Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Celebrate 35th Wedding Anniversary With Joyous Smiles And Cake

May 02, 2023 by apost team

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are a well-known power couple in Hollywood, and their lasting marriage has always appeared rock solid. A fixture in the entertainment industry for decades, they're not only known for their individual work as successful actors and filmmakers but for their wonderful love story that really does appear as if it's straight out of a Hollywood movie.

Both show business veterans, Tom is a two-time Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker, while Wilson is also an award-winning actress and producer. The couple has two sons together, Chet Hanks and Truman Hanks, while Tom has two children from a previous relationship, Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks. Colin and Chet both have careers in show business.

The couple, who are both 66 years old, has been married since April 30, 1988. Over the years, they have treated their anniversaries as special occasions. For instance, to mark their 33rd wedding anniversary, Wilson shared a gorgeous photo on her Instagram account with a moving caption alongside it. Depicting her and Hanks dressed in crisp white at a seaside locale, the gorgeous photo showed them incredibly happy, while their love and respect for each other is apparent solely from this picture. It was beautiful to see any love shared publicly but especially from one of Hollywood's favorite couples. 

And over the years, Hanks and Wilson have shared many sweet sentiments about one another and their relationship, explaining how they’ve been able to have such a successful relationship for so many years. To celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, Wilson shared another special Instagram post dedicated to love. Let's take a look at their beautiful love story.

The couple first met in 1980 on the set of "Bosom Buddies," a sitcom in which Hanks was a regular for two seasons. Wilson appeared as a guest star in an episode about a video dating service. Hanks later told GQ, as reported by People:

“Rita and I just looked at each other and — kaboing — that was that. I asked Rita if it was the real thing for her, and it just couldn’t be denied.”

However, there was one problem — Hanks was still married to his high school sweetheart Samantha Lewes. Despite his instant connection with his future wife, he tried to make his marriage work before it eventually ended in divorce. By 1985 the two reunited for the movie "Volunteers." 

When the duo reunited on the screen in "Volunteers," they were joined by funnyman John Candy. Since Hanks was single, the pair began their relationship and the rest, as they say, is history. Decades later, Hanks told Entertainment Tonight:

“When we first looked at each other there was definitely a kind of like, ‘Hey, this is the place!’ I felt that, anyway. I think the end result is that we got married for all the right reasons.” 

The couple took their relationship public in 1986 when they began to attend premieres together, with the first one being "Three Amigos." At the time, Hanks was separated from Lewes before their divorce was finalized in 1987.

The couple finally tied the knot on April 30, 1988. But years later, Wilson revealed that her mom was shocked that she didn't marry someone that was Greek. She told Us Weekly:

"She could not believe that I didn't marry a Greek man. But (my parents) thought he looked enough Greek and that he could blend in!"

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Wilson honored her beloved marriage to Hanks by posting to her personal Instagram account on the date of their 33rd wedding anniversary, April 30, 2021. She shared a beautiful photo of the two of them, which looked to have been taken on holiday somewhere by the sea. The couple looked vacation-appropriate with their white outfits, tanned skin and relaxed smiles. A golden wash of sunset only added to the atmosphere. Captioning the post, she wrote:

"33 years of marriage to my BFF, my lover, my man. Love wins. ❤️"

In response to the special occasion and ode to their relationship, the comments section was full of friends and fans wishing them the best. This included a bevy of famous faces such as Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth and Rosie O'Donnell, among others. 

Hanks’ son from his first marriage, actor and filmmaker Colin wrote, "Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids," while actress Julianne Moore commented, "Happy anniversary beauties ❤️ ." Meanwhile, supermodel Cindy Crawford kept it simple with: "Lovebirds! Congrats!" Actress Viola Davis also left a touching message:

"Beautiful couple!!! Congrats!! Here's to many more years 💛💛👊🏿"

Her sentiment was shared by Wilson herself the previous year when she celebrated her and Hank’s 32nd anniversary on Instagram, where she wrote:

"32 years with this guy! @tomhanks Happy Anniversary, my love. Let's go 32 more and then some!" 

