Rita Wilson Celebrates ‘Love’ Tom Hanks on His 69th Birthday

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have proven for decades that Hollywood romances can stand the test of time. According to Hanks, it was love at first sight when it came to his eventual wife — even if he didn’t meet her until years after he first saw her. Wilson made her TV debut on the Brady Bunch in 1972, as Pat Conway, which is when the actor first fell for her. “Oh, every now and again I just pull it up in YouTube. All of the stuff that she was in,” Hanks told The Knot and other reporters in 2016. “I was actually at a friend of mine’s house when that aired and remember thinking, ‘That girl is cute.’” After meeting on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981, sparks between the two could instantly be seen. At the time, Hanks was married to his college school sweetheart, Samantha Lewes. When the pair reunited to film Volunteers in 1984, their chemistry was undeniable and a relationship between the two followed — after the Splash actor’s marriage broke apart a few years later. Although his divorce wasn’t finalized until 1987, Hanks and Wilson took their relationship public in 1986. On April 30, 1988, the pair tied the knot, Scroll below to see how Hanks and Wilson’s relationship has evolved over the years.

The eventual couple met on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981. Hanks was a regular on the ABC comedy, playing Kip Wilson and Buffy Wilson, while his future wife guest-starred on the “All You Need Is Love” episode that aired on December 18, 1981.

In 1984 the actors reunited to star in the 1985 film Volunteers. The movie was about a Yale graduate and womanizer named Lawrence (Hanks) who flees to the peace corps after his father refuses to pay off his gambling debt. While in Thailand he meets Tom Tuttle from Tacoma (John Candy) and Beth Wexler (Wilson). The film began a friendship between the stars that quickly led to romance.

Following their first public outing as a couple in December 1986 to the Three Amigos premiere, the duo stepped out at the 1987 Academy Awards, which began their reign as one of Hollywood’s favorite power couples.

In 1988, the lovebirds tied the knot and Hanks still knows he chose the right partner. “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,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2015 of his marriage to Wilson. “I think the end result is that we got married for all the right reasons.”

At the 1989 Golden Globes, Hanks celebrated his win by thanking his new bride. "I married a Greek babe,” he said in his acceptance speech after winning Best Actor for Big. “She was born right here in California, right here in Hollywood, but her folks are great, she's marvelous, Rita Wilson—thank you, babe, for marrying me. You made my year already, but thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press."

The newly married couple welcomed their first child together, son Chester also known as Chet, on August 4, 1990. Hanks shared daughter Elizabeth and son Colin with ex-wife Samantha Lewes.

In June 1992, the Sully star received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Wilson was right by his side.

The lovebirds reunited in 1992 to film 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle. In the film, Wilson played Suzy, who is Hanks’ character Sam’s best friend. With the help of Suzy and a radio talk show, Sam finds love with Meg Ryan’s Annie.

In 1994 and 1995, the California native won an Academy Award for Best Actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, respectively. During both speeches, the actor praised his wife for her constant support. "I am standing here because the woman I share my life with has taught me and demonstrates for me every day just what love is,” he said in 1995.

On December 26, 1995, the couple welcomed their second child, another son, Truman Theodore. A few months earlier, they jetted off to London to meet Princess Diana while attending the premiere of Apollo 13.

The pair teamed up for their first production project together in 2002 to do My Big Fat Greek Wedding. They later produced the sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, in 2016 and both Mamma Mia! and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.

While appearing on Piers Morgan Tonight in May 2012, Wilson reflected on one of her many sweet moments with her husband. "I'll never forget, we were standing on the corner of 57th and 5th in New York, or 58th and 5th,” the Now and Then actress recalled. "We were holding hands, and we were waiting for the traffic light to change. And he looked at me and he said, 'You know, I just want you to know, that you never have to change anything about who you are in order to be with me.'" She continued, "Literally, a wave of — if love is a feeling, or a cellular thing that happens to your body, it went through me, and that's pretty much who he is, and how he's been."

In April 2015, the Jingle All the Way actress announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. During her fight with the disease, her husband was always by her side. “Who knew it would make you even closer?” Wilson told The New York Times in May 2015 of how the illness altered her relationship with Hanks. “You never know how your spouse is going to react in a situation like this. I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me. It was such a normal, intimate time.”

The couple revealed that they travel a lot for their different projects, like Italy for Hanks’ film Inferno, or all over the U.S. for Wilson’s self-titled album. "We have so much fun. Being on location is one of the greatest things,” Wilson told E! News in October 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 store and shop. Just pretending that you're a local and that's really great. You don't feel rushed."

