Mykelti Williamson, Who Played Bubba Blue
Who could forget Forrest Gump's best friend Bubba Blue. The two arrived together in Vietnam and immediately became best friends. Bubba was one of the only people Forrest could relate to during the war and his death hit really hard after the two's platoon were ambushed in the jungle. Bubba was played by an actor named Mykelti Williamson, but he was actually almost played by Dave Chappelle, which is a little weird to think about.
Mykelti did a phenomenal job playing Bubba, and while it can sometimes be hard to remember everything that happens in the movie, it's hard to forget about Bubba and his friendship with Forrest.
Mykelti Williamson Today
Today, Mykelti is still acting. Not only that, but he takes on similar roles to that of Bubba. He often plays someone who's in the military. Some of his latest roles include parts in Lethal Weapon, The Purge: Election Year, and others. He's been featured in a surprising number of movies since he appeared in Forrest Gump, which was released around three decades ago now. Still, Bubba might be his most iconic role.
Not a whole lot of people know this, but today, Mykelti uses some of his free time to restore vintage cars and take part in rodeos, both of which seem like things Bubba would've enjoyed.
Geoffrey Blake, Who Played Wesley
There are only a couple of people in Forrest Gump who you might be able to categorize as villains, but Wesley, played by Geoffrey Blake is probably at the top of that list. Wesley was Jenny's boyfriend at one point in the movie, and he was physically abusive, at least until Forrest put him in his place during a Black Panther meeting. After that, we don't really see too much of him.
However, the fact that Wesley was so dislikable speaks to the acting skills of Geoffrey, who played the part perfectly. In real life, Geoffrey is actually a pretty likable person.
Geoffrey Blake Today
Even before Forrest Gump, Geoffrey was racking up screen credits. He's appeared in just as many movies since, and a lot of them you've probably seen before. He reunited with Tom Hanks to act in Cast Away, and he appeared in Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13, and Midway. It's safe to say that he's had a really successful acting career and he's probably going to keep at it for a while longer.
Still, even with all of those appearances in blockbuster movies, Wesley is his most iconic character, which says a lot about the movie Forrest Gump itself and how popular it's been.
Sam Anderson's Principal
The principal who appeared at the beginning of Forrest Gump was one of those characters who we only got to see for a bit, but who were still really memorable. He was played by an actor named Sam Anderson, who did a nice job of depicting him. This is another character who a lot of people despised in the movie, since he wouldn't let Forrest into the school at first.
He also showed the audience that despite the early film taking place in a small town, there were plenty of people who many would consider sneaky or just bad people.
Sam Anderson Today
Since Forrest Gump appeared in the 1990s, Sam has gone on to play in a lot of other movies. However, you may not have heard of all of them, and from his movie credits, it looks as though he's even appeared in some Bollywood movies. The biggest movie he's appeared in since Forrest Gump was Where the Crawdads Sing, which took place in a similar setting to Forrest Gump.
Despite him taking part in a lot of less popular movies, the films he has played in are pretty highly rated, so a lot of them are definitely worth checking out.
Sonny Shroyer as Bear Bryant
If you know anything about college football, then you know that Bear Bryant was a really big deal. He was one of the most successful coaches in the history of the sport, and even today, he's sort of a cult figure, along with Nick Saban, in the state of Alabama. He also played a large role in the movie, giving Forrest a scholarship to play football and setting up the rest of his life.
The "Bear" was played by Sonny Shroyer, and it was one of the few historical characters in the film who wasn't played by the actual person since the real Bear Bryant passed away in 1983.
Sonny Shroyer Now
Sonny did a really fantastic job of portraying Bear Bryant in the movie, with his signature houndstooth hat and gruffness. Today, he's around 88 years old, but he's been acting ever since his appearance in Forrest Gump. He's appeared in movies like The Rainmaker, Ray, and others. A lot of the movies he's appeared in either take place in the South or are about the history of slavery and emancipation.
Considering he's from Georgia, his acting choices make a lot of sense, and he'll most likely appear in a lot more before he finally decides to retire one day.
Richard D’Alessandro, Who Played Abbie Hoffman
In the movie, Richard D’Alessandro played an activist named Abbie Hoffman, and if you're not super familiar with the history of that era, you may not have known that Abbie was a real person. He protested against the Vietnam War, and he was even a member of the Chicago Seven. His actual life is pretty crazy and filled with things that seem more like fiction than fact, so it's worth looking him up.