It's incredibly sweet knowing that the couple is so public about their love every year, and as they should be — they're not one of Hollywood's favorite couples for no reason!    

Following her newfound singing career, Wilson released her debut album in 2012. Afterward, she went on tour, and naturally, Hanks joined. Alongside that experience, the couple has also traveled together extensively when they filmed movies on location. Wilson told E! News in 2016:

“We’ve gone all over the world. We’ve taken our family. We’ve gotten to live in cities that you normally wouldn’t get to live in and become a normal person and going to the market and finding your favorite coffee shop. Just pretending that you’re a local and that’s really great. You don’t feel rushed." 

While Hanks was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2012, Wilson only received hers in March 2019. Of course, Tom was there to show his support, as well as a number of other famous faces, including Roberts. 

Hanks and Wilson have been by each other’s side through thick and thin. According to Entertainment Tonight, Wilson revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2015. She underwent a double mastectomy and is now cancer-free.

“God bless the luck of the draw and the people who have been in her corner,” Hanks said.

Their marriage has continued to grow over the years, although Hanks and Wilson don’t think they are experts at it. “Most of our friends have been married longer than we have,” Hanks shared. “We're kinda the young pups when it comes to it.”

Still, the couple has opened up about some of their secrets to keeping their marriage so successful over the years.

They've even opened up in the past about what makes their long-running marriage work. When appearing on Kelly Clarkson's daytime talk show in April 2020, Wilson revealed that Hanks’ talkative character was "one of the things, when we met, that we just got along instantly," as reported by People. She continued:

"First of all, I love a good storyteller. So anybody who could tell a good story, I'm down with that ... I love that. He makes me laugh all the time. He's a great storyteller."

Speaking at the Outfest Legacy Awards in Los Angeles in 2015, Hanks discussed his relationship with his wife and how they keep it going. As detailed by People, he joked that he "still can't believe my wife goes out with me," before he added:

"If we were in high school and I was just funny, I'd never have the courage to talk to her ... I wish there was a secret, you know; we just like each other. You start there." 

Very wise words from a couple whose marriage is in its fourth decade! In the same interview, Hanks suggested that "no one should get married before they're 30," before he added: 

"They say it must be hard work — no, it's not. Every now and again, you know, you gotta get over some stuff, but life is one damn thing after another and it's actually more pleasant to be able to go home with someone you like to spend time with in order to get with it."

Well, it's clear from both of their previous comments that one of Hollywood's favorite couples has a very healthy idea of what it takes to make a marriage work, and clearly, that shows in their long union.  

The couple's love has shown no signs of slowing down, and in April 2023, they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary with another wonderful post on social media. Wilson shared a photo of her and Tom sitting together with a gorgeous cake that said "Happy Anniversary." Both of the actors looked relaxed as they smiled and were dressed chicly in black outfits. Wilson captioned the post:

"35 years of marriage. April 30 1988. Love is everything."

Celebrity friends of the couple passed on their best wishes. Jennifer Garner wrote:

"Happy anniversary, Rita! Congratulations! ♥️♥️♥️"

Meanwhile, Moore left a simple, "Congratulations ❤️❤️❤️." Other actors who wished the couple well included Nikki Reed, Leslie Odom Jr. and Kenan Thompson. 

Despite the couple's fairytalelike relationship from the outside, they're the first ones to admit a healthy relationship like theirs takes work. Tom once told Oprah Winfrey:

"The success of our relationship was a matter of timing, maturity and our willingness to have an intimate connection. When I married Rita, I thought, 'This is going to require some change on my part.' I won't deny that providence was part of us finding each other, but our relationship isn't magic — the way it's shown in movies. In real life, our connection is as concrete as me sitting here. Not that marriage doesn't come close to being hell in a handbasket sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we'll be with each other—and we'll get through it."

Nevertheless, they sure do make it look easy. All the best to the happy couple! 

What do you think about Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s long-lasting relationship? What tips do you have for a successful marriage? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.