Missouri-born actor Mykelti Williamson has had a long and prosperous career in the film and TV industry but he’s best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue … AKA “Bubba” — the all-knowing shrimp expert and best friend from Bayou La Batre, Alabama who tragically dies in the Vietnam War — in the 1994 masterpiece “Forrest Gump.”

Mykelti shared the big screen with some incredibly talented artists including Gary Sinise as the free-flowing platoon leader, Lieutenant Dan Taylor … and of course Tom Hanks as the Alabama football star, Vietnam vet, ping-pong pro, shrimp boat captain, cross-country marathon runner and father, Forrest Gump.

Williamson continues to work in Hollywood and is credited with some big-time TV roles including “Chicago P.D.,” “Lethal Weapon,” “CSI: NY” and “24.”

Guess what he looks like now!