Jordan Karlesson
The career of Colin Hanks is often overshadowed by that of his father, Tom Hanks. But while Tom Hanks is having another banner year thanks to his performances in Elvis, Pinocchio, and A Man Called Otto, Colin Hanks is also having a notable run.
Videos by Rare
The Career of Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks, 45, is the oldest son of Tom Hanks. His mother is actress Samantha Lewes.
Before appearing in teen comedies Whatever It Takes and Get Over It, the younger Hanks got his career underway with the role of Alex Whitman in the sci-fi series Roswell in 1993.
He also appeared in the TV show The OC and the HBO war miniseries Band of Brothers.
Colin Hanks then acted in two films with Jack Black: the comedy Orange County and Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong.
He also played in films including W. and Elvis & Nixon, and TV shows such as Mad Men and The Good Guys.
Colin Hanks’ Fledgling Family
In addition to having Tom Hanks as a father, Colin Hanks’ family members include stepmother Rita Wilson, and half-brother Chet Hanks.
He had a relationship with actress Busy Philipps while going to college in the 1990s and then got married to a former publicist, Samantha Bryant, in May 2010.
They have a couple of daughters, born in 2011 and 2013.
Colin Hanks’ Other Family
The true-crime documentary trend crested with a new peak in 2017 courtesy of Abducted in Plain Sight. The Netflix film, also called Forever B, retold the creepy story of a child named Jan who was kidnapped by her neighbor in Idaho — twice.
The documentary, based on the 2003 memoir by her and her mother — Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story — came out in 2019.
October saw the release of Colin Hanks’ nine-part miniseries A Friend of the Family on Peacock. It recounts the same series of events.
The weird incidents took place in the 1970s at the hands of Robert Berchtold, to dramatic effect.
Hanks is also working with Ryan Reynolds on a documentary about actor John Candy. Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort, will develop the project, in which Candy’s family is also involved.
Reynolds announced the forthcoming documentary on social media. He also mentioned Hanks as being involved, though it is still not known to what degree.
“With John Candy trending, I’ll just say I love him. So much so, [production company Maximum Effort] is working on a documentary on his life with [Colin Hanks],” Reynolds wrote. “Expect tears.”
