| About Samantha Lewes | |
|---|---|
| Known As | Susan Jane Dillingham |
| Age | 49 Years |
| Birth | November 29, 1952 San Diego, California |
| Death | March 12, 2002 Sacramento, California |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse | Tom Hanks 1978 - 1987 |
| Children | Elizabeth Hanks, Colin Hanks |
| Parents | Harriet Collins Dillingham, John Raymond Dillingham |
| Address | Sacramento, California |
| Country | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Cause of Death | Bone Cancer |
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson’s long-lasting marriage is one of the few successful marriages in Hollywood. They have been together for so long, during the majority of the Forrest Gump star’s successful career, that we sometimes forget it is Hanks’ second marriage. Before Wilson, Hanks was married to Samantha Lewes. But their marriage reportedly had a turbulent breakdown. Our Samantha Lewes’ wiki elaborates more on Tom Hanks’ first marriage.
Samantha Lewes’ Father Was a Marine
Born Susan Jane Dillingham on November 29, 1952, in San Diego, California, she went by Samantha Lewes as her stage name. Dillingham was the only daughter born to John Raymond Dillingham and Harriet Collins Dillingham.
Her father John was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1941 to 1967. He married Harriet Collins in 1942, but they separated in 1962.
During his military service, Dillingham’s family lived in California, North and South Carolina, Hawaii, Florida, and Virginia. After separating from her husband, Collins put the military spouse life behind to work as a teacher to elementary school children.
Dillingham passed away in 1981 in Virginia. At that time, he was survived by Samantha and her siblings, Michael, Bruce and Eric. Collins passed away in 2014 of a stroke.
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Lewes and Hanks Have Two Children
Tom Hanks married his college sweetheart, Susan Dillingham, in 1978. By the time they tied the knot, they were already parents to Colin Hanks (born November 24, 1977).
Colin, also an actor, is touted as the most successful of the Hanks scions. Most recently, he was seen in the Jumanji movies.
Hanks and Lewes’ daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1982. A few years later, the couple would divorce (in 1987).
Lewes sadly passed away of bone cancer on March 12, 2002. She was 49. She is survived by Colin and Elizabeth, and predeceased her mother.
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A Book Claims Hanks Abused Lewes
Under the stage name Samantha Lewes, Hanks’ then-wife tried to make it as an actress. She only has two known credits, Mr. Success (1984) and a cameo in Hanks’ sitcom, Bosom Buddies (1981).
Bosom Buddies is where Hanks first met Rita Wilson, who had a guest appearance in 1981. Nothing came out of that first encounter. He and Wilson reunited on the set of Volunteers in 1985, and romance sparked from there.
After his divorce from Lewes was finalized, the Oscar-winning actor married Wilson in 1988. They are parents to two sons, Chet and Truman Hanks.
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Over the years, Hanks would admit his shortcomings in his first marriage and attribute its failure to his being too young when they got married and became parents. But an explosive book published a few years after Lewes passed away would paint a different picture.
The Tom Hanks Enigma was a biography published in 2006 by David Gardner, who claimed to have access to court papers from Lewes’ and Hanks’ divorce. Gardner claims that in the papers, Lewes alleged Hanks harassed and abused her in efforts to end her acting career.
Their divorce proceedings had begun in 1985. Gardner’s book claims Lewes sought a restraining order against Hanks.
She alleged that Hanks forced her into depositions as she was cast in lead roles in plays. “[It’s] designed to harass and upset me at a time when I should be focusing all of my energies on my job,” she reportedly said in court documents. Hanks’ side allegedly countered by claiming Lewes had put forth the allegations to delay the legal process and “squeeze an unfair settlement out of [Hanks].”
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