Chet Hanks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chet Hanks
Born
Chester Marlon Hanks

(1990-08-04) August 4, 1990 (age 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesChet Haze
Chet Hanx
Citizenship
  • American
  • Greek
EducationNorthwestern University
Occupation
  • Actor
  • musician
Years active2007–present
Children1
Parents
RelativesColin Hanks (half-brother)
Jim Hanks (uncle)
Larry Hanks (uncle)

Chester Marlon Hanks (born August 4, 1990), known professionally as Chet Hanx, is an American actor and musician. The son of actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, he has had recurring roles on Empire and Shameless.[1][2] Hanks also appeared as Joey Maldini in the Showtime legal drama miniseries Your Honor.[3]

Early life[]

Chet Hanks is the third child of Tom Hanks, and the first child born to Hanks and actress Rita Wilson.[4] He studied theater at Northwestern University where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.[5] His older half-brother is actor Colin Hanks.

Career[]

Acting[]

Hanks' acting career began with his debut role as Dexter in the 2007 film Bratz.[6] 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.[7] From 2016 to 2018, Hanks appeared as Charlie, the father of character Sierra Morton's child, on the American version of Shameless.[2] He played rapper Blake on hip-hop drama Empire from 2018 to 2019.[8] In 2020, he had a cameo in the World War II film Greyhound starring his father.[9] Starting later that year, he portrayed Joey Maldini, the best friend of a hit-and-run victim's brother, in the Showtime courtroom miniseries Your Honor.[3]

Music[]

In 2011, while a student at Northwestern University, Hanks recorded "White and Purple" under the alias Chet Haze. The song was a remix of Wiz Khalifa's single "Black and Yellow" with the lyrics changed in reference to his school colors.[10] Some people claimed that his song was plagiarized from another similar parody with the title "White and Purple (NU Anthem 2010)" by Mo Greene. In an interview with Vice, Chet justifies this by claiming "he did not get as much popularity as me."[11]

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 the Ocean Park EP.[12][13] The duo released two tracks in 2020, "Harley" and "Ticket Out My Head" under the new name Something Out West.[14]

Personal life[]

Hanks has a daughter, Micaiah, born April 2016, with former partner Tiffany Miles.[15] Hanks credits his daughter and his parents for helping him to overcome his struggles with substance abuse.[16]

Along with his parents, Hanks was granted Greek citizenship in 2020 in recognition for his parents' work raising awareness for the 2018 Attica wildfires.[17]

Politics[]

In the summer of 2020, Hanks posted on Instagram in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.[18] That October, he announced a social media hiatus, citing "pro-Trump conspiracy theorists" targeting his family.[19] QAnon believers had falsely accused his father of pedophilic and Satanic activity that year.[20] Following his return to Instagram earlier in the month, he posted a video, insulting Donald Trump on November 7, the day that news outlets called the 2020 United States presidential election for Joe Biden.[21]

Controversies[]

Hanks has described himself as the black sheep of his family due to the contrast between his public controversies and his father's clean-cut image as "America's dad".[7]

In 2015, Hanks was wanted by British police after damaging a hotel room, incurring $1800 in damages.[10] He entered rehab for cocaine addiction that year.[22]

A judge in Fort 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.[23] Early that March, Hanks filed a lawsuit against Parker for theft, conversion, assault, and battery, stemming from an altercation on January 8.[24] Footage of the event, in which Hanks can be seen bleeding, was released by TMZ on March 31.[25][better source needed]

On March 26, 2021, Hanks posted a video to Instagram declaring a "White Boy Summer."[26] While the video was mostly received with good humor,[27] merchandise released by Hanks to capitalize on the expression's popularity was criticized for using a font similar to those favored by white nationalist groups.[28] Hanks' resurgence in the public eye as a result of the video led to increased coverage of his legal battles with Parker.[29]

On August 10, 2021, Hanks posted a video to Instagram initially urging viewers to get vaccinated for COVID-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 developed COVID-19 the previous year and publicly encouraged others to get vaccinated as a result.[30]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Bratz Dexter
2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Student in library
2011 Larry Crowne Pizza delivery boy
2012 Project X Partygoer
2015 Fantastic Four Jimmy Grimm
2020 Greyhound Bushnell

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Maron Trey 4 episodes
2016–2018 Shameless Charlie 7 episodes
2017 Tales Troy Episode: "F*ck the Police"
2017 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 6 episodes
2021 NCIS: New Orleans Liam McCall Episode: "Leda and the Swan, Part II"

References[]

  1. ^ Corriston, Michele. "Tom Hanks' Son Chet Hanks Is 2 Years Sober and 'Wouldn't Trade It for Anything". People.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Rowles, Dustin. "Tom Hanks' Son Has Been on 'Shameless' This Whole Time And We Just Now Noticed!". Pajiba.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Reid, Joe. "Who's Who in Showtime's Your Honor". Primetimer.
  4. ^ Chon, Monica. "Who Are Tom Hank's Children? Meet Colin, Elizabeth Ann, Chet, And Truman". O: The Oprah Magazine.
  5. ^ Suh, Jennifer. "Frat star to rap star: Chet Hanks".
  6. ^ "Bratz". The Hollywood Reporter. July 30, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Chet Hanks".
  8. ^ Petski, Denise. "'Empire': Kade Wise & Chet Hanks Set To Recur On Fox Drama Series". Deadline.
  9. ^ "Tom Hanks Says He & Son Chet Were 'Petrified' To Get Their 'Greyhound' Scene Right".
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Singh-Kurtz, Sangeeta. "So, Who Is Tom Hanks's Rapper Son?". The Cut.
  11. ^ Curtis Tate, Jamie Lee. "An Interview With Tom Hanks' Rapping Son". Vice.
  12. ^ Graff, Gary. "FTRZ Celebrates Sobriety In 'Models' Video, Talks Future of Chet Hanks' Latest Musical Project: Premiere".
  13. ^ Johnson, Neil. "FTRZ (Chet Hanks and Drew Arthur) Debut New Single and Music Video- "NowhereLand".
  14. ^ Mowatt, Robyn. "Chet Haze Has Released a Song Following His Patois Rant at the Golden Globe Awards".
  15. ^ Fortune, Afouda. "Tom Hanks' Son Chet Pays Tribute to Beautiful Black Wife Tiffany Amid George Floyd Protests". AmoMama.
  16. ^ Seemayer, Zach. "Tom Hanks' Son Chet On How His Parents Helped Him 'Every Step of the Way' On His Sober Journey (Exclusive)". ET.
  17. ^ "Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson officially become Greek citizens". BBC.
  18. ^ Fry, Naomi. "The Squandered Promise of Chet Hanks's White-Boy Summer". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  19. ^ Downs, Stephanie. "Tom Hanks' Son Chet Leaves Social Media Because of 'Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists'". Popculture.
  20. ^ McGahan, Jason. "Inside QAnon, the Conspiracy Cult that's Devouring America".
  21. ^ Roach, April. "Tom Hanks' son responds to Joe Biden's win with bizzare rant in Caribbean accent". The Evening Standard.
  22. ^ "Chet Hanks on the Gift and Curse of Living in His Father's Shadow (Exclusive)". TooFab.
  23. ^ Chronicle, Matt Young, Chron com / Houston (March 31, 2021). "How a Sugar Land restraining order may end Chet Hanks' White Boy Summer". Chron. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  24. ^ "Chet Hanks Sues His Ex-Girlfriend for Assault as He Faces Backlash Over 'Racist' Merchandise Collection". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  25. ^ "Chet Hanks & Ex in Volatile Relationship, Violent Altercation Filmed". TMZ. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  26. ^ "