Richard also did a really good job of portraying him and setting the stage for the entire anti-war movement, for which Forrest spoke briefly when he was on the podium in the capital.
Richard D’Alessandro Today
Since appearing in Forrest Gump, Richard has taken on a lot of big roles in Hollywood, and odds are you've seen him in a movie or show at least once. He's played in The Sopranos, Godfather of Harlem, Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, and many more. However, even with all of those big-name credits under his belt, one of his most iconic roles is still the one he played in Forrest Gump.
Unlike his role in the movie, he's since taken on a lot of characters that either fight crime or are involved with it. He hasn't played many activists since.
Dick Cavett as Himself
Forrest Gump is mostly remembered today for its story, but it did have some technical innovations when it first appeared, like superimposing Forrest in a lot of historical footage to make it look like he was really there. One such moment involved Dick Cavett, who used to have a show decades ago and once interviewed John Lennon. Dick played himself in the scene, even though he was a bit older than when the interview first took place.
They even managed to make it look like John was directly replying to Forrest in the scene, and they included some of his most famous lyrics to suggest he came up with the song after talking to Forrest.
Dick Cavett Today
The Dick Cavett Show was a pretty big deal when it was on T.V. We mean, he interviewed John Lennon. But if you need more proof of just how popular it was, then we can provide that too. According to Sports Illustrated, musician Joni Mitchell's manager chose to have her appear on the show rather than play at Woodstock. If you were a star back then, you appeared on the show.
Today, Dick mostly keeps to himself and lives a relatively quiet life in Connecticut with his new wife. After all those years of fame, he chose to retire and enjoy some peace and quiet.
Marla Sucharetza, Who Played Lenore
Lenore is another character in the movie who didn't get a whole lot of screen time. She appears after Forrest goes to New York City and finds Lt. Dan, who is in not such a great place. She's with another woman, and the four of them head back to the apartment after watching the ball drop for New Year. However, she makes fun of Forrest and calls him slow, so she's kicked out of the apartment.
It's probably one of the darker scenes of the entire movie, which is saying something because there are a lot of surprisingly dark scenes that take place both on and off the camera.
Marla Sucharetza Now
Since appearing in Forrest Gump, Marla Sucharetza has appeared in a lot of popular T.V. shows. They include Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit, The Good Wife, and Damages. However, she hasn't appeared in a whole lot of movies lately. Most of the movies she has acted in were released in the 2000s. However, she hasn't announced her retirement, and she's a fantastic actor, so odds are she'll appear in a lot more in the near future.
Still, like a lot of people on this list, it's going to be hard to top her iconic role in Forrest Gump, considering how popular the movie was and still is.
Robin Wright, Who Played Jenny
Jenny might be one of the most controversial characters in the entire movie. She's Forrest's childhood love, but the two are separated for most of the movie, and they only reunite at the very end, when Forrest learns that they have a son together. During the time when the film takes place, Jenny takes part in a lot of the protests and movements depicted in the movie, and the two briefly see one another in the capital.
Still, Jenny is without a doubt one of the most memorable characters in the entire film, right there alongside Forrest himself and Lt. Dan. And her ending is really heartbreaking, no matter what you think about her character as a person.
Robin Wright Now
Robin Wright, who played Jenny in the movie, was already pretty established when she took on the role, and she's played in a lot of big-name movies since appearing in Forrest Gump. She's appeared in House of Cards, Wonder Woman, Money Ball, Blade Runner 2049, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and much more. She's also collected a lot of acting awards since she appeared in the film in the 1990s.
It's probably pretty safe to say that she'll continue to be a pretty big presence in Hollywood and act in a lot more movies, just like she was before appearing in Forrest Gump.
Michael Conner Humphreys As Young Forrest
At the beginning of Forrest Gump, the audience spends a lot of time with the younger Forrest. It does a great job of setting up the movie and showing all of the things he had to endure growing up. That young version of Forrest was played by Michael Conner Humphreys. It was the actor's very first role, which isn't surprising considering how young he was when he played the character.
Still, he did an excellent job, becoming one of the most memorable parts of the film. It was entertaining watching a young Forrest deal with all the strangers that came through the home.
