Tom Hanks’ daughter reveals turbulent past in new memoir
Tom Hanks' daughter has accused her late mother of psychological and physical abuse. Elizabeth Hanks wrote about this in a book, of which a controversial excerpt has surfaced online.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Tom Hanks and actress Susan Dillingham, known as Samantha Lewes. Her parents got married in 1978; however, their marriage only lasted nine years. After the divorce, she and her brother Colin were placed in their mother's care and did not have frequent contact with their father.
She dedicated considerable attention to this stage of her life in her book titled "The 10: A Memory of Family And The Open Road." An excerpt shared by People magazine reveals her difficult relationship with her mother. It turns out that she used disreputable practices towards her children.
One night, her emotional violence became physical violence, and in the aftermath, I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade — she wrote.
Tom Hanks' daughter did not hide that she and her brother were treated poorly by their mother. Recalling her childhood in Sacramento, she still envisions a yard full of dog droppings, where they couldn't walk because it always ended in a fight.
She also remembers a refrigerator filled with expired food and a mother who spent entire days in bed reading the Bible. Susan Dillingham took the children to Sacramento without Tom Hanks' knowledge.
Tom Hanks' daughter suspects her mother had mental health issues
In 2019, Elizabeth Hanks undertook a journey by camper as part of her work on the book, visiting places associated with her traumatic experiences. The writer tried her best to understand her mother. Ultimately, she did not portray her solely in a negative light.
She suspects that her mother had an undiagnosed bipolar disorder, with symptoms that included delusions and paranoia. The first wife of the "Green Mile" star passed away in 2002 at just 49 years old.
The cause of death was bone cancer. The actress, known from the series "Bosom Buddies" and the movie "Mr. Success," called her daughter shortly before her death to inform her that she would soon die. Elizabeth Hanks was 19 years old at that time.
