By Jessica Wedemeyer
7:48am PDT, Jul 2, 2019
It's been 25 years since "Forrest Gump" first opened in theaters on July 6, 1994. In honor of the Oscar-winning drama's big anniversary, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the stars of the film — from Tom Hanks and Robin Wright to the child actors who portrayed young Forrest and Jenny — to see how they've changed over the years. Keep reading to catch up with the cast of "Forrest Gump."
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Tom Hanks won his second consecutive Oscar for best lead actor for his performance in "Forrest Gump." (He won the previous year for his work in "Philadelphia.") Since then, he's scored two more Academy Award nominations: best lead actor for "Saving Private Ryan" in 1999 and for "Cast Away" in 2001. He's also earned Golden Globe nominations for "Charlie Wilson's War," "Captain Phillips" and "The Post" and won Emmys for producing "From the Earth to the Moon," "Band of Brothers," "John Adams," "The Pacific," "Game Change" and "Olive Kitteridge." The multi-hyphenate — who made his feature film writing and directing debut with 1996's "That Thing You Do!" and later wrote and directed 2011's " Larry Crowne" — celebrated his 30th anniversary with second wife Rita Wilson in 2018. Their second child, son Truman Theodore Hanks, arrived a year after "Forrest Gump" debuted. Their older son, Chet Hanks, was born in 1990. Tom also has two kids — actor-director Colin Hanks and writer Elizabeth Hanks — from his first marriage to Samantha Lewes.
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Robin Wright starred as Jenny, Forrest Gump's troubled childhood best friend and longtime love interest.
Robin Wright earned Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for her performance in "Forrest Gump." In the years that followed, she starred in "Message in a Bottle," "Unbreakable," "White Oleander," "Nine Lives," "Beowulf," "Moneyball," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Wonder Woman," "Blade Runner 2049" and more. In 2013, she debuted in the role of Claire Underwood on "House of Cards." She won a Golden Globe and earned seven Emmy nominations for her work on the Netflix political drama. Two years after "Forrest Gump" debuted, Robin married second husband Sean Penn, with whom she'd already welcomed two children — daughter Dylan Penn, who was born in 1991, and son Hopper Penn, who arrived in 1993 — by the time they tied the knot. After several hiccups on the road to divorce, the off-and-on couple finally ended their marriage in 2010. In 2011, the actress started seeing Ben Foster. They got engaged in 2013, called it quits, briefly reconciled and then ended things for good in 2015. She quietly married French fashion exec Clement Giraudet in 2018.
Gary Sinise starred as Lieutenant Dan Taylor, Forrest Gump's commanding officer in the Army who loses both legs during the Vietnam War.
Gary Sinise earned Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his work in "Forrest Gump." The following year, he won a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for his performance in the HBO movie "Truman," for which he also earned his first Emmy nomination. He won an Emmy and a SAG Award in 1998 for another made-for-TV movie: "George Wallace." His other biggest hits include "Apollo 13," "Ransom" and "The Green Mile." Gary also starred on "CSI: NY" from 2004 to 2013 and on the short-lived "Criminal Minds" spin-off, "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders," in 2016 and 2017. Gary's "Forrest Gump" alter ego inspired the actor to launch the Lt. Dan Band — a cover band dedicated to raising funds for and entertaining the troops — in 2004. In 2011, the star, who has three kids with his wife of nearly four decades, launched The Gary Sinise Foundation, which has several programs dedicated to assisting the troops, veterans and first responders.
Mykelti Williamson starred as Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue, Forrest Gump's Army buddy who inspires his shrimping business, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
Mykelti Williamson went on to star in "How to Make an American Quilt," "Heat," "Waiting to Exhale," "Con Air," Showtime's award-winning "12 Angry Men" remake, "Primary Colors," "Three Kings," "Ali," "Fences" and more. He's also had stints on "CSI: NY," "24," "Touch," "Nashville," "Justified," "Chicago P.D." and "Lethal Weapon." Mykelti married his third wife, actress Sondra Spriggs, in 1997. They have two daughters. The actor has a third daughter with his second wife, Cheryl Chisholm. In 1998, a jury acquitted him of attempted manslaughter after he was charged with attacking his ex's then-lover, Leroy Edwards. Mykelti reportedly slashed Leroy on the hand and across the abdomen with a knife during a dispute.
Sally Field starred as Forrest Gump's beloved mother, who runs a boarding house out of their home in Alabama.
A year after "Forrest Gump" debuted, Sally Field starred on the NBC miniseries "A Woman of Independent Means," for which she earned two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. In the years that followed, the two-time Oscar winner won two Emmys for her work on "ER" and "Brothers & Sisters" (on which she starred from 2006 to 2011), earned her third Academy Award nomination for her performance in "Lincoln" and racked up three more Golden Globe nominations for various projects. She also portrayed Aunt May in 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its 2014 sequel, starred in "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," had a major role on the buzzed-about 2018 Netflix series "Maniac," made her directorial debut with the 1996 made-for-TV movie "The Christmas Tree" and earned a Tony nomination in 2017 for her performance in "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway. While promoting her memoir "In Pieces" in September 2018, the multi-hyphenate — who has three sons from two marriages — made headlines for opening up about her troubled childhood and how it influenced her relationship with Burt Reynolds, whom she romanced in the late '70s and early '80s. The iconic actor died less than two weeks before her book debuted.
Michael Conner Humphreys portrayed the young version of Forrest Gump.
Michael Conner Humphreys took an extended break from acting after he starred in "Forrest Gump." According to his active social media profiles, he served in the Army from 2005 to 2012 as part of the mechanized infantry stationed in Germany and Iraq. In 2011, he made his return to Hollywood with the WWII drama "Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers." He now lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he has a serious girlfriend and is taking acting classes.
Hanna Hall portrayed the young version of Jenny.
After making her acting debut in "Forrest Gump," Hanna Hall went on to land roles in "The Virgin Suicides" and Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of "Halloween." The former child star, who studied at the Vancouver Film School, also popped up on episodes of "Criminal Minds" and "Masters of Sex" and has worked behind the scenes on various small projects as a production assistant, camera assistant and assistant director.
Haley Joel Osment portrayed Forrest Jr., Jenny and Forrest Gump's son.
After making his feature film debut in "Forrest Gump," Haley Joel Osment starred in "The Sixth Sense," for which he earned Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations. He also starred in "Pay It Forward," "Secondhand Lions" and "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and appeared on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" and "Murphy Brown" before his career cooled as he made the transition from child star to adult actor. In 2006, Haley pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and drug-possession charges after he hit a brick mailbox and flipped his car while driving near Los Angeles. Four years later, after a brief break from acting, he graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He then made his big return to Hollywood, appearing in "Tusk," the "Entourage" movie and "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile." He's also had memorable stints on "Alpha House," "The Spoils Before Dying," "Silicon Valley" and "Future Man."
