The iconic actor doesn't shy away from saying he is 'the most cool' grandfather to his grandkids.
The world might have seen Tom Hanks play tons of iconic characters throughout his 40-year-long career but now the two-time Oscar winner is mastering the role of a doting grandfather off-screen. The 66-year-old legendary American actor is a proud grandfather to three grandkids whom he absolutely adores. Although today Hanks is thriving in his role as a happy family man, he didn't have a stable family life while growing up. According to The Irish Times, Hanks was only five when his parents Amon Hanks and Janet Frager got divorced. After their separation, he and his older brother and sister went to live with their father, while another brother lived with their mother.
The divorce affected him and his siblings a lot as they had to move constantly from one city to another. Talking about that period in his life during an appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, Hanks revealed that he "quickly adapted to changing environments all the time." The actor admitted that he felt lonely at times because he and his older siblings practically raised themselves without any adult supervision. "We were tasked to make our own lunches and dinners," Tom said.
"No one told me how to brush my teeth," the actor recalled in 2019. "I never flossed until I was out of high school, because dental hygiene was handled by a filmstrip that we saw in second grade that said, really, try to eat an apple, and that cleans your teeth. So, hey, I had an apple last week, so my teeth are kind of clean."
After having a difficult childhood, Hanks became a father for the first time soon after marrying his college sweetheart Samanta Lewes at the age of 21. In a 2016 interview with BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs, the Forrest Gump star shared that the decision to marry at such a young age was motivated in part by loneliness. However, he believes that fatherhood kept him from turning into a trainwreck as a young Hollywood star as his responsibilities made him grow up quickly. "Having a kid at 21 was the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he admitted.
However, Hanks and Lewes parted ways in 1987. Things turned around for the beloved star when he again found love with actress Rita Wilson. Now, the Cast Away actor leads a jolly good life as a doting grandfather to his grandchildren - Olivia, Charlotte, and Michaiah.
Hanks and Wilson also believe they are the "cool grandparents." The duo proclaimed so at a 2017 event, with Tom emphasizing that they are "the most cool," reported Entertainment Tonight. Meanwhile, Tom’s oldest son, actor Colin Hanks, told Us Weekly last year that his daughters don't care about their grandfather being a famous personality. "They're aware of what he does for sure," Colin said. "It's just the same way they're aware of what their father does for a living, but they don't have really much interest in it... I mean, I wasn't on 'Hannah Montana,' so they don't really have any interest in what I do."
He previously shared that his daughters' time with Hanks is "like every other playdate with a grandparent. The grandparent gives them stuff they shouldn't be having, and the grandparents don't listen to what the parents are saying they should be doing."
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwND2U9yK2M
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079m78n#play
Cover Image Source: Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain
