Mykelti Williamson

Born: 4 March 1960
Where: Saint Louis, Missouri

His name, Mykelti, means "spirit" or "silent friend" in the language of Blackfoot Indians, his grandfather's ancestors. Williamson slowly built a reputation in Hollywood as one of the most consistently proven actors in the business making his big break as Bubba, the slow-witted friend to Forrest Gump.

Williamson began performing on the stage at the age of 9 and was instantly hooked.

At the age of 15, he settled with his family in Los Angeles. A superb athlete, he excelled at both football and basketball until his passion for performing led him to quit sports.

Williamson's first professional job in show business was at age 13, dancing as a member of The Lockers troupe on Soul Train.

Williamson scored a rare feat when he was cast in an episode of Starsky & Hutch after his very first professional acting audition. He subsequently spent the 1980s bouncing from one short-lived series to another.

Soon after he was cast as the kindly social worker in Free Willy, then for his part in Forrest Gump, Williamson stuffed his lower lip to make it appear thicker and to make his speech slower.

He appeared in the sequel Free Willy 2, then was snapped up by Al Pacino who, impressed with Williamson's performance as Bubba, insisted he be cast in Heat.

He followed with roles in Waiting to Exhale, Truth or Consequences, NM, and Con Air.

Williamson was also seen in director Mike Nichols' political drama Primary Colors (a cameo appearance which he did as a personal favour to Nichols and John Travolta), Three Kings, opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, and in Ali with Will Smith.