Tom Hanks and Samantha Lewes divorced after 9 years, 2 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $5M. Full timeline and prenup facts inside.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Hanks' first marriage ended before his superstardom; modest settlement.
Tom Hanks and the actress Samantha Lewes, born Susan Dillingham, met at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Ohio, where they were both working, and they married on 4 January 1978. They had a son, Colin Hanks, who became an actor, and a daughter, Elizabeth. Hanks was then a young stage and television actor who had yet to make his name in film, and Lewes was an actress and stage manager.
At the time of the marriage Hanks had little wealth. His career took off in the 1980s with the television series Bosom Buddies and the films Splash and Big, and in the 1990s he won two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actor, for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. He later became one of the biggest stars in the world, with a fortune estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. Most of that money was made after the divorce.
The couple were married in 1978 and divorced in 1987, after about nine years. The marriage ended when Hanks's film career was beginning to blossom, and he met the actress Rita Wilson on the set of Volunteers in 1985. Hanks married Wilson in 1988, and they have remained married ever since. Lewes died in 2002.
Reports said that Hanks agreed to pay spousal and child support after the divorce, and some accounts claim a figure of about $5 million, though this is likely to be an estimate expressed in later values. Lewes was reported to have received alimony and child support, and the divorce was resolved without a long dispute. Hanks was not yet a major star, so the actual sums were small.
The headline sum in lists is large mainly because of Hanks's later wealth. At the time of the divorce, he was a rising actor and his earnings were modest. The settlement was set on the basis of his income in the 1980s, which was much lower than it would be a few years later. The reported figure therefore reflects hindsight.
Hanks's career and wealth grew considerably after the divorce, with Big, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Toy Story. He co-founded the production company Playtone with Gary Goetzman. Lewes remained out of the public eye. Hanks's support payments had little effect on his later fortune.
The Hanks and Lewes case is typical of a first marriage ending just before a star's financial breakthrough, as with the Hart divorce and the Smith divorce. It is much smaller than the settlements of the stars at their peak, but it often appears on lists because of Hanks's later fame.
Hanks and Lewes met while performing in a Shakespeare festival. Their son Colin appears in film and television. Hanks's long marriage to Rita Wilson is regarded as one of the most stable in Hollywood. The $5 million figure is an estimate.
Samantha Lewes's reported settlement was about $5 million.
They married in 1978 and divorced in 1987, a marriage of roughly 9 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 2 children.
Reported assets include: Cash, California property, early film royalties.
The headline sum in lists is large mainly because of Hanks's later wealth. At the time of the divorce, he was a rising actor and his earnings were modest.