Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are officially Greek citizens

Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, have their new citizenship to celebrate this week.

On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis took to Instagram to announce the Hollywood couple’s official Greek Citizenship. Hanks and Wilson happily posed alongside the Prime Minister and his wife, Mareva Grabowski, proudly holding up their new citizenship documentation.

“@ritawilson @tomhanks are now proud Greek citizens! ????????????,” Mitsotakis captioned the photo.

Honorary Citizenship in 2018

This comes after the couple and their children became honorary Greek citizens last year. Officials had highlighted Hanks’ role in helping raise awareness about the 2018 fires. The fires had devastated areas near Athens and claimed the lives of more than 100 people. Hanks wrote on social media at the time. “Starting 2020 as an Honorary citizen of all of Greece! Kronia pola! ( more or less, “happy year!”),” he tweeted at the time.

Back in December, Greek Interior Minister, Takis Theodorikakos spoke to CNN about the actor. “Tom Hanks is a person who showed real interest in the people who suffered from the fire in Mati and promoted this issue in the global media.”

Hanks and Wilson’s Relationship with Greece

Wilson, who is of Greek descent via her mother, Dorothea, discovered the extent of her heritage on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are.? Hanks, who is a Greek Orthodox convert, has often been spotted spending vacations with his family in Greece. Where they also own property on the island of Antiparos.

The two have produced several films based on the Greek community, including, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. They never shy away from sharing their admiration for the country and its people.

A two-time Academy Award winner, Hanks expressed his admiration for Greece when appearing at the Golden Globes earlier this year. “I’ve been Hellenic now for the better part of 32 years. Greece is a haven. I’ve been around the world, I’ve been to the most beautiful places in the world, none of them tops Greece. The land, the sky, the water, it’s good for the soul, it’s a healing place,” Hanks said.

The country of Greece has also reportedly extended citizenship to Hanks’ entire family. Including his children Colin, 42, Elizabeth, 38, Chet, 29 and Truman, 24.

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