Elizabeth Anne Hanks, the daughter of the acclaimed actor Tom Hanks, has recently opened up about her challenging childhood experiences with her mother following their parents’ divorce. Her candid reflections shed light on the complexities of growing up in a high-profile family, providing insight into the emotional struggles she faced during her formative years.

E.A. Hanks Reveals Her Emotional Journey During Childhood

Insights from Hanks’ personal narrative come courtesy of People, which recently featured an excerpt from her forthcoming book titled The 10: A Memoir of Family And The Open Road. In this deeply personal memoir, Hanks shares poignant memories from her childhood, highlighting her lack of recollections of her parents coexisting harmoniously. This absence of shared family experiences has profoundly shaped her understanding of family dynamics.

“I am a kid from the First (non-famous) Marriage,” Hanks poignantly states. “My only memories of my parents in the same place at the same time are Colin’s high school graduation, then my high school graduation. I have one picture of me standing between my parents. In it, my mother’s best wig is slightly askew.” This heartfelt reflection underscores the emotional distance she felt throughout her childhood.

E.A. Hanks is the daughter of the legendary actor Tom Hanks and his first wife, Sophie Dillingham, who was known as Samantha Lewes during their marriage. The couple met as theater students in the 1970s at Sacramento State University and went on to have two children, E.A. (Elizabeth Anne) and her older brother Colin Hanks. After their marriage in 1980, the couple divorced in 1985, leading to Susan receiving primary custody of both children, which would have a lasting impact on E.A.’s upbringing.

E.A. Hanks Shares Her Experiences of Growing Up in Sacramento

Despite having visitation rights with their father, E.A. recounts a pivotal moment when her mother relocated the family from Los Angeles to Sacramento without any prior notice. While she was never formally diagnosed, E.A. suspects her mother may have struggled with bipolar disorder, recalling her formative years as a tumultuous period characterized by “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love.”

“I was born in Burbank, but after my parents split up, my mother took my older brother and me to live in Sacramento,” Hanks reflects. “I have few memories of the early years in Los Angeles. Eventually, a divorce agreement was settled, allowing me to visit my dad and stepmother (and later my younger half-brothers) on weekends and during summers. However, from ages 5 to 14, which were filled with confusion, violence, deprivation, and love, I was a Sacramento girl. I lived in a white house with columns, a backyard with a pool, and a bedroom decorated with pictures of horses plastered on every wall.”

Hanks goes on to detail how her mother’s behavior escalated to physical abuse, ultimately resulting in a change of custody that led her to live in Los Angeles. “As the years progressed, the backyard became cluttered with dog waste, making it nearly impossible to navigate, and the house was often filled with the stench of smoke. The refrigerator was either empty or stocked with expired food,” she describes. “My mother spent increasing amounts of time in her large four-poster bed, obsessively reading the Bible. One night, her emotional abuse turned into physical violence, which prompted my move to Los Angeles right in the middle of seventh grade,” Hanks explains. “My custody arrangement flipped — I now lived in L.A. and would visit Sacramento on weekends and during summer vacations. When I turned 14, my mother and I embarked on a cross-country journey along Interstate 10 to Florida in a Winnebago that rolled along the highway with a swaying motion that felt reminiscent of being at sea.”