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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
July 15, 1961
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
- فارست ویتاکر
Forest Whitaker
3.7 Popularity
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
6.4
Lawrence Beaumont
Havoc
2025
8.5
Peter (voice)
The King of Kings
2025
1.0
Narrator
My Generation
2024
0.0
Narrator (voice)
Seaweed Stories
2024
6.2
Oliver Garland
Emperor of Ocean Park
2024
0.0
Ghost Dog (archive footage)
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
2023
7.6
Doc Broadus
Big George Foreman
2023
6.0
Auggie Bolo
Extrapolations
2023
7.3
Self (archive footage)
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022
0.0
Narrator
Prophets of Change
2022
Credits
Havoc
as Lawrence Beaumont
2025
6.4
The King of Kings
as Peter (voice)
2025
8.5
My Generation
as Narrator
2024
1.0
Seaweed Stories
as Narrator (voice)
2024
0.0
Emperor of Ocean Park
as Oliver Garland
2024
6.2
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
as Ghost Dog (archive footage)
2023
0.0
Big George Foreman
as Doc Broadus
2023
7.6
Extrapolations
as Auggie Bolo
2023
6.0
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
as Self (archive footage)
2022
7.3
Prophets of Change
as Narrator
2022
0.0
Andor
as Saw Gerrera
2022
8.3
The Jennifer Hudson Show
as Self
2022
5.6
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
2022
7.3
Cannes Festival
as Self - Guest
2022
0.0
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
as Self
2021
7.0
Respect
as C. L. Franklin
2021
6.8
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
as Self
2020
3.3
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
as Jeronicus Jangle
2020
6.6
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
as Self
2020
10.0
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
as Self
2020
8.1
Godfather of Harlem
as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
2019
8.1
Finding Steve McQueen
as Howard Lambert
2019
6.0
City of Lies
as Jack Jackson
2018
6.4
Burden
as Reverend Kennedy
2018
6.1
How It Ends
as Tom
2018
5.3
Sorry to Bother You
as First Equisapien / Demarius
2018
6.8
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
as Narrator (voice)
2018
4.0
The Forgiven
as Desmond Tutu
2018
6.1
Black Panther
as Zuri
2018
7.4
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
as Self
2017
5.6
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
as Self
2017
7.0
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
as Saw Gerrera
2016
7.5
🎬
I Am You
as Narrator (voice)
2016
3.5
Arrival
as Colonel Weber
2016
7.6
Star Wars: Go Rogue
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
2016
6.7
Roots
as Fiddler
2016
6.9
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self
2015
6.2
Dope
as The Narrator (voice)
2015
7.1
Southpaw
as Titus 'Tick' Wills
2015
7.4
Empire
as Eddie Barker
2015
7.1
Taken 3
as Inspector Frank Dotzler
2014
6.3
Star Wars Rebels
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
2014
7.7
Two Men in Town
as William Garnett
2014
5.5
Food Chains
2014
7.0
Repentance
as Angel
2014
4.8
Zulu
as Ali Sokhela
2013
6.7
Black Nativity
as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
2013
5.1
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
2013
0.0
Out of the Furnace
as Chief Wesley Barnes
2013
6.6
Mysteries of the Unseen World
as Narrator
2013
7.2
The Butler
as Cecil Gaines
2013
7.3
Rising from Ashes
as Narrator
2013
6.5
Pawn
as Will
2013
5.5
The Last Stand
as Agent John Bannister
2013
6.1
A Dark Truth
as Francisco Francis
2012
5.6
Freelancers
as Dennis Larue
2012
5.1
Catch.44
as Ronny
2011
5.1
A Man's Story
as Self
2011
6.9
Serving Life
as Narrator (voice)
2011
5.3
Witness Protection
as Steven Beck
2011
6.2
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
as Sam Cooper
2011
7.1
Lullaby for Pi
as George
2010
6.8
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
as (archive footage)
2010
6.1
The Experiment
as Barris
2010
6.4
My Own Love Song
as Joey
2010
6.2
Repo Men
as Jake
2010
6.3
Our Family Wedding
as Brad Boyd
2010
5.6
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
as Lion
2010
7.1
Hurricane Season
as Al Collins
2010
6.6
Where the Wild Things Are
as Ira (voice)
2009
6.5
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
as Narrator
2009
6.6
Winged Creatures
as Charlie Archenault
2009
5.9
Powder Blue
as Charlie
2009
6.1
Street Kings
as Captain Jack Wander
2008
6.6
Vantage Point
as Howard Lewis
2008
6.4
The Great Debaters
as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
2007
7.2
Ripple Effect
as Philip
2007
5.0
Even Money
as Clyde Snow
2007
5.5
The Air I Breathe
as Happiness
2007
6.3
Before the Music Dies
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2006
7.0
The Last King of Scotland
as Idi Amin
2006
7.4
Everyone's Hero
as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
2006
6.0
The Marsh
as Geoffrey Hunt
2006
5.1
A Little Trip to Heaven
as Abe Holt
2005
5.4
Mary
as Ted Younger
2005
5.6
Odyssey in Rome
2005
0.0
Criminal Minds
as Sam Cooper
2005
8.3
American Gun
as Carter
2005
5.6
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
as Forest Whitaker
2005
4.1
Deacons for Defense
as Marcus Clay
2005
6.2
American Dad!
