- Chet Hanks is an American model and actor
- He is 34 years old
- He is the son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Chet Hanks is a man you may know by his last name, but you will also recognize him by his face. Hanks, 34, is the son of legendary actor Tom Hanks and actress Rita Wilson. Wilson and Hanks have been married since 1988 and have two children together. Three of Hanks’ siblings and half-siblings are also actors, showing that the gene runs in the family.
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However, Hanks is a triple threat – he is an actor, musician, and model. He recently released a song titled You Better Run, and the music video was inspired by the iconic film Forrest Gump, which his father led.
Hanks has one daughter born in 2016, and has credited his daughter with allowing him to get sober.
You may recognize the actor from various shows, but he most recently starred in Kate Hudson‘s Netflix basketball comedy Running Point. In the show, Hanks plays star basketball player Travis Bugg, who also struggles with substance abuse.
Yes, people are noticing him, but what should we know about Hanks?
Who is Chet Hanks?
Hanks was born on 4 August 1990 in Los Angeles, California. He is the eldest child of Tom Hanks, 68, and Rita Wilson, 68, although Hanks had children before he met Wilson. As a teenager, Hanks was troublesome, and his parents sent him to the Oakley School, a boarding school for troubled children.
Following his adolescence, he attended Northwestern University, where he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Hanks’ career
Like his parents, Hanks became an actor. His debut role was iconic in Bratz, where he played the nerdy friend and love interest of Jade, Dexter. Gradually, he obtained guest roles in TV shows.
Notably, he appeared as Charlie in Shameless from 2016 to 2018 and as rapper Blake on the Fox music drama Empire from 2018 to 2019. The following year, he played Joey Maldini in the courtroom mini-series Your Honor.
One of his biggest roles was his recent role on Running Point. Running Point was renewed for season 2 in March 2025.
Primarily, the 34-year-old has been more keen on music. While studying, he recorded a remix of Wiz Khalifa’s 2011 hit Black and Yellow and changed the track name to White and Purple, his school colors. He formed a musical duo called FTRZ (later called Something Out West) and released several singles from 2016 to 2018.
Weirdly, Hanks went viral in March 2021 after posting a video declaring it was White Boy Summer, perhaps a reference to the 2020 song Hot Girl Summer. He released a song of the same name and later collaborated with Soulja Boy on a track. And in April 2025, Something Out West released You Better Run.
Political views
In the media, Hanks has been a fixture because of his political views. In 2020, he openly criticized Donald Trump multiple times and expressed skepticism towards the COVID-19 vaccination.
Unfortunately, he was also embroiled in a legal battle with his ex-girlfriend Kiana Parker that was highly publicized.
Also, he has struggled with substance abuse, but he got sober in 2021.
Now, Hanks is focused on music, acting, and raising his daughter.
