Forest Whitaker
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.
Filmography (67)
Havoc
The King of Kings
Big George Foreman
Respect
Passing
Black Panther
City of Lies
Sorry to Bother You
How It Ends
The Forgiven
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Arrival
Dope
Southpaw
Taken 3
The Last Stand
The Butler
Out of the Furnace
Zulu
Fruitvale Station
Catch.44
Monte Carlo
Repo Men
The Experiment
Hurricane Season
My Own Love Song
Where the Wild Things Are
Winged Creatures
Powder Blue
Vantage Point
Street Kings
The Great Debaters
The Air I Breathe
The Last King of Scotland
The Marsh
Everyone's Hero
A Little Trip to Heaven
First Daughter
Phone Booth
Chasing Papi
Panic Room
Door to Door
The Fourth Angel
Battlefield Earth
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Light It Up
Witness Protection
Hope Floats
Phenomenon
Mr. Holland's Opus
Species
Smoke
Waiting to Exhale
Prêt-à-Porter
Blown Away
The Enemy Within
Body Snatchers
The Crying Game
Article 99
Johnny Handsome
Bloodsport
Good Morning, Vietnam
Stakeout
Platoon
The Color of Money
Vision Quest
