Forest Whitaker

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

169

Gender

Male

Birthday

1961-07-15 (64 years old)

Place of Birth

Longview, Texas, USA

Forest Whitaker

Biography

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, director, and activist. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Whitaker went on to earn a reputation for intensive character study work for films, such as Platoon (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bird (1988), The Crying Game (1992), Phenomenon (1996), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), The Great Debaters (2007), The Butler (2013), Arrival (2016), and Respect (2021). He has also appeared in blockbusters, such as Panic Room (2002), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) as Saw Gerrera, and Black Panther (2018) as Zuri. For his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the British historical drama film The Last King of Scotland (2006), Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Whitaker made his directorial debut with the television film Strapped (1993), and directed the films Waiting to Exhale (1995), Hope Floats (1998), and First Daughter (2004). Apart from his film career, Whitaker is also known for his humanitarian work and activism. In 2011, he was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, later receiving a promotion to Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, and serves as the CEO of Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit outreach program.

Known For

  • Criminal Minds

    Criminal Minds

  • The Daily Show

    The Daily Show

  • American Dad!

    American Dad!

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • The Jennifer Hudson Show

    The Jennifer Hudson Show

  • The Shield

    The Shield

  • The View

    The View

  • LIVE with Kelly and Mark

    LIVE with Kelly and Mark

  • ER

    ER

  • American Idol

    American Idol

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • Hill Street Blues

    Hill Street Blues

  • Andor

    Andor

  • Amazing Stories

    Amazing Stories

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

    The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • Star Wars Rebels

    Star Wars Rebels

  • Godfather of Harlem

    Godfather of Harlem

  • Empire

    Empire

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • Cagney & Lacey

    Cagney & Lacey

  • Taken 3

    Taken 3

  • Havoc

    Havoc

  • Arrival

    Arrival

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Southpaw

    Southpaw

  • Black Panther

    Black Panther

  • North and South

    North and South

  • Where Are They Now?

    Where Are They Now?

  • Today

    Today

  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

  • Sorry to Bother You

    Sorry to Bother You

  • Extrapolations

    Extrapolations

  • The King of Kings

    The King of Kings

  • City of Lies

    City of Lies

  • Bloodsport

    Bloodsport

  • Street Kings

    Street Kings

  • Platoon

    Platoon

  • The Color of Money

    The Color of Money

  • Freelancers

    Freelancers

  • The Butler

    The Butler

  • Repo Men

    Repo Men

  • The Last Stand

    The Last Stand

  • First Daughter

    First Daughter

  • E! Live from the Red Carpet

    E! Live from the Red Carpet

  • Vision Quest

    Vision Quest

  • Lullaby for Pi

    Lullaby for Pi

  • Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows

    Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows

  • Winged Creatures

    Winged Creatures

  • Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

    Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

  • Everyone's Hero

    Everyone's Hero

  • The Great Debaters

    The Great Debaters

  • Species

    Species

  • Even Money

    Even Money

  • Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

    Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

  • Battlefield Earth

    Battlefield Earth

  • Jiminy Glick in Lalawood

    Jiminy Glick in Lalawood

  • The Forgiven

    The Forgiven

  • Big George Foreman

    Big George Foreman

  • Diary of a Hitman

    Diary of a Hitman

  • A Dark Truth

    A Dark Truth

  • Good Morning, Vietnam

    Good Morning, Vietnam

  • Powder Blue

    Powder Blue

  • Panic Room

    Panic Room

  • Finding Steve McQueen

    Finding Steve McQueen

  • Phone Booth

    Phone Booth

  • Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy

    Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy

  • Blown Away

    Blown Away

  • Out of the Furnace

    Out of the Furnace

  • Roots

    Roots

  • A Man's Story

    A Man's Story

  • Fast Times at Ridgemont High

    Fast Times at Ridgemont High

  • The Air I Breathe

    The Air I Breathe

  • The Crying Game

    The Crying Game

  • Ripple Effect

    Ripple Effect

  • Where the Wild Things Are

    Where the Wild Things Are

  • The Enemy Within

    The Enemy Within

  • Article 99

    Article 99

  • Mysteries of the Unseen World

    Mysteries of the Unseen World

  • Phenomenon

    Phenomenon

  • Black Nativity

    Black Nativity

  • Catch.44

    Catch.44

  • The Early Show

    The Early Show

  • Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life

    Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life

  • The Hire

    The Hire

  • The Last King of Scotland

    The Last King of Scotland

  • Lush Life

    Lush Life

  • Mr. Holland's Opus

    Mr. Holland's Opus

  • The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

    The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'