as Turlington (voice)
2005
7.0
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
as Self
2005
6.7
🎬
The Misbehavers
as Self
2004
0.0
First Daughter
as Narrator (voice)
2004
6.2
Shooting 'Panic Room'
as Self
2004
6.8
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self
2003
5.6
🎬
Making of Phone Booth
as Self
2003
8.0
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self
2003
5.5
Phone Booth
as Captain Ramey
2003
6.9
The Twilight Zone
as Self - Host
2002
7.2
American Idol
as Self
2002
5.1
Panic Room
as Burnham
2002
6.8
The Shield
as Jon Kavanaugh
2002
8.1
Live from E!
as Self
2002
3.7
Feast of All Saints
as Daguerreotypist Picard
2001
4.4
The Fourth Angel
as Agent Jules Bernard
2001
5.2
🎬
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai
2001
2.0
The Follow
as The Employer
2001
6.8
Green Dragon
as Addie
2001
6.0
The Hire
as The Employer
2001
7.6
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
as Self
2001
8.5
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
as Self
2000
7.1
Four Dogs Playing Poker
as Mr. Ellington
2000
3.5
Battlefield Earth
as Ker
2000
3.3
The Paperboy
as Narrator
2000
8.0
Light It Up
as Officer Dante Jackson
1999
6.7
The Early Show
as Self
1999
6.2
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
as Ghost Dog
1999
7.3
Where Are They Now?
as Self
1999
7.5
Body Count
as Crane
1998
5.4
The View
as Self
1997
4.3
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
as Mr. Rucker
1996
7.1
The Daily Show
as Self
1996
6.4
Phenomenon
as Nate Pope
1996
6.5
Mr. Holland's Opus
as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
1995
6.9
Species
as Dan Smithson, Empath
1995
6.0
Smoke
as Cyrus Cole
1995
7.2
Prêt-à-Porter
as Cy Bianco
1994
5.2
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
as Self
1994
7.4
ER
as Curtis Ames
1994
7.8
The Enemy Within
as Col. MacKenzie Casey
1994
5.7
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
1994
7.5
Blown Away
as Anthony Franklin
1994
6.2
Jason's Lyric
as Maddog
1994
6.7
Bank Robber
as Officer Battle
1993
4.1
Lush Life
as Buddy Chester
1993
7.2
Last Light
as Fred Whitmore
1993
6.0
Body Snatchers
as Major Collins
1993
6.1
Consenting Adults
as David Duttonville
1992
5.4
The Crying Game
as Jody
1992
6.8
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
5.4
Article 99
as Dr. Sid Handleman
1992
6.2
Diary of a Hitman
as Dekker
1991
5.1
A Rage in Harlem
as Jackson
1991
5.4
Criminal Justice
as Jessie Williams
1990
5.8
Downtown
as Dennis Curren
1990
5.6
Johnny Handsome
as Dr. Steven Fisher
1989
6.3
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
as Self
1988
5.4
Bird
as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
1988
6.8
Bloodsport
as Rawlins
1988
7.0
Good Morning, Vietnam
as Edward Garlick
1987
7.3
Stakeout
as Det. Jack Pismo
1987
6.5
Hands of a Stranger
as Sergeant Delaney
1987
4.3
Platoon
as Big Harold
1986
7.7
The Color of Money
as Amos
1986
6.9
North and South
as Cuffey
1985
7.4
Amazing Stories
as Jerry
1985
7.4
Vision Quest
as Balldozer
1985
6.3
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
as Charles Jefferson
1982
6.8
Tag: The Assassination Game
as Gowdy's Bodyguard
1982
5.3
Cagney & Lacey
as Night Manager
1982
7.0
Hill Street Blues
1981
7.6
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
7.1
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
1975
7.0
The Oscars
as Self - Presenter
1953
7.0
Today
as Self
1952
5.6
🎬
Sewing Hope
as Narrator (voice)
N/A
0.0
A Fall from Grace
N/A
0.0
🎬
Rose's Baby
N/A
0.0