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IMDbPro

Mykelti Williamson

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000326
Mykelti Williamson -  Actor/ Director / Writer
A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death-live on the Internet-and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn't go through with his plans?
Play trailer3:31
Butter (2022)
28 Videos
99+ Photos
Perhaps best remembered for his touching performance as "Bubba" opposite Tom Hanks in the Academy Award-winning Forrest Gump (1994), Mykelti Williamson is one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, who has been steadily honing his craft since he first began acting professionally at the age of 18.

In 2000 Williamson starred as Lt. Philip Gerard, the hardnosed detective determined to recapture escaped convict Dr. Richard Kimble (Tim Daly) in CBS' update of the classic 1960's action series The Fugitive (2000).

The son of an Air Force Staff Sergeant (father) and certified public accountant (mother), Williamson was born in St. Louis, MO, and began performing on the stage at the age of 9. Like many youngsters, he was enamored with the concept of television, and thought that the images he was seeing on the small screen were reality. It wasn't until his mother put him in a church play that he realized that what the people on the small screen were doing was performing. He was instantly hooked. At the age of 15, Williamson and his family settled in Los Angeles. A superb athlete, he excelled at both football and basketball, but the acting bug led him to quit sports and dance with the cheerleading squad, much to the chagrin of his coaches.

Following graduation, Williamson began acting professionally, making appearances on television shows such as Starsky and Hutch (1975), Hill Street Blues (1981) and China Beach (1988), among others. He made his film debut in the Walter Hill-directed feature Streets of Fire (1984), opposite Diane Lane, Michael Paré and Willem Dafoe.

He would subsequently appear in the feature The First Power (1990) with Lou Diamond Phillips, Miracle Mile (1988) with Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, Number One with a Bullet (1987), Wildcats (1986) and Free Willy (1993).

Following his critically acclaimed performance in Forrest Gump (1994), Williamson starred in Forest Whitaker's Waiting to Exhale (1995); partnered with Al Pacino in Michael Mann's Heat (1995); Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), and starred alongside Nicolas Cage in Con Air (1997).

Williamson was also seen in Mike Nichols' political drama Primary Colors (1998) (a cameo appearance which he did as a personal favor to Nichols and John Travolta) and Three Kings (1999), opposite George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube.

In 1996 Williamson returned to television when he starred opposite Delroy Lindo and Blair Underwood in the critically acclaimed HBO telefilm Soul of the Game (1996) and received rave reviews for his stirring portrayal of legendary Negro League baseball legend Josh Gibson. Williamson also starred in Buffalo Soldiers (1997) for TNT and 12 Angry Men (1997) for Showtime, as well as starring in the cable network's series The Hoop Life (1999).

On stage Williamson starred with Samuel L. Jackson, D.B. Sweeney, Ellis Williams, Matt McGrath and Richard Reilly in Clark Gregg's ("What Lies Beneath") 1995's ensemble drama "Distant Fires", which earned the cast a prestigious L.A. Theatre Award.

An avid sports fan and devoted family man, Williamson enjoys restoring classic cars and rodeoing in his free time. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two of his three daughters.

Named by his grandfather for 'Spirit' or 'Silent Friend' in the language of Blackfeet Indians, Mykelti Williamson has quietly built a reputation in Hollywood as one of the most consistently proven actors in the business, delivering stirring and honest performances that always capture audiences.
BornMarch 4, 1957
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BornMarch 4, 1957
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000326
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Photos155

Jason Beghe and Mykelti Williamson in Chicago P.D. (2014)
Mykelti Williamson in Wildcats (1986)
Woody Harrelson and Mykelti Williamson in Wildcats (1986)
Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, and Mykelti Williamson in Forrest Gump (1994)
Mykelti Williamson in Boomtown (2002)
Mykelti Williamson and Bruce A. Young in Boomtown (2002)
Al Pacino, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Jerry Trimble, and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)
Al Pacino, Jerry Trimble, and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)
Al Pacino and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)
Al Pacino, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Jerry Trimble, and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)
Tom Hanks and Mykelti Williamson in Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, and Mykelti Williamson in Forrest Gump (1994)

Known for

Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump
8.8
  • Bubba Blue
  • 1994
Brittany Mirabile and Roman Blat in The Purge: Election Year (2016)
The Purge: Election Year
6.0
  • Joe Dixon
  • 2016
Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences (2016)
Fences
7.2
  • Gabriel
  • 2016
Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Al Pacino, Ted Levine, Wes Studi, Jerry Trimble, and Mykelti Williamson in Heat (1995)
Heat
8.3
  • Drucker
  • 1995

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Tamala Jones, Nadine Ellis, and Mykelti Williamson in The Holiday Stocking (2022)
    The Holiday Stocking
  • Christopher Meloni in Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021)
    Law & Order: Organized Crime
  • McKaley Miller and Alex Kersting in Butter (2022)
    Butter
  • Qais Qandil, Elijah Long, Rhyan LaMarr, LaRoyce Hawkins, Christopher Jennings, DeStorm Power, Andrew Bachelor, Wesley Armstrong, and Don Benjamin in North of the 10 (2022)
    North of the 10
  • Clean (2021)
    Clean
  • The 24th (2020)
    The 24th
  • Dayo Okeniyi in Emperor (2020)
    Emperor
  • Two Degrees (2020)
    Two Degrees
  • Prism
  • Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott in Lethal Weapon (2016)
    Lethal Weapon
  • David Oyelowo and Storm Reid in Don't Let Go (2019)
    Don't Let Go
  • Insecure (2016)
    Insecure
  • Thriller (2018)
    Thriller
  • Michelle Monaghan in Saint Judy (2018)
    Saint Judy
  • Mekhi Phifer, Lance Reddick, Mykelti Williamson, Kevin Quinn, Bryshere Y. Gray, and Woody McClain in Canal Street (2018)
    Canal Street

Director

  • Brooke Elliott, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, and Heather Headley in Sweet Magnolias (2020)
    Sweet Magnolias
  • Oliver Platt, Steven Weber, Marlyne Barrett, S. Epatha Merkerson, Brian Tee, Dominic Rains, Guy Lockard, Jessy Schram, and Nick Gehlfuss in Chicago Med (2015)
    Chicago Med
  • Missy Peregrym and Zeeko Zaki in FBI (2018)
    FBI
  • Jason Beghe, Marina Squerciati, and Tracy Spiridakos in Chicago P.D. (2014)
    Chicago P.D.
  • Dana Davis in Jennifer (2012)
    Jennifer
  • Tawny Kitaen, Frank Bonner, Gordon Jump, Marla Rubinoff, Richard Sanders, French Stewart, and Mykelti Williamson in The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991)
    The New WKRP in Cincinnati

Writer

  • Dana Davis in Jennifer (2012)
    Jennifer
  • Boomtown (2002)
    Boomtown

Videos29

Forrest Gump
Clip 0:50
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Clip 1:29
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Clip 0:14
Forrest Gump
The Final Destination
Interview 0:38
The Final Destination
Trailer
Trailer 1:21
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:46
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:31
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:19
Official Trailer
Trailer #2
Trailer 2:27
Trailer #2
Teaser Trailer
Trailer 1:51
Teaser Trailer
Trailer #2
Trailer 2:32
Trailer #2
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:28
Official Trailer

Personal details

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    • March 4, 1957
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
    • Sondra SpriggsApril 26, 1997 - present (2 children)
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Arrested for allegedly stalking his ex-wife and stabbing a friend. Was released on $180,000 bail next day.
  • Quotes
    The good thing about being on a show like 'Justified' is that you stick to the premise, but not necessarily every single word that's on the page.

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