Mykelti Williamson is perhaps best known for his touching performance as Bubba, opposite Tom Hanks, in the Academy Award®-winning film "Forrest Gump." He is now one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood after steadily honing his craft since he first began acting professionally at the age of 18.
Williamson made his film debut in Walter Hill's "Streets of Fire," opposite Diane Lane, Michael Paré and Willem Dafoe. He subsequently appeared in the features "The First Power," with Lou Diamond Phillips; "Miracle Mile," with Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham; "Number One with a Bullet"; "Wildcats"; and "Free Willy."
Following his critically acclaimed role in "Forrest Gump," Williamson starred in Forest Whitaker's "Waiting to Exhale"; partnered with Al Pacino in Michael Mann's "Heat"; reprised his earlier role for "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home"; and starred alongside Nicolas Cage in "Con Air." He performed a cameo role in director Mike Nichols' political drama "Primary Colors," and appeared in "Three Kings," opposite George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube; "Lucky Number Slevin," with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman; "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," with Sean Penn; and "August Rush," with Robin Williams and Terrence Howard. He will next be seen in the comedy "Black Dynamite" and has completed production on "High School" and "Ball Don't Lie."
For television, Williamson starred opposite Delroy Lindo and Blair Underwood in HBO's critically acclaimed telefilm "Soul of the Game," in which he received rave reviews for his stirring portrayal of legendary Negro League baseball player Josh Gibson. Williamson also starred in "The Buffalo Soldiers" for TNT and "Twelve Angry Men" for Showtime, as well as that cable network's series "The Hoop Life" and NBC's critically acclaimed and award-winning drama "Boomtown." His acting career began in television, with appearances on such series as "Starsky and Hutch," "Hill Street Blues" and "China Beach," among others. This fall, Williamson will appear in a recurring role on FOX Television's critically acclaimed series "24."
On stage, Williamson starred with Samuel L. Jackson, D.B. Sweeney, Ellis Williams, Matt McGrath and Richard Riehle in the acclaimed 1995 Los Angeles production of the ensemble drama "Distant Fires." Under the direction of Clark Gregg, the cast earned a prestigious L.A. Weekly Theater Award for Best Ensemble.
Warner Bros.
