Trivia

She originally met Tom Hanks in 1981 on the set of Bosom Buddies (1980) when she guest-starred as Peter Scolari's Satan-worshiping girlfriend. But their relationship wasn't kindled until they were reunited on the set of Volunteers (1985).

Her father chose to change their last name to Wilson, because that was the name of the street they lived on.

Mother, with husband Tom Hanks, of sons Chet Hanks (b. August 4, 1990), and Truman Hanks (b. December 26, 1995).

She is widely credited with landing Nia Vardalos a movie deal for My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) (now the top money making independent film of all time, surpassing the $200 million mark), after seeing Vardalos perform her autobiographical one-woman show. She got her husband (Tom Hanks) to set up the film at his company, Playtone, which shopped it around to financiers and distributors on the strength of the Hanks-Wilson seal of approval. (Side note: Rita and Tom had a "Big Fat Greek Wedding" of their own in 1988).

In April 2015, Wilson announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. After a one-month hiatus, she returned to Larry David's Fish in the Dark Broadway show.

Her father was a Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim), who was born in Greece and lived in Bulgaria and Turkey, and who worked at a racetrack; he changed his name to Allan Wilson. Her mother, Dorothy, of Greek origin, was born and raised in a Greek village on the Albanian border.

Made her Broadway debut as a Roxie Hart replacement in "Chicago".

Attended Princess Diana's funeral with her husband, Tom Hanks.

Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff, left Bulgaria in 1947, two years after the Soviet Union seized the government. He moved to the United States on May 4, 1949. Due to his sympathy with the United States, he was declared enemy of the state by the Bulgarian government.

Stepmother of Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7024 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on March 29, 2019.

Her niece, Carly Reeves, appears on-screen with her in the movie Raise Your Voice (2004) starring Hilary Duff.

Supports various cancer and children's charities.

Older sister, Lily Wilson (teacher); and her younger brother, Chris Wilson, is the composer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).

Rita presented her own personal subject for "Ted Talks" titled - "The Question I Almost Didn't Ask And How It Changed My Life". (2020)

Won a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award for Best Actress for her stage performance in "As You Like It".

Her niece, Kristen Reeves, is an entertainment reporter for Orange County TV.

Rita is a recording artist for "Sing It Loud Records" having released a series of albums including, "AM/FM" (2012), "Rita Wilson" (2016), "Bigger Picture" (2018), "Halfway to Home" (2019), etc.

Attended Hollywood High School in California and later studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in England. One of her classmates at LAMDA was Deborah Moore, and they have since become close friends.

(March 12, 2020) Husband Tom Hanks announced that he and Wilson had contracted COVID-19 and were experiencing minor symptoms while he was shooting Elvis (2022) in Australia. They were admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital.

Godmother of Toni Cornell.

Sister-in-law of Jim Hanks and Karen Praxel.