Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's real estate: an impressive portfolio with Airstream

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T Tom Hanks is an actor with a long and rich career that spans nearly four decades. During this time, he and his wife, musician Rita Wilson, built their real estate empire. Born and raised in Northern California, this beloved actor has long made Southern California his home base. Over the years, the couple has owned homes in Malibu and Pacific Palisades, as well as in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Greece. (Interesting fact: Hanks and Wilson were so heavily involved in efforts to help the country recover from massive wildfires in 2018 that they were granted honorary Greek citizenship the following year.) This Hollywood couple, though frequent guests on red carpets, are known for their reticence about their personal lives, so some details and photos of their properties remain scarce. However, we've compiled what we know about the couple's many beautiful homes below.

1988

A aerial photo of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's former home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Photo: James Aylott/Getty Images

Hanks and Wilson met on the set of Hanks' sitcom "Bosom Buddies" in 1981 and hit it off immediately - as friends. They began dating a few years later, meeting again on the set of the movie Volunteers, where they played a pair of lovers. "Rita and I just looked at each other and - voila - that's what happened," Hanks told GQ magazine. The couple married in April 1988, and that same year they bought their first home together for $1.9 million in Pacific Palisades. The Spanish home had four bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms spread over 6,289 square feet, plus a private patio. They sold it for $5.22 million dollars in 2013.

1991

Hanks and Wilson take a walk on the beach in Malibu. Photo: Bauer-Griffin / GC Images / Getty Images

The couple then purchased a $2.95 million property in Malibu, this time it was an oceanfront mansion in the coveted gated community of Colony, home to other celebrities including Woody Harrelson, Tori Spelling, Bill Murray and Bette Midler. This two-story house was built in 1928, but by the time Hanks and Wilson bought it, it had been extensively updated by director John Frankenheimer. It has three bedrooms, 1800 square feet, with beautiful ocean views from the master bedroom. Separate from the main structure are a maid's room and a two-bedroom guest apartment with its own kitchen. The couple still own the property.

1993

Hanks bought and customized a Model 34 Limited Excella model trailer to better fit the demands of his busy shooting schedule. "I bought it in the days when movies moved slower," he told Bonhams Magazine decades later. "I've spent too much time in conventional trailers with terrible furnishings and terribly uncomfortable furniture, so I decided to buy a new Airstream shell with a customized interior." The trailer was 33 feet long and had a kitchen and bathroom, as well as a bed, couch and a set of wood tables and chairs.

2002

In the early 2000s, the couple commissioned the construction of a residence in the small town of Ketchum, Idaho, likely as a winter vacation home. They reportedly paid about $12 million for the villa at the time, but in the years that followed, the property became the subject of a dispute between them and the construction company that built it. In 2007, the couple allegedly sued the company for $3 million dollars because of poor construction quality that affected their ability to live in and enjoy the home. (Oregon Live reported that among the complaints was that snow sliding off the roof damaged the kitchen windows and the roof itself just one year after it was built.) Hanks and Wilson unfortunately lost the court battle and even had to pay the full cost of arbitration: $167,623. They still own the house.

2003

The couple expanded their holdings in Pacific Palisades by purchasing two adjacent parcels, each on one-acre lots, overlooking the sea. They first purchased a four-bedroom Spanish Revival-style villa, originally built in 1933, that had 4,000 square feet and featured beamed ceilings, a tile staircase with iron railings and a wood-paneled dining room. Then they bought a seven-bedroom English cottage style, 7,260 square feet, with a movie room, kitchen and billiard room. The couple paid a combined $13.1 million for the two homes. Both homes were listed for sale together for $18 million in 2016, and they were bought by the same buyer for a combined $17.5 million the following year.

2004

For years before they became honorary citizens of Greece, Hanks and Wilson were big fans of family vacations to Greece. Specifically, the couple enjoyed the small island of Antiparos, where they eventually purchased a plot of land to build a dreamy vacation home. Not much is known about the house itself - one advantage of the location is that they can enjoy complete privacy there - but it is known that the house itself is a modest 1,476 square feet and sits on about six acres of land.

2010

Hanks and Wilson's most famous home is their $26 million residence in Pacific Palisades. It is a spacious 14,513 square foot mansion with four bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over three floors. The home is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean and was originally built in 1996 but substantially updated in 2006. Amenities include a wine cellar, a cliff-side pool, and a relaxing deck surrounded by trees. The couple still own this Gwathmey Siegel-designed home and consider it their primary residence.

2018

Hanks and Wilson loved their frequent vacations in Greece so much that they reportedly bought a second home in the Skala neighborhood on the island of Patmos. This seafront house, built of stone in the Dodecanese architectural style, has an extensive terrace facing the sea.