Forrest Gump (character)

Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks' portrayal of Forrest Gump in the film Forrest Gump
Created by	Winston Groom
Portrayed by	Tom Hanks (adult) Michael Humphreys (child)
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Vietnam War Sergeant (formerly) Ping-pong player (formerly) Shrimping boat captain (formerly)
Family	Mrs. Gump (mother) (deceased) Unnamed father (deceased)
Spouse(s)	Jenny Gump (nee Curran) (deceased)
Children	Forrest Gump, Jr.

Forrest Gump is a fictional character who first appears in the 1986 novel by Winston Groom. Forrest Gump also appeared on screen in the 1994 film of the same name directed by Robert Zemeckis. Forrest was portrayed as a child by Michael Humphreys and portrayed as an adult by Tom Hanks, who won an Academy Award for the role. The portrayal of Forrest in the novel is notably different from the portrayal in the film. He later reappears in the 1995 sequel novel Gump and Co.

In 2008, Forrest Gump was named the 20th greatest movie character of all time by Empire magazine. In the film, Forrest is portrayed essentially as a heroic character who faces a variety of setbacks and misfortunes yet maintains a compassionate and forward-looking attitude. He tries to help every person whom he meets, despite his strong naivety.

Forrest was born near the small town of Greenbow, Alabama, on June 6, 1944. His father was absent during his life, and his mother said he was "on vacation". His mother named Forrest after their ancestor Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Scotch-Irish American and a noted Confederate general in the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. She intended his name to be a reminder that "sometimes we all do things that, well, just don't make no sense".

Forrest was born with strong legs but a crooked spine. He was forced to wear leg braces which made walking difficult and running near impossible. He also had a relatively low I.Q. of 75, which nearly prevented him from being accepted into public school. (His mother managed to get the principal to reconsider by letting him have intercourse with her.) Despite his physical and mental challenges, Forrest's mother told him not to let anyone tell him he was different, telling him "stupid is as stupid does".