The Broadway actressreceived her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 30, 2019. Of course, her husband of more than 30 years was there to gush about her and her accomplishments. "She has a highlight reel that any of us would envy," Hanks said at the ceremony. “Her smile and her charm has appeared in magazines and TV shows and commercials; and yet she had more to do and more to learn with her heart and in her head.”

The It’s Complicated actress revealed in April 2019 to Us Weekly exclusively how her relationship with the Oscar-winning actor has evolved over the past three decades. “It’s like anything,” Wilson explained to Us. “We got married, we committed to each other, we love each other and we work hard at our relationship. Not only do we love each other, we really like each other, and we like being together, and we support each other and we keep the communication channels open. That’s always important.”

The A Man Called Ove star received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 77th annual Golden Globes in January 2020. During his speech, which received a standing ovation, Hanks showed his family a lot of love. “[I’m] a man [who] is blessed. … Blessed with a family sitting down front like that,” he said while choking up. “A wife, who is fantastic in every way, who has taught me what love is. Five kids who are braver and stronger and wiser than their old man is, and a loving group of people who have put up with me being away months and months at a time.” He added, “I can’t tell you how much your love means to me.”

On March 11, 2020, the Band of Brothers producer announced that he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus while on location for the untitled Elvis Presley film in Australia. “Hello, folks,” Hanks penned at the time. “Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive.”

He gave an update to his followers the following day while referencing his 1992 film A League of Their Own. “There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no?” Hanks wrote via Instagram. “Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.”

Following the couple’s recovery from COVID-19 in late March, Wilson opened up about being together in sickness and in health. “I think that having the virus at the same time made it that little bit easier,” the singer told The Guardian in an interview published on April 17. “We were taking care of each other instead of having the pressure of taking care of one person and no one taking care of you or understanding that the person at home needs a break.”

The Sleepless in Seattle star gushed about her husband ahead of their 32nd anniversary in April, reflecting on what first drew her to Hanks. “We just got along instantly,” Wilson said on an April episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “First of all, I love a good storyteller. So anybody who can tell a good story, I’m down with that.”

What sealed the deal for the singer was the fact that the Oscar winner was very chatty when they first met, which fit in well with her “very vocal” Greek family. “Talking and food, that was pretty much our whole existence,” she continued. “I love that. He makes me laugh all the time. He’s a really good storyteller.”

One month after returning home to L.A. following the couple’s COVID-19 battle and recovery, the lovebirds celebrated their anniversary on April 30. “32 years with this guy! @tomhanks Happy Anniversary, my love,” Wilson wrote via Instagram to honor the day. “Let’s go 32 more and then some!”

"33 years of marriage to my BFF, my lover, my man. Love wins. ❤️," Wilson gushed in a sweet tribute to her husband on their wedding anniversary.

“Riding into 65 better than ever! Happy Birthday to the love of my life! Xox,” Wilson wrote on Instagram to celebrate her husband’s July 9 birthday.

During an outing in New York City, Hanks defended his wife when a crowd of fans nearly caused her to fall over. “My wife? Back the f–k off! Knocking over my wife?!” the Elvis actor said to the crowd before getting into a car with Wilson. 

Wilson shared a snap of her husband looking relaxed in the woods on his 66th birthday. "Happy Birthday!!!!! Love you so much and everyday. 🎂🎂🎂," she wrote via Instagram.

The married couple twinned in black at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammys bash.

President Joe Biden invited the A Man Called Otto actor and the country songstress to celebrate Greek Independence Day at the White House.

The couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary on April 30. "35 years of marriage. April 30 1988. Love is everything," Wilson captioned an Instagram photo of Hanks holding up a "Happy Anniversary" cake to celebrate the milestone.

“1988? April 30th? Big Doings,” Hanks wrote via Instagram when remembering his wedding day with Wilson. “The Wilson & Hanks couple became Wife & Husband. 36 years! Nothing but Love since… Hanx.”

While celebrating 37 years of marriage, Hanks shared a shirtless selfie with his wife at an undisclosed tropical location.

“37 years married,” he wrote via Instagram on April 30. “Today! Love you, Mrs. -Mr. THanks.”

Wilson paid tribute to her husband in honor of his 69th birthday.

“Happy Birthday, my love. 🩷,” she captioned the Instagram post which included a photo of Hanks in glasses while sitting at his typewriter.