On this day in Alabama history: ‘Forrest Gump’ author Winston Groom was born
Author Winston Groom (1943- ), pictured ca. 1998, is best-known for his 1986 novel "Forrest Gump," which was adapted to an Oscar-winning film starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Groom was raised in Mobile County and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama)
March 23, 1944
Author Winston Groom was born in Washington, D.C. Best known as the author of “Forrest Gump,” Groom grew up in Mobile County and attended the University of Alabama before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After returning from Vietnam, he worked as a reporter for the Washington Star and wrote several books based on the war, including “Conversations with the Enemy: The Story of PFC Robert Garwood,” a Pulitzer Prize nominee. He published “Forrest Gump” in 1986, and the novel became a bestseller after its film adaptation won six Academy Awards in 1994. Groom’s more recent work focuses on historical non-fiction, including topics such as the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
Alabama Maker: Winston Groom talks about his inspiration for ‘Forrest Gump’ from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
