Forest Whitaker
Born 1961
Known for Arrival, Taken 3, The Butler.
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.
Movie Credits
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
The Forgiven (2017)
Food Chains (2014)
Two Men in Town (2014)
Black Nativity (2013)
Mysteries of the Unseen World (2013)
Repentance (2013)
The Butler (2013)
Rising from Ashes (2012)
Serving Life (2011)
Hurricane Season (2010)
Our Family Wedding (2010)
Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008)
Ripple Effect (2007)
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)
American Gun (2005)
Deacons for Defense (2003)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Witness Protection (1999)
The Enemy Within (1994)
A Rage in Harlem (1991)
Diary of a Hitman (1991)
Bird (1988)
Respect (2021)
Finding Steve McQueen (2019)
City of Lies (2018)
How It Ends (2018)
Taken 3 (2014)
Pawn (2013)
Zulu (2013)
Freelancers (2012)
My Own Love Song (2010)
Repo Men (2010)
Winged Creatures (2009)
Woke Up Dead (2009)
Street Kings (2008)
Mary (2005)
Green Dragon (2001)
The Fourth Angel (2001)
Last Light (1993)
Lush Life (1993)
Downtown (1990)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Burden (2018)
Arrival (2016)
Southpaw (2015)
The Experiment (2010)
Powder Blue (2009)
Vantage Point (2008)
Even Money (2007)
The Marsh (2006)
Panic Room (2002)
Phone Booth (2002)
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Light It Up (1999)
Phenomenon (1996)
Article 99 (1992)
Havoc (2025)
A Dark Truth (2012)
Lullaby for Pi (2010)
The Follow (2001)
Bank Robber (1993)
The Crying Game (1992)
Johnny Handsome (1989)
Catch.44 (2011)
The Great Debaters (2007)
Smoke (1995)
Blown Away (1994)
Consenting Adults (1992)
Bloodsport (1988)
Platoon (1986)
A Fall from Grace (1969)
The King of Kings (2025)
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Body Count (1998)
Species (1995)
Stakeout (1987)
