Tom Hanks is known for his warm public image, often hailed as “America’s Dad.” But behind the scenes, his only daughter, E.A. Hanks, was living a very different life. In her new memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, she opens up about the shocking details of her turbulent childhood.
The 42-year-old writer doesn’t hold back. She reveals that after her parents’ divorce in the 1980s, her life took an unexpected turn. Her mother, the late Susan Dillingham (stage name Samantha Lewes), abruptly moved her and her brother, Colin Hanks, from Los Angeles to Sacramento without informing their father. What happened after were years of instability, silence, and survival.
Tom Hanks’ daughter revealed that her mother’s emotional abuse escalated to physical abuse
She shares that at first glance, the Sacramento house looked good on the outside. It had white columns, a pool in the backyard, and a room decorated with horse posters, and it was every young girl’s fantasy. But it didn’t last. According to E.A., the home eventually “stank of smoke,” and the yard became so littered with dog waste that it was unusable.
She added that inside the kitchen was no better. The refrigerator was either empty or filled with spoiled food. Her mother, who used to be present and active, started withdrawing gradually. She would often stay in her four-poster bed, reading the Bible and barely interacting. But it didn’t stop there; E.A. added that her depression and erratic behavior led to emotional neglect, which later turned into physical violence. E.A. lived in that environment until the middle of seventh grade, when custody was reversed, and she moved back to Los Angeles.
Tom Hanks called his marriage to Samantha Lewes the lowest point of his life
While Tom Hanks has remained private about his first marriage, he briefly addressed it in a 2020 interview. He described his marriage to Samantha as one of the lowest points of his life. “I couldn’t be a worse father and I couldn’t be a worse human being,” he said, admitting the pain it caused his children.
He also spoke about his views on parenting; he remarked that one of a parent’s key roles is to delay the pressures of life for their children as long as possible. Sadly, for E.A., those pressures came early. Her mother passed away from bone cancer in 2002, shortly after calling to tell her daughter she was dying.