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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.
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 15, 1961
Age
65 years old
Place of Birth
Longview, Texas, USA
Popularity Score
4.6
Filmography
Up Against It
2027Movie
Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo
Self (archive footage)
2026Movie
Lucky Lu
Executive Producer
2026Movie
The King of Kings
Peter (voice)
2025Movie
Havoc
Lawrence Beaumont
2025Movie
To Live and Die and Live
Producer
2025Movie
Seaweed Stories
Self - Narrator (voice)
2024Movie
The Emperor of Ocean Park
Judge Oliver Garland
2024TV
My Generation
Self - Narrator (voice)
2024TV
Hollywood Black
Self
2024TV
Fancy Dance
Executive Producer
2024Movie
Transplant
Producer
2024Movie
Hollywood Black
Executive Producer
2024TV
Big George Foreman
Doc Broadus
2023Movie
Extrapolations
Auggie Bolo
2023TV
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
2022Movie
Prophets of Change
Narrator
2022Movie
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
Self (archive footage)
2022Movie
Cannes Festival
Self - Guest
2022TV
Andor
Saw Gerrera
2022TV
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Self
2022TV
For the Sake of Peace
Producer
2022Movie
Respect
C. L. Franklin
2021Movie
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
Self
2021TV
Passing
Producer
2021Movie
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Jeronicus Jangle
2020Movie
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Self
2020Movie
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
Self
2020Movie
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Self
2020TV
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Executive Producer
2020TV
Finding Steve McQueen
Howard Lambert
2019Movie
Godfather of Harlem
Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
2019TV
A Kid from Coney Island
Executive Producer
2019Movie
Devil's Pie: D'Angelo
Producer
2019Movie
Godfather of Harlem
Executive Producer
2019TV
Black Panther
Zuri
2018Movie
Burden
Reverend Kennedy
2018Movie
City of Lies
Jack Jackson
2018Movie
The Forgiven
Desmond Tutu
2018Movie
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
Narrator (voice)
2018Movie
How It Ends
Tom
2018Movie
Sorry to Bother You
First Equisapien / Demarius
2018Movie
Sorry to Bother You
Producer
2018Movie
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Self
2017Movie
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
Self
2017Movie
Steve
Self
2017TV
Roxanne Roxanne
Producer
2017Movie
Arrival
Colonel Weber
2016Movie
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Saw Gerrera
2016Movie
I Am You
Narrator (voice)
2016Movie
Star Wars: Go Rogue
Saw Gerrera (voice)
2016TV
Roots
Fiddler
2016TV
Southpaw
Titus 'Tick' Wills
2015Movie
Dope
The Narrator (voice)
2015Movie
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self
2015TV
Empire
Eddie Barker
2015TV
Dope
Producer
2015Movie
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Producer
2015Movie
Repentance
Angel
2014Movie
Two Men in Town
William Garnett
2014Movie
Taken 3
Inspector Frank Dotzler
2014Movie
Food Chains
2014Movie
Star Wars Rebels
Saw Gerrera (voice)
2014TV
The Last Stand
Agent John Bannister
2013Movie
The Butler
Cecil Gaines
2013Movie
Out of the Furnace
Chief Wesley Barnes
2013Movie
Pawn
Will
2013Movie
Zulu
Ali Sokhela
2013Movie
Black Nativity
Reverend Cornell Cobbs
2013Movie
Mysteries of the Unseen World
Narrator
2013Movie
Rising from Ashes
Narrator
2013Movie
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
2013Movie
Fruitvale Station
Producer
2013Movie
Rising from Ashes
Executive Producer
2013Movie
Freelancers
Dennis Larue
2012Movie
A Dark Truth
Francisco Francis
2012Movie
Catch.44
Ronny
2011Movie
Serving Life
Narrator (voice)
2011Movie
A Man's Story
Self
2011Movie
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Sam Cooper
2011TV
Serving Life
Executive Producer
2011Movie
Monte Carlo
Executive Producer
2011Movie
Repo Men
Jake
2010Movie
Hurricane Season
Al Collins
2010Movie
Our Family Wedding
Brad Boyd
2010Movie
The Experiment
Barris
2010Movie
My Own Love Song
Joey
2010Movie
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
Lion
2010Movie
Lullaby for Pi
George
2010Movie
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
2010Movie
Winged Creatures
Charlie Archenault
2009Movie
Where the Wild Things Are
Ira (voice)
2009Movie
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Narrator
2009Movie
Powder Blue
Charlie
2009Movie
Powder Blue
Producer
2009Movie
Kassim the Dream
Producer
2009Movie
Brick City
Executive Producer
2009TV
Street Kings
Captain Jack Wander
2008Movie
Vantage Point
Howard Lewis
2008Movie
The Air I Breathe
Happiness
2007Movie
The Great Debaters
Dr. James Farmer Sr.
