ACTOR
Rita Wilson
- Known for
- Jingle All the Way (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), Too Much (2025), Psycho (1998)
18 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Rita Wilson is an actor best known for Jingle All the Way, Runaway Bride and Too Much.
All facts (18)
- #001
Rita Wilson first met Tom Hanks in 1981 on the set of Bosom Buddies (1980), where she appeared as a guest actor playing Peter Scolari's Satan-worshipping girlfriend. Their relationship did not ignite until they reunited on the set of Volunteers (1985).
- #002
Her father chose to change his surname to Wilson because it was the name of the street they lived on.
- #003
Rita Wilson is largely credited with securing a film deal for Nia Vardalos's My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) after seeing Vardalos perform her autobiographical one-woman show; the film went on to become the highest-grossing independent film of all time, surpassing $200 million. She convinced her husband, Tom Hanks, to set the film up at his company Playtone, and Playtone distributed it to financiers and distributors thanks to the Hanks-Wilson seal of approval. (Side note: Rita and Tom had a "Big Fat Greek Wedding" of their own in 1988.)
- #004
Rita Wilson made her Broadway debut in "Chicago," taking over the role of Roxie Hart.
- #005
Rita Wilson is the mother of Chet Hanks (b. August 4, 1990) and Truman Hanks (b. December 26, 1995) with her husband, Tom Hanks.
- #006
Her father was a Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim) born in Greece who lived in Bulgaria and Turkey and worked at a race track; he changed his name to Allan Wilson. Her mother, Dorothy, who is of Greek descent, was born and raised in a Greek village near the Albanian border.
- #007
Rita Wilson attended Princess Diana's funeral with her husband, Tom Hanks.
- #008
Her father, Hasan Halilov Ibrahimoff, left Bulgaria in 1947, two years after the Soviet Union seized control of the government. He moved to the United States on May 4, 1949. Because of his sympathy for the United States, the Bulgarian government declared him an enemy of the state.
- #009
On March 29, 2019, Rita Wilson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7024 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #010
Rita Wilson is the stepmother of Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks.
- #011
Rita Wilson supports various cancer and children's charities.
- #012
Her older sister is Lily Wilson (a teacher), and her younger brother, Chris Wilson, is the composer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).
- #013
Her niece Carly Reeves appears alongside her on screen in Raise Your Voice (2004), which stars Hilary Duff.
- #014
Rita Wilson attended Hollywood High School in California and later trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in England. One of her classmates at LAMDA was Deborah Moore, and the two have been close friends ever since.
- #015
Rita Wilson gave her own personal TED Talk titled "The Question I Almost Didn't Ask And How It Changed My Life."
- #016
Her niece Kristen Reeves is an entertainment reporter for Orange County TV.
- #017
(March 12, 2020) Her husband, Tom Hanks, announced that he and Wilson had contracted COVID-19 while he was filming Elvis (2022) in Australia and that they were experiencing mild symptoms. They were admitted to Gold Coast University Hospital.
- #018
Rita Wilson is the sister-in-law of Jim Hanks and Karen Praxel.
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