  • Stakeout

    Stakeout

  • Dope

    Dope

  • Emperor of Ocean Park

    Emperor of Ocean Park

  • My Own Love Song

    My Own Love Song

  • American Gun

    American Gun

  • Body Snatchers

    Body Snatchers

  • to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour

    to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour

  • Feast of All Saints

    Feast of All Saints

  • Smoke

    Smoke

  • Respect

    Respect

  • Vantage Point

    Vantage Point

  • Zulu

    Zulu

  • Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look

    Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look

  • Repentance

    Repentance

  • Light It Up

    Light It Up

  • A Rage in Harlem

    A Rage in Harlem

  • Hurricane Season

    Hurricane Season

  • Shooting 'Panic Room'

    Shooting 'Panic Room'

  • The Experiment

    The Experiment

  • Last Light

    Last Light

  • How It Ends

    How It Ends

  • Johnny Handsome

    Johnny Handsome

  • Rising from Ashes

    Rising from Ashes

  • Bird

    Bird

  • Witness Protection

    Witness Protection

  • Burden

    Burden

  • Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

    Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

  • A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'

    A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'

  • By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

    By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem

  • Mary

    Mary

  • Criminal Justice

    Criminal Justice

  • The Fourth Angel

    The Fourth Angel

  • Prêt-à-Porter

    Prêt-à-Porter

  • Cannes Festival

    Cannes Festival

  • Consenting Adults

    Consenting Adults

  • Downtown

    Downtown

  • Diff'rent Strokes

    Diff'rent Strokes

  • A Little Trip to Heaven

    A Little Trip to Heaven

  • Green Dragon

    Green Dragon

  • The Follow

    The Follow

  • Hands of a Stranger

    Hands of a Stranger

  • My Generation

    My Generation

  • Our Family Wedding

    Our Family Wedding

  • Prophets of Change

    Prophets of Change

  • Pawn

    Pawn

  • Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso

    Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso

  • Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

    Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

  • Star Wars: Go Rogue

    Star Wars: Go Rogue

  • Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault

    Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault

  • Body Count

    Body Count

  • Inside the Actors Studio

    Inside the Actors Studio

  • Four Dogs Playing Poker

    Four Dogs Playing Poker

  • Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai

    Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai

  • The Misbehavers

    The Misbehavers

  • A Fall from Grace

    A Fall from Grace

  • Deacons for Defense

    Deacons for Defense

  • 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift

    2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift

  • Two Men in Town

    Two Men in Town

  • Odyssey in Rome

    Odyssey in Rome

  • Jason's Lyric

    Jason's Lyric

  • Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King

    Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King

  • The Marsh

    The Marsh

  • Tag: The Assassination Game

    Tag: The Assassination Game

  • Food Chains

    Food Chains

  • Crips and Bloods: Made in America

    Crips and Bloods: Made in America

  • Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'

    Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'

  • Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times

    Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times

  • Bank Robber

    Bank Robber

  • Serving Life

    Serving Life

  • Making of Phone Booth

    Making of Phone Booth

  • The Paperboy

    The Paperboy

  • Rose's Baby

    Rose's Baby

  • Before the Music Dies

    Before the Music Dies

  • Seaweed Stories

    Seaweed Stories

  • Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace

    Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace

  • Sewing Hope

    Sewing Hope

  • I Am You

    I Am You

  • Making a Scene | 11 Performances

    Making a Scene | 11 Performances