Michael Conner Humphreys Now
Unlike a lot of people on this list, Michael Conner Humphreys chose not to go into Hollywood after his debut role. Instead, he's lived a pretty normal life. Michael, who was born in Mississippi, eventually joined the army when he became old enough, and he served in Iraq, not too unlike an older Forrest in the movie. Today, he lives in Oregon and he teaches students online, mostly staying to himself.
However, he has expressed some interest in eventually acting again. His only other film credit is for a 2011 movie called Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers.
Haley Joel Osment As Forrest Gump Jr.
We aren't introduced to Forrest Gump Jr. until near the end of the film, but he's memorable nonetheless for everything that happens. He's left without a mother and only Forrest to raise and take care of him. The child actor who played Forrest Jr. had some acting experience before being picked for the part. He famously had the line "I see dead people" in the movie The Sixth Sense.
Despite his famous appearance and line, he was only picked for the role because one of the show's creators saw him in a commercial for Pizza Hut at the time.
Haley Joel Osment Now
While you may not have seen much of his work, Haley's face probably looks a bit familiar to you. That's because the actor has been in a lot of shows and films since appearing in Forrest Gump as a child, even if none of them have achieved quite the same fame as his early work. He's appeared in Entourage, Sex Ed, and Spielberg. He's also done a lot of voice acting.
Haley has voiced some characters for both children's movies and for video games, and he is likely going to be acting for many more years considering his long list of credits.
Gary Sinise, Who Played Lieutenant Dan Taylor
Lt. Dan is one of the most memorable characters in the entire movie. We see him transform from a gruff lieutenant determined to die in Vietnam for his country to a down-on-his-luck veteran and eventually to one of Forrest's best friends and business partners. He even has a happy ending at the end of the film. There's no doubt that the character would've been nearly as memorable had he not been played by Gary Sinise, who seemed perfectly born for the role.
Lt. Dan's character arc is also one of the most complete in the film, and we see him become a completely different person by the time the movie is over.
Gary Sinise Today
Before appearing in Forrest Gump, Gary was mostly a theater actor, and he's largely returned to that as of late. However, he's also totally leaned into his most iconic character, starting a band called the Lt. Dan Band that plays for veterans and even founding an organization to support disabled veterans. He has a real passion for helping others, and he's put his fame to good use since Forrest Gump.
But that's not to say he totally quit Hollywood. He appeared alongside Tom Hanks again in Apollo 13 and The Green Mile. He's also made appearances in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Quick And The Dead, Bruno, and a lot of other films.
Tom Hanks As Forrest Gump
This one really needs no introduction. Everyone knows that Tom Hanks played Forrest Gump in the film. Despite his long career, which was already going extremely well even before his role in Forrest Gump, it's still probably one of his most memorable characters. He even won an Oscar for his portrayal of Forrest. However, a lot of people don't know that the creators were originally going to go with another actor for the role.
It was supposed to be John Travolta who played Forrest in the movie, and we honestly can't even picture that. Luckily, the role of Forrest was played by Tom in the end.
Tom Hanks Now
Since his appearance as Forrest Gump, Tom's career has entered a bit of a downward spiral. We're just joking; he's still one of the most popular actors in the world and continues to play in all sorts of blockbuster films. However, he wasn't always an actor. Before he broke into showbiz, he sold peanuts at baseball games. More recently, during the pandemic, he returned to his old job and voiced a snack salesman for MLB coverage.
Of course, during the pandemic, there wasn't anyone in any of the stadiums since no one was allowed to attend games due to social distancing rules and efforts to keep the virus from spreading.
Afemo Omilami, Who Played The Drill Sergeant
It was a bit of a surprise when Forrest got to boot camp, and he turned out to be an excellent recruit, even catching the eye of the Drill Sergeant, played by Afemo Omilami. Afemo managed to capture exactly what you think of when you think of a drill sergeant. He was intimidating and always yelling, but he was also encouraging when he saw someone doing something the way it was supposed to be done.
This was another character who only appeared in the movie for a short while but who left their mark. Now, anytime we think of a drill sergeant, we immediately think of Afemo's character.
