Look back on the highlights of their loving, 30-plus year relationship.
First married in 1988, actors, entertainers and producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have had a lasting Hollywood romance, proving that even the most ideal relationship isn't limited to what fans dream about or see projected on the big screen. (Even in the rom-coms, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and others, that the power couple have helped produce.)
And when looking back on the secret to their three decades together, the two-time Oscar winner told ET it simply comes down to the fact that "we got married for all the right reasons." Wilson later said, "I really like him and he really likes me and we laugh a lot."
With their relationship showing no signs of slowing down, here's a look back at notable highlights from their 30-plus years together:
First Meeting and Marriage
When Hanks was 16 years old, he first spotted Wilson in an episode of The Brady Bunch. "I was watching on a Friday night. This cheerleader was so cute, she knocked me out… And then I married her," Hanks told ET.
While Hanks was first married to the late actress Samantha Lewes from 1978 to 1987, their relationship wasn't meant to be.
The actor then finally met Wilson on the set of his 1980s series Bosom Buddies, which starred the future Oscar winner as one of two friends who disguise themselves as women in order to live in a cheap apartment building that's for female tenants only. In season 2, Wilson appears as Cindy in the episode, "All You Need is Love."
"When we first looked at each other there was definitely a kind of (pointing to camera), 'Hey, this is the place!' I felt that anyway," Hanks shared with ET later.
The two eventually reunited on the set of Volunteers, a 1985 comedy starring Hanks as Lawrence and Wilson as Beth, who rejects her newfound friend's advances while they're all working for the Peace Corps in Thailand.
The couple eventually got married in 1988, one year after Hank's divorce from Lewes and after the actor became a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, which is Wilson's faith. "I thought I loved this woman six months ago, but I love her even more now. So it keeps changing all the time," Hanks told ET while promoting the release of Big just days before his wedding.
Blended Hollywood Family
During Hanks' marriage to Lewes, the two had two children together – Colin in 1977 and Elizabeth in 1982.
After getting married to Wilson, the couple had two more children, both sons. The eldest is Chet, who was born in 1990, and the younger of the two is Truman, who was born in 1995.
Both Colin and Chet have followed their parents into the business, by carving out their own places in Hollywood. Colin has appeared on both film and TV, with his most recent roles being Impeachment: American Crime Story, The Offer and A Friend of the Family. Chet, meanwhile, has established himself as a rapper and has appeared on Empire, Shameless and Your Honor.
Work Together On and Off Screen
After appearing in Volunteers together, the two have appeared in several of the same movies. In the early 1990s, that included The Bonfire of the Vanities and Sleepless in Seattle, while Hanks directed Wilson in 1996's That Thing You Do! and 2011's Larry Crowne, both of which also starred the actor. Most recently, the two made cameos as themselves in the 2020 Oscar-nominated Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Behind the scenes, the two produce films and TV shows through Playtone, with Hanks serving as co-founder and CEO and Wilson as CFO. Some of their biggest hits include HBO's Big Love, Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again as well as the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films, which closely resembles their own real-life romance. "I'm even better than a Greek boy because I'm a non-Greek who had the good sense to marry a Greek," Hanks told ET.
Oscar Win and Mr. Rogers
In 1994, when Hanks won his first Oscar for Philadelphia, he spoke out about his love for Wilson while accepting his trophy. "We should all be able to experience such heaven right here on earth," he said at the time, before telling ET backstage, "Everyone should be so lucky with their lover."
Since then, both Hanks and Wilson have gushed to ET about their love and admiration for each other. In 2018, Hanks proclaimed that his wife was "one of the most classically beautiful women who's ever walked the planet Earth," while in 2001, Wilson restrained herself from sharing how she truly felt about her husband. "I thought he looked so handsome," she said. "I can't tell you what else I would say."
In 2019, Hanks portrayed children's TV host Fred Rogers in the biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. And while working on the film, the life lessons Rogers taught to kids played a role in Hanks' marriage to Wilson, especially when it comes to some of their occasional spats.
"When my wife and I are going at it on those rare occasions, when she is letting me know that I'm not really listening to her and I'm trying to establish what the ground rules are [for the argument], when we're going at it like that, one of us will say, 'Well, you know what? You know what, honey? It's good to talk. It's good to say the things we feel,'" Hanks told ET. "And I learned that from Mister Rogers."
The actor also revealed that the couple usually spends their free time together indulging in a mutual love for cooking. "We make soup together," Hanks said. "Like, if we have a day off and there's nothing going on… it takes about two to three hours."
Health Battles and COVID-19
During their time together, the couple has battled several health scares, with Wilson notably revealing in 2015 that she had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstruction after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
In an interview with the New York Times, the actress shared how her husband supported her through a tough time. "You never know how your spouse is going to react in a situation like this," she said. "I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me… who knew it would make you even closer?"
"I would say that we got closer, if that's even possible to say," Wilson told ET, while Hanks added, "My wife can beat anything." After it was confirmed that Wilson was cancer-free, Hanks later said, "God bless the luck of the draw and the people who have been in her corner."
Nearly five years later, the two would go through another health battle together, this time as one of the first people in Hollywood to test positive for COVID-19 before the coronavirus led to a worldwide shut down in 2020.
After the two recovered, a source told ET that getting through their illness together definitely strengthened their relationship. "This year, experiencing COVID-19 together was life-changing," the source said. "They had to ride the wave of an illness that could have killed one or both of them. Being apart from their children during the experience made them reflect on everything they have in life, especially each other. It has made them truly appreciate their love for one another and the life they have built."
The two then celebrated their 32-year wedding anniversary by doing what the two love to do most together: cook. "Their plan is to enjoy their favorite wine and create a lovely dinner together. They both love to cook," the source said of their plans at the time.
"Tom and Rita get so excited about their anniversary because it's a reminder to them that they are blessed to have found a lifetime partner," the source added. "Their friends always say, 'They just both feel lucky to have each other.'"
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