Tom Hanks’ Daughter E.A. Hanks Opens Up About Troubled Childhood in New Memoir
E.A. Hanks, daughter of Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, has released a powerful memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road, revealing unsettling aspects of her upbringing. At 43, E.A.—born Elizabeth Anne—is Tom’s only daughter with late actress Samantha Lewes. The memoir paints a vivid picture of her early years marked by emotional and physical turmoil.
She recalls being raised primarily by her mother, describing years of “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love” in Sacramento. E.A. shares details of neglect—empty fridges, a house reeking of smoke, and worsening conditions—as her mother, who she believes may have struggled with mental illness, withdrew from daily life. At one point, her mother relocated her and her brother Colin without informing their father.
Eventually, E.A. moved back to live with Tom in Los Angeles.
Tom Hanks has responded publicly, calling the book a point of pride and praising his daughter’s honesty and literary talent. E.A. says the memoir was inspired by a reflective road trip in 2019—echoing a similar one she took as a teen with her mother.
