Forest Whitaker

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1961-07-15 (63 years old)

Place of Birth Longview, Texas, USA

Also Known As Forest Steven Whitaker III, Φόρεστ Γουίτακερ, 포레스트 휘태커, フォレスト・ウィテカー, Forest Steven Whitaker, Форест Вітакер

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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Forest Whitaker, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Actor

Sewing Hope

as Narrator (voice)

2025
The King of Kings

as Peter (voice)

2024
Seaweed Stories

as Narrator

2024
My Generation

as Narrator

2024
Emperor of Ocean Park

as Oliver Garland

2023
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour

as Ghost Dog (archive footage)

2023
Big George Foreman

as Doc Broadus

2023
Extrapolations

as Auggie Bolo

2022
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend

as Self (archive footage)

2022
Prophets of Change

as Narrator

2022
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look

as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)

2022
Star Wars: Andor

as Saw Gerrera

2022
Cannes Festival

as Self - Guest

2021
Respect

as C. L. Franklin

2020
2020
Burden

as Reverend Kennedy

2019
Finding Steve McQueen

as Howard Lambert

2019
Godfather of Harlem

as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson

2018
City of Lies

as Jack Jackson

2018
2018
Sorry to Bother You

as First Equisapien / Demarius

2018
The Forgiven

as Desmond Tutu

2018
2016
2016
I Am You

as Narrator (voice)

2016
Arrival

as Colonel Weber

2016
Star Wars: Go Rogue

as Saw Gerrera (voice)

2016
Roots

as Fiddler

2015
Dope

as The Narrator (voice)

2015
Southpaw

as Titus 'Tick' Wills

2015
Empire

as Eddie Barker

2014
Taken 3

as Inspector Frank Dotzler

2014
Two Men in Town

as William Garnett

2014
Repentance

as Angel

2014
Star Wars Rebels

as Saw Gerrera (voice)

2013
Zulu

as Ali Sokhela

2013
Black Nativity

as Reverend Cornell Cobbs

2013
2013
Out of the Furnace

as Chief Wesley Barnes

2013
The Butler

as Cecil Gaines

2013
Rising from Ashes

as Narrator

2013
Pawn

as Will

2013
The Last Stand

as Agent John Bannister

2012
A Dark Truth

as Francisco Francis

2012
Freelancers

as Dennis Larue

2011
Catch.44

as Ronny

2011
2011
Serving Life

as Narrator (voice)

2010
Lullaby for Pi

as George

2010
2010
The Experiment

as Barris

2010
2010
Repo Men

as Jake

2010
Our Family Wedding

as Brad Boyd

2009
Hurricane Season

as Al Collins

2009
2009
Winged Creatures

as Charlie Archenault

2009
Powder Blue

as Charlie

2008
Street Kings

as Captain Jack Wander

2008
Dragon Hunters

as Lian-Chu (voice)

2008
Mon Clown

as Self (archive footage)

2008
Vantage Point

as Howard Lewis

2007
The Great Debaters

as Dr. James Farmer Sr.

2007
Ripple Effect

as Philip

2007
Even Money

as Clyde Snow

2007
The Air I Breathe

as Happiness

2006
Before the Music Dies

as Self - Narrator (voice)

2006
Everyone's Hero

as Lonnie Brewster (voice)

2006
The Marsh

as Geoffrey Hunt

2005
2005
Mary

as Ted Younger

2005
American Gun

as Carter

2005
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood

as Forest Whitaker

2005
Criminal Minds

as Sam Cooper

2005
American Dad!

as Turlington (voice)

2004
2004
First Daughter

as Narrator (voice)

2003
Phone Booth

as Captain Ramey

2003
Deacons for Defense

as Marcus Clay

2002
Panic Room

as Burnham

2002
The Twilight Zone

as Self - Host

2002
2002
The Shield

as Jon Kavanaugh

2001
Feast of All Saints

as Daguerreotypist Picard

2001
The Fourth Angel

as Agent Jules Bernard

2001
The Follow

as The Employer

2001
Green Dragon

as Addie

2001
The Hire

as The Employer

2000
The Paperboy

as Narrator

1999
Witness Protection

as Steven Beck

1999
Light It Up

as Officer Dante Jackson

1999
1998
Body Count

as Crane

1997
The View

as Self

1996
Phenomenon

as Nate Pope

1996
1995
Mr. Holland's Opus

as Bobby Tidd - Adult (uncredited)

1995
Species

as Dan Smithson, Empath

1995
Smoke

as Cyrus Cole

1994
Prêt-à-Porter

as Cy Bianco

1994
Jason's Lyric

as Maddog

1994
The Enemy Within

as Col. MacKenzie Casey

1994
Blown Away

as Anthony Franklin

1994
ER

as Curtis Ames

1993
Bank Robber

as Officer Battle

1993
Lush Life

as Buddy Chester

1993
Last Light

as Fred Whitmore

1993
Body Snatchers

as Major Collins

1992
Consenting Adults

as David Duttonville

1992
1992
Article 99

as Dr. Sid Handleman

1991
1991
A Rage in Harlem

as Jackson

1990
Criminal Justice

as Jessie Williams

1990
Downtown

as Dennis Curren

1989
Johnny Handsome

as Dr. Steven Fisher

1988
Bird

as Charlie 'Bird' Parker

1988
Bloodsport

as Rawlins

1987
Good Morning, Vietnam

as Edward Garlick

1987
Stakeout

as Det. Jack Pismo

1987
Hands of a Stranger

as Sergeant Delaney

1986
Platoon

as Big Harold

1986
1985
Vision Quest

as Balldozer

1985
North and South

as Cuffey

1985
1982
Fast Times at Ridgemont High

as Charles Jefferson

1982
Tag: The Assassination Game

as Gowdy's Bodyguard

1975
Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host

1953
The Oscars

as Self - Presenter

1952
Today

as Self

Producer

2024
Fancy Dance

as Executive Producer

2024
Transplant

as Producer

2024
Hollywood Black

as Executive Producer

2023
2022
2021
Passing

as Producer

2019
A Kid from Coney Island

as Executive Producer

2019
2019
Godfather of Harlem

as Executive Producer

2018
2017
Roxanne Roxanne

as Producer

2015
Dope

as Producer

2013
Fruitvale Station

as Producer

2013
Rising from Ashes

as Executive Producer

2011
Serving Life

as Executive Producer

2011
Monte Carlo

as Executive Producer

2009
Powder Blue

as Producer

2009
Kassim the Dream

as Producer

2009
Brick City

as Executive Producer

2007
Ripple Effect

as Executive Producer

2005
American Gun

as Executive Producer

2004
First Daughter

as Executive Producer

2003
Chasing Papi

as Producer

2002
Door to Door

as Co-Executive Producer

2001
Green Dragon

as Executive Producer

1991
A Rage in Harlem

as Co-Producer

Director

2004
First Daughter

as Director

1998
Hope Floats

as Director

1995
Waiting to Exhale

as Director

1993
Strapped

as Director

Crew

1998
Hope Floats

as Executive Music Producer

1986