Gorgeous Throwback Photos Of Tom Hanks' Longtime Love Rita Wilson From The '80s

It's easy to forget what came before the matching red carpet appearances and the milestone photos when you're talking about one of Hollywood's most enduring pairings. Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks have been married for decades, and you can easily create a photographic lifeline to their love story stretching all the way back to the 1980s. 

Wilson has been acting professionally since her teens. She appeared in some of the biggest shows of the '80s like "M*A*S*H," "Happy Days," "Three's Company," and "Who's the Boss?" Tucked among those credits was a single-episode job in 1981 in ABC's "Bosom Buddies" that changed her life forever, because its leading man was none other than the 25-year-old Tom Hanks. He'd had a crush on her for years, and meeting in person only confirmed his feelings. Looking at photos from that time — especially this gorgeous portrait from 1985 — it's no wonder Hanks was smitten.

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The photo shows Wilson on the set of "Volunteers," the 1985 comedy that starred her and Hanks in the lead roles and transformed the former colleagues into a genuine couple. In it, Hanks portrayed Lawrence Bourne III, a caddish Yale grad who cons his way onto a Thailand-bound Peace Corps flight to outrun the debt he incurred through gambling. Wilson played Beth Wexler, the idealistic volunteer who was his moral opposite. A year later, Hanks and Wilson were seen at the "Three Amigos" premiere arm in arm, and again on numerous other occasions, including the 59th Academy Awards. It wouldn't be long until the lens caught her as a California bride, wearing an engagement ring with a hidden inscription "You bet," which was apparently her reply to Hanks' proposal. The rest, as they say, is history.

When Rita Wilson stepped onto that 1981 set, she was hardly an unknown. She'd done modeling work since the age of 14, and appeared in numerous other projects besides. By the early '80s, her striking looks had become a familiar presence on primetime television thanks to all those credits. When Tom Hanks saw her on "Bosom Buddies," it was like a switch flipping inside his mind.The timing of their meeting argued for restraint, as Hanks was still married to Samantha Lewes, so he and Wilson settled into a friendship instead. 

The photo on the left shows her at the 59th Academy Awards in 1987, where Hanks and Wilson's relationship had officially entered its next chapter after the former's divorce. It captures Wilson in that perfect '80s glow — with soft curls framing that warm, camera-ready smile, allowing her photogenic beauty to shine through, just as it did on screen. 40 years later, appearing side by side for LACMA's David Geffen Galleries opening gala, little of that glow has dimmed.

In later years, the actress logged film roles in "Sleepless in Seattle, "Runaway Bride," and "It's Complicated." She also had a recurring turn in HBO's "Girls." Behind the camera, she and Hanks produced the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" films. Wilson has also dealt with health issues — namely a breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, which led her to become a vocal health advocate. From gorgeous guest star to Hollywood mainstay, she has never really slowed down. The couple rang in 38 years of marriage in 2026, and they still look as happy together as they did back then.