Forrest Gump (character)

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Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump character
Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump
First appearance	Forrest Gump (1986)
Last appearance	Gump and Co. (1995)
Created by	Winston Groom
Portrayed by	Tom Hanks (adult) Michael Conner Humphreys (young)
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Groundskeeper Philanthropist Ping-pong player (formerly) Shrimping boat captain (formerly) Vietnam War Sergeant (formerly) College football player (formerly)
Family	Mrs. Gump (mother; deceased) Mr. Gump (father; "on vacation")
Spouse	Jennifer "Jenny" Curran (deceased)
Children	Forrest Gump Jr.

Forrest Alexander Gump is the title protagonist of the 1986 novel by Winston Groom, Robert Zemeckis' 1994 film of the same name, and Gump and Co., the written sequel to Groom's novel.

In the film, Forrest is a former college football All-American kick returner, Vietnam veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, champion international ping pong player, businessman, and philanthropist whose accomplishments and pursuits bring him to experience critical events in the 20th century, and meet various significant people, including Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

He exudes a compassionate, optimistic, and tenacious attitude in the face of countless setbacks. Thriving from the strong upbringing of his mother, he strives to help every person he meets despite his strong naïveté and some people's negative perception of him due to his lack of intellect. Throughout his life, he maintains a sincere love for his childhood friend Jennifer Curran, whom he affectionately calls Jenny and eventually comes to marry.

Tom Hanks portrayed the character in the film and earned his second consecutive Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance (Hanks won the previous year for Philadelphia), while Michael Conner Humphreys portrayed Forrest as a child.

In 2019, Forrest Gump was named the 27th greatest movie character of all time by Empire magazine.^[1]