Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are officially Greek citizens
The country of Greece has gained two very special citizens.
Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have gone from honorary Greek citizens to official Greek citizens, according to a celebratory Instagram update Sunday from the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis and his wife, Mareva Grabowski, recently posed for a photo with the Hollywood couple, who were proudly brandishing their passports.
In January, Hanks, Wilson and their children were dubbed honorary citizens after Greek authorities said their family helped to draw international attention to recovery efforts in Athens from a devastating wildfire that killed more than 100 people.
Wilson, whose mother is Greek, previously explored her heritage in a 2012 episode of the NBC series "Who Do You Think You Are?," which invites celebrity guests to trace their family trees.
@ritawilson @tomhanks are now proud Greek citizens! 🇬🇷👍
A post shared by Kyriakos Mitsotakis (@kyriakos_) on Jul 25, 2020 at 11:02pm PDT
"Thank you, Greece, for the Honorary Citizenship along with [Tom Hanks]," Wilson wrote on Instagram in January. "We truly are honored!!!"
"Starting 2020 as an Honorary citizen of all of Greece!" Hanks wrote. "Kronia pola! ( more or less, 'happy year!')."
A couple months after celebrating their honorary citizenship, however, 2020 took a turn for Hanks and Wilson, who were among the first celebrities to test positive for COVID-19 in March. Since recovering, Hanks has been vocal about their experiences with the respiratory illness — and about the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing in order to keep everyone safe and healthy.
The screen icon's latest film, World War II drama "Greyhound," is available on Apple TV+.