2007Movie
Even Money
Clyde Snow
2007Movie
Ripple Effect
Philip
2007Movie
Ripple Effect
Executive Producer
2007Movie
The Last King of Scotland
Idi Amin
2006Movie
The Marsh
Geoffrey Hunt
2006Movie
Everyone's Hero
Lonnie Brewster (voice)
2006Movie
Before the Music Dies
Self - Narrator (voice)
2006Movie
A Little Trip to Heaven
Abe Holt
2005Movie
American Gun
Carter
2005Movie
Mary
Ted Younger
2005Movie
Deacons for Defense
Marcus Clay
2005Movie
Odyssey in Rome
2005Movie
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
Forest Whitaker
2005Movie
American Dad!
Turlington (voice)
2005TV
Criminal Minds
Sam Cooper
2005TV
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self
2005TV
American Gun
Executive Producer
2005Movie
The Misbehavers
Self
2004Movie
First Daughter
Narrator (voice)
2004Movie
Shooting 'Panic Room'
Self
2004Movie
First Daughter
Director
2004Movie
First Daughter
Executive Producer
2004Movie
Phone Booth
Captain Ramey
2003Movie
Making of Phone Booth
Self
2003Movie
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
2003TV
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003TV
Chasing Papi
Producer
2003Movie
Panic Room
Burnham
2002Movie
The Shield
Jon Kavanaugh
2002TV
American Idol
Self
2002TV
The Twilight Zone
Self - Host
2002TV
Live from E!
Self
2002TV
Door to Door
Co-Executive Producer
2002Movie
Green Dragon
Addie
2001Movie
Feast of All Saints
Daguerreotypist Picard
2001Movie
The Fourth Angel
Agent Jules Bernard
2001Movie
The Follow
The Employer
2001Movie
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
Self
2001Movie
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai
2001Movie
The Hire
The Employer
2001TV
Green Dragon
Executive Producer
2001Movie
Battlefield Earth
Ker
2000Movie
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
Self
2000Movie
The Paperboy
Narrator
2000Movie
Four Dogs Playing Poker
Mr. Ellington
2000Movie
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Ghost Dog
1999Movie
Light It Up
Officer Dante Jackson
1999Movie
Witness Protection
Steven Beck
1999Movie
The Early Show
Self
1999TV
Where Are They Now?
Self
1999TV
Body Count
Crane
1998Movie
Hope Floats
Director
1998Movie
Hope Floats
Executive Music Producer
1998Movie
The View
Self
1997TV
Phenomenon
Nate Pope
1996Movie
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Mr. Rucker
1996Movie
The Daily Show
Self
1996TV
Smoke
Cyrus Cole
1995Movie
Species
Dan Smithson, Empath
1995Movie
Mr. Holland's Opus
Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
1995Movie
Waiting to Exhale
Director
1995Movie
Blown Away
Anthony Franklin
1994Movie
Prêt-à-Porter
Cy Bianco
1994Movie
Jason's Lyric
Maddog
1994Movie
The Enemy Within
Col. MacKenzie Casey
1994Movie
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
Self
1994Movie
Inside the Actors Studio
Self
1994TV
ER
Curtis Ames
1994TV
Body Snatchers
Major Collins
1993Movie
Last Light
Fred Whitmore
1993Movie
Lush Life
Buddy Chester
1993Movie
Bank Robber
Officer Battle
1993Movie
Strapped
Director
1993Movie
The Crying Game
Jody
1992Movie
Article 99
Dr. Sid Handleman
1992Movie
Consenting Adults
David Duttonville
1992Movie
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992TV
A Rage in Harlem
Jackson
1991Movie
Diary of a Hitman
Dekker
1991Movie
A Rage in Harlem
Co-Producer
1991Movie
Downtown
Dennis Curren
1990Movie
Criminal Justice
Jessie Williams
1990Movie
Johnny Handsome
Dr. Steven Fisher
1989Movie
Bloodsport
Rawlins
1988Movie
Bird
Charlie 'Bird' Parker
1988Movie
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self
1988TV
Good Morning, Vietnam
Edward Garlick
1987Movie
Stakeout
Det. Jack Pismo
1987Movie
Hands of a Stranger
Sergeant Delaney
1987Movie
The Color of Money
Amos
1986Movie
Platoon
Big Harold
1986Movie
A Little Off Mark
Thanks
1986Movie
Vision Quest
Balldozer
1985Movie
North and South
Cuffey
1985TV
Amazing Stories
Jerry
1985TV
The Grand Baby
1983Movie
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Charles Jefferson
1982Movie
Tag: The Assassination Game
Gowdy's Bodyguard
1982Movie
Cagney & Lacey
Night Manager
1982TV
Hill Street Blues
1981TV
Diff'rent Strokes
1978TV
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975TV
The Oscars
Self - Presenter
1953TV
Today
Self
1952TV
Sewing Hope
Narrator (voice)
—Movie
Rosetta
Producer
—Movie
Rise of the Empress
Executive Producer
—TV