Chet Hanks | |
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| Born | Chester Marlon Hanks (1990-08-04)August 4, 1990 (age 34) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Chet Hanx |
| Citizenship |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Tom Hanks Rita Wilson |
| Relatives | Colin Hanks (half-brother) Jim Hanks (uncle) Larry Hanks (uncle) |
Chester Marlon Hanks (born August 4, 1990) is an American model, actor and musician. The son of actorsTom Hanks andRita Wilson, he has had recurring roles on television seriesEmpire,Shameless andYour Honor,[1][2][3] as well as guest roles onCurb Your Enthusiasm andAtlanta.
Chet Hanks is the third child ofTom Hanks, and the first child born to Hanks and actressRita Wilson.[4]
During high school, Hanks' parents sent him to awilderness therapy program fortroubled teens.[5] Hanks later attended theOakley School, a now-closed therapeutic boarding school inOakley, Utah,[6] where he playedlacrosse.[7]
He studied theater atNorthwestern University where he was a member of thePi Kappa Alpha fraternity.[8] His older half-brother is actorColin Hanks.
Hanks' acting career began with his debut role as Dexter in the 2007 filmBratz.[9] Soon after, his acting career picked up with a string of small film roles in the early 2010s. He was active in television in the latter half of the decade after achieving sobriety.[10] From 2016 to 2018, Hanks appeared as Charlie, the father of character Sierra Morton's child, on the American version ofShameless.[2] He played rapper Blake on hip-hop dramaEmpire from 2018 to 2019.[11] In 2020, he had a cameo in theWorld War II filmGreyhound starring his father.[12] Starting later that year, he portrayed Joey Maldini, the best friend of a hit-and-run victim's brother, in theShowtime courtroom miniseriesYour Honor.[3]
In 2011, while a student at Northwestern University, Hanks recorded "White and Purple" under the alias Chet Haze. The song was a remix ofWiz Khalifa's single "Black and Yellow" with the lyrics changed in reference to his school colors.[13][14]
Hanks and Drew Arthur formed the musical duo FTRZ after being introduced in 2016. In 2018, they released two singles ("Models" and "NowhereLand") as well as theOcean Park EP.[15][16] The duo released two tracks in 2020, "Harley" and "Ticket Out My Head" under the new name Something Out West.[17]
On March 26, 2021, Hanks posted a video toInstagram declaring a "White Boy Summer".[18] This post was a prelude to the release of a music video andmerchandise of the same title during the following two weeks.[19] While the initial video was mostly received with good humor,[20] the merchandise was criticized for using a font similar to those favored bywhite nationalist groups.[21] Later that year, he released the song and music video "DAMN!"[22] and the song "I FUX WITCHA" featuringSoulja Boy.[23]
In October 2023, on an episode ofThe Adam Friedland Show, Hanks andAdam Friedland ends the episode with Hanks performing a yet to be released song by Something Out West called “Leaving Hollywood”.[24]
Hanks has a daughter, Michaiah, born 2016, with former partner Tiffany Miles.[25] Hanks credits his daughter and his parents for helping him to overcome his struggles with substance abuse.[26]
Along with his parents, Hanks was grantedGreek citizenship in 2020 in recognition for his parents' work raising awareness for the2018 Attica wildfires.[27]
In October 2023, Hanks stated that he is two-years sober in an interview onThe Adam Friedland Show.[28]
In the summer of 2020, Hanks posted onInstagram in support of theBlack Lives Matter movement.[29] That October, he announced asocial media hiatus, saying that "pro-Trumpconspiracy theorists" were targeting his family.[30]QAnon believers had accused his father of engaging inpedophilia and practicingSatanism earlier that year.[31] Following his return toInstagram (less than a month later), he posted a video insulting Donald Trump on November 7, the day that news outlets called the2020 United States presidential election forJoe Biden.[32]
Hanks has described himself as theblack sheep of his family due to the contrast between his public controversies and his father's clean-cut image as "America's dad".[10]
In 2015, Hanks was wanted by British police after damaging a hotel room, incurring $1,800 in damages.[13] He entered rehab forcocaine addiction that year.[33]
A judge inFort Bend County, Texas granted Hanks’ former girlfriend Kiana Parker a temporary protective order against him in January 2021; in her filing, she described months of verbal and physical abuse.[34] Early that March, Hanks filed a lawsuit against Parker for theft, conversion, assault, and battery, stemming from an altercation on January 8.[35] Footage of the event, in which Hanks can be seen bleeding, was released byTMZ on March 31.[36][better source needed] Hanks' resurgence in the public eye as a result of his "White Boy Summer" video led to increased coverage of his legal battles with Parker.[37]
On August 10, 2021, Hanks posted a video to Instagram initially urging viewers to get vaccinated forCOVID-19. He then revealed it was a joke and denied being vaccinated himself, claiming, "You ain't sticking me with that motherfucking needle. It's the motherfucking flu. Get over it, okay?" He received backlash for these comments on social media, with many pointing out that his parents had been infected with COVID-19 the previous year and publicly encouraged others to get vaccinated as a result.[38]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Bratz | Dexter | |
| 2008 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Student | |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Pizza Delivery Boy | |
| 2012 | Project X | Partygoer | |
| 2015 | Fantastic Four | Jimmy Grimm | |
| 2020 | Greyhound | Bushnell | |
| TBA | Lone Wolf | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Maron | Trey | 4 episodes |
| 2016–2018 | Shameless | Charlie | 7 episodes |
| 2017 | Tales | Troy | Episode: "F*ck the Police" |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Victor | 2 episodes | |
| 2018–2019 | Empire | Blake | Recurring role (season 4); main role (season 5); 17 episodes |
| 2020–2021 | Your Honor | Joey Maldini | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | NCIS: New Orleans | Liam McCall | Episode: "Leda and the Swan, Part II" |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Curtis | Episode: "Trini 2 De Bone" |
| Ziwe | Himself | Episode: "Celebrity Rights Activist" | |
| 2023 | The Eric Andre Show | Episode: "Don't You Say a Word" | |
| The Adam Friedland Show | Episode: "The Adam Friedland Show - Chet Hanks" | ||
| 2024 | The Surreal Life | Main cast (season 8) | |
| 2025–present | Running Point | Travis Bugg | Recurring role |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
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