard with a pool, and a bedroom with pictures of horses plastered on every wall” eventually became a home that “stank of smoke,” E.A. wrote.
“As the years went on, the backyard became so full of dog s–t that you couldn’t walk around it. The fridge was bare or full of expired food more often than not, and my mother spent more and more time in her big four-poster bed, poring over the Bible. One night, her emotional violence became physical violence.”
E.A. shared that she lived with her mother until midway through seventh grade, when the custody arrangement changed, allowing her to move to Los Angeles. From that point on, she spent weekends and summers in Sacramento. During her senior year of high school, she received a call from her mother, who told her she was dying.
Susan passed away in 2002 at the age of 49 after a battle with bone cancer.
Tom Hanks has rarely addressed his first marriage publicly. However, in a 2020 interview, he described the divorce as an incredibly painful period and acknowledged the emotional toll it took on him, as well as on E.A. and her brother Colin.
E.A.’s book The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road will be released Tuesday, April 8.
