EA Hanks, daughter of Tom Hanks, has revealed in her new memoir how her late mother, Susan Dillingham, was deeply affected by the actor’s rise to fame.
In The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road, EA Hanks reflects on her complicated family history during a six-month road trip to her mother’s hometown in Florida.
Tom Hanks married Susan Dillingham in 1978 after meeting her at Sacramento State University. The couple had two children — Colin Hanks and EA Hanks — before divorcing in 1987. Tom Hanks went on to marry actress Rita Wilson in 1988.
In her book, EA Hanks writes that her mother, an aspiring actress, never recovered from Tom Hanks’s growing fame in the 1980s after starring in hits like Splash, The Money Pit, and Big.
EA Hanks describes her mother as a “would-be actress who never recovered from her ex-husband’s catastrophic fame.”
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Speaking to Vanity Fair, EA Hanks explained, “She felt that his stature in the world obliterated her and any chance she had at continuing her stage career.”
According to EA Hanks, her mother saw Tom Hanks becoming the Tom Hanks as “more insult to injury.”
Elizabeth also reveals her mother may have suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder, with growing neglect that eventually led to a change in custody.
She recalls a home filled with cigarette smoke, an empty fridge, and emotional volatility that turned physical, prompting her move to Los Angeles during seventh grade.
Tom Hanks is mentioned throughout the memoir, not just as a celebrity figure, but as a father whose fame had personal consequences.
She uses her story to explore the human cost of stardom, especially for those left behind.
Through The 10, EA Hanks not only seeks to understand her mother’s pain but also reflects on how fame can fracture families.
Her story serves as a powerful reminder that the glitter of Hollywood often masks private heartbreak, even for the family of someone as beloved as Tom Hanks.
