--- title: "The actor who played young Forrest Gump served in Iraq" description: "Tom Hanks, who played Forrest Gump through his teenage years and into adulthood, based the accent on Michael Conner Humphreys." date: "2023-03-20" modified: "2023-03-20" authors: - name: "Miguel Ortiz" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/miguelortiz/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-movies/the-actor-who-played-young-forrest-gump-served-in-iraq/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # The actor who played young Forrest Gump served in Iraq ![forrest gump actor]() *[Forrest Gump]()* is a modern classic film, depicting the latter half of 20th century American history through the eyes of a slow but kindhearted man. Based on the book of the same name, the titular character has a distinct, deep southern accent. Tom Hanks, who played Gump through his teenage years and into adulthood, based the accent on Michael Conner Humphreys, the actor who played young Gump. Like Gump, Humphreys later joined the Army and served overseas. ![humphreys forrest gump actor]() **Like Forrest Gump, Humphreys served in the Army (reddit.com/r/todayilearned)** Humphreys was born in the small town of Independence, Mississippi in 1985. In 1993, he attended the open casting call in Memphis, Tennessee for the part of young Gump. The casting team were taken with his accent and he landed the part. Hanks recorded hours of conversations with Humphreys that he listened to and copied for his own portrayal of Gump. *Forrest Gump* hit theaters on July 6, 1994 and was immensely popular. The [film won six Academy Awards]() and received seven other Oscar nominations. For his role in *Forrest Gump*, Humphreys was nominated for a Young Artists Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture. Despite his success, Humphreys only went on to perform in high school productions and had an uncredited TV role. Instead of Hollywood, he felt called to the Army. ![forrest gump actor as a kid]() **Humphreys still has his Southern accent, though it's not as thick as it was in* Forrest Gump *(Paramount Pictures)** In November 2004, after graduating from high school and motivated by the 9/11 attacks, Humphreys enlisted in the U.S. Army. "I feel like there was a duty to go do it," he told *CBS*. "Because it's just part of being the citizen of a country. That's what you gotta do." Humphreys completed basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia as an infantryman. He was assigned to [1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment]() and completed an 18-month-tour in Anbar Province, Iraq. "It was a good experience, and you saw a lot of bad things, a lot people got hurt over there," Humphreys recounted to the *Houston Chronicle*. "There was definitely a lot of violence. I just hope that we did some good. In the end, I learned a lot and I hope it made me a better person." Humphreys told *CBS* that, during his time in the Army, he received nicknames like "Gump," "Gumpy," and "Gumphreys" from his battle buddies; light-hearted jabs at his child stardom. ![forrest gump actor humphreys in army humvee]() **Humphreys behind the wheel of a Humvee in Iraq (Michael Conner Humphreys)** After his deployment, Humphreys served at Fort Riley, Kansas before he was honorably discharged on June 4, 2008. He studied at the University of North Alabama and had a brief return to Hollywood with the 2011 independent film *Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers*, in which he played a WWII [pathfinder](). Since 2020, Humphreys has worked as an online teacher. ## Author Miguel Ortiz is a Senior Contributor for We Are The Mighty covering primarily military news and history with an emphasis on weapons technology. He is a former active duty Army officer and remains a member of the Army IRR. After commissioning through San Diego State University Army ROTC, Miguel served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He has written for We Are The Mighty since 2020, drawing from his passion for the military community and history. Miguel’s work has also been seen on Business Insider and The Blast. He remains an avid shooter, competing in local USPSA matches. Miguel’s other hobbies are traveling and watch collecting. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()