Afemo Omilami Today
Since appearing in Forrest Gump, Afemo has played in a lot of other movies you've probably seen, but he's never played a character quite like the one he did in the movie. He's appeared in Remember the Titans, Drumline, Glory, Sweet Home Alabama, and many others. Most of his roles are pretty inspiring, and they involve characters who yell a lot less. So, he's probably not really like the Drill Sergeant in Forrest Gump.
In a lot of the movies, he's appeared in since he appears beside other actors from Forrest Gump. In fact, many on this list make multiple appearances in films with one another.
Hanna R. Hall As Young Jenny
Like young Forrest, Young Jenny, played by Hanna R. Hall, was a really memorable character in the movie, despite the limited screen time we get with her. Her character was tragic in that she grew up dirt poor and with an abusive father. But it did show the audience a lot about her childhood and why she did the things she did when she got older and moved through life.
This was Hanna's first appearance in a film, and she really knocked it out of the park. We still feel kind of sad for Young Jenny, even though she's a fictional character.
Hanna R. Hall Today
After her work in Forrest Gump, Hanna took on a lot of other roles. However, she's never played in a movie quite as big as her first. Still, she's never retired either, so it's not entirely out of the question for her to take on big roles in the future. Her biggest film after Forrest Gump might've been 2007's Halloween, which was a pretty popular slasher flick, but that's about it.
We do know that she also works as an intimacy coordinator, which is to say that she helps actors who are preparing for intimate scenes in upcoming movies and shows.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan As Dorothy Harris
For a lot of people, their childhood bus driver is very memorable. After all, you would see them nearly every day, and they were responsible for taking you to and from school, making sure you behaved on the bus, and talking to your parents when you acted up. The bus driver from Forrest Gump, Dorothy Harris, played by Siobhan Fallon Hogan, was just as memorable, and she even made another appearance at the end of the movie.
We see her pick up Forrest Jr. for his first day of school, just like when she first picked up Forrest decades before. And it's something a lot of people could probably relate to.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan Now
Siobhan is another actor on this list who has had a really successful career since her appearance in Forrest Gump all of those years ago. She's been in a lot of films and T.V. shows that you've probably seen, but she usually looks a lot different due to the characters she plays. Some of the movies she's better known for include Men In Black, Charlotte's Web, Holes, The Bounty Hunter, and Daddy Day Care.
She's also had a lot of recent film credits, which tells us that she's going to continue acting and being a presence in Hollywood for some time to come.
Peter Dobson As Elvis Presley
The audience gets a sense of what the movie is going to be like really early on when Forrest just happens to meet a young Elvis Presley who's staying at the family home. He even helps Presley come up with his signature dance move. Peter Dobson was the actor who played Elvis, but the voice you hear in the movie was actually that of Kurt Russel, who we guess could do a better impression.
Still, Peter is entirely believable as a young Elvis simply because he looks almost exactly like him, and he was able to mimic the way Elvis moved pretty well.
Peter Dobson Now
Peter hasn't appeared in a whole lot of movies since his portrayal as Elvis in Forrest Gump, but he still completely looks the part, and he's used that to his advantage. He's played an Elvis impersonator in a couple of roles since his debut back in 1994. He's also said that he may try his hand at directing in the future, although that hasn't materialized quite yet so far as we know.
It looks like he's going to continue to work on movies in one form or another, but if that ends up not working out, then he has a promising future as a real-life Elvis impersonator.
Sally Field As Mrs. Gump
Sally Field played Forrest's mother in the movie, and she did a spectacular job, but that was to be expected considering her long and illustrious acting career. She'd already won two Oscars by the time she took on the role. Still, Mrs. Gump is a very memorable character who does her best to look after her son all alone. Before taking on the role, she played in many movies you've probably heard of.
She was in Smokey And The Bandit, Steel Magnolias, and a lot of others. She's also remembered for her Oscar speech in which she said, “I can't deny the fact that you like me. Right now, you like me!”
Sally Field Today
Just like before she took on her role in Forrest Gump, she's been a constant presence in Hollywood ever since and one that's appeared in all kinds of blockbuster movies. She's played in everything from superhero movies to dramas. She also spends a lot of her time advocating for rights these days. No matter what she decides to do in the future, she's not going away anytime soon, and we're glad.
Despite being around 77 years old, she's still appearing in both films and in some pretty high-profile shows, and she's probably one of the only actors on this list not exclusively known for her appearance in Forrest Gump.