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.
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.
External links
Filmography (Movies)
Havoc
Character:Lawrence Beaumont
Release Date:25/04/2025
The King of Kings
Character:Peter (voice)
Release Date:07/04/2025
Seaweed Stories
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:05/10/2024
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
Character:Ghost Dog (archive footage)
Release Date:26/11/2023
Big George Foreman
Character:Doc Broadus
Release Date:27/04/2023
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:13/11/2022
Prophets of Change
Character:Narrator
Release Date:12/10/2022
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
Character:Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:08/09/2022
Respect
Character:C. L. Franklin
Release Date:12/08/2021
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Character:Jeronicus Jangle
Release Date:06/11/2020
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
Character:Self
Release Date:19/09/2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Character:Self
Release Date:30/08/2020
Finding Steve McQueen
Character:Howard Lambert
Release Date:15/03/2019
City of Lies
Character:Jack Jackson
Release Date:06/09/2018
Burden
Character:Reverend Kennedy
Release Date:05/08/2018
How It Ends
Character:Tom
Release Date:13/07/2018
Sorry to Bother You
Character:First Equisapien / Demarius
Release Date:06/07/2018
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:23/03/2018
The Forgiven
Character:Desmond Tutu
Release Date:09/03/2018
Black Panther
Character:Zuri
Release Date:13/02/2018
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Character:Self
Release Date:04/04/2017
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
Character:Self
Release Date:14/02/2017
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Character:Saw Gerrera
Release Date:14/12/2016
I Am You
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:12/12/2016
Arrival
Character:Colonel Weber
Release Date:10/11/2016
Dope
Character:The Narrator (voice)
Release Date:19/06/2015
Southpaw
Character:Titus 'Tick' Wills
Release Date:24/03/2015
Taken 3
Character:Inspector Frank Dotzler
Release Date:16/12/2014
Two Men in Town
Character:William Garnett
Release Date:07/05/2014
Food Chains
Character:
Release Date:26/04/2014
Repentance
Character:Angel
Release Date:28/02/2014
Zulu
Character:Ali Sokhela
Release Date:04/12/2013
Black Nativity
Character:Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Release Date:27/11/2013
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
Character:
Release Date:25/11/2013
Out of the Furnace
Character:Chief Wesley Barnes
Release Date:12/11/2013
Mysteries of the Unseen World
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/11/2013
The Butler
Character:Cecil Gaines
Release Date:16/08/2013
Rising from Ashes
Character:Narrator
Release Date:02/08/2013
Pawn
Character:Will
Release Date:23/04/2013
The Last Stand
Character:Agent John Bannister
Release Date:12/01/2013
A Dark Truth
Character:Francisco Francis
Release Date:29/11/2012
Freelancers
Character:Dennis Larue
Release Date:10/08/2012
Catch.44
Character:Ronny
Release Date:08/12/2011
A Man's Story
Character:Self
Release Date:08/10/2011
Serving Life
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:28/07/2011
Witness Protection
Character:Steven Beck
Release Date:14/04/2011
Lullaby for Pi
Character:George
Release Date:11/10/2010
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:03/08/2010
The Experiment
Character:Barris
Release Date:15/07/2010
My Own Love Song
Character:Joey
Release Date:07/04/2010
Repo Men
Character:Jake
Release Date:18/03/2010
Our Family Wedding
Character:Brad Boyd
Release Date:12/03/2010
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
Character:Lion
Release Date:02/03/2010
Hurricane Season
Character:Al Collins
Release Date:09/02/2010
Where the Wild Things Are
Character:Ira (voice)
Release Date:16/10/2009
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Character:Narrator
Release Date:14/08/2009
Winged Creatures
Character:Charlie Archenault
Release Date:08/07/2009
Powder Blue
Character:Charlie
Release Date:08/05/2009
Street Kings
Character:Captain Jack Wander
Release Date:10/04/2008
Vantage Point
Character:Howard Lewis
Release Date:01/02/2008
The Great Debaters
Character:Dr. James Farmer Sr.
Release Date:25/12/2007
Ripple Effect
Character:Philip
Release Date:21/06/2007
Even Money
Character:Clyde Snow
Release Date:13/03/2007
The Air I Breathe
Character:Happiness
Release Date:07/02/2007
Before the Music Dies
Character:Self - Narrator (voice)
Release Date:02/11/2006
The Last King of Scotland
Character:Idi Amin
Release Date:27/09/2006
Everyone's Hero
Character:Lonnie Brewster (voice)
Release Date:04/08/2006
The Marsh
Character:Geoffrey Hunt
Release Date:18/05/2006
A Little Trip to Heaven
Character:Abe Holt
Release Date:26/12/2005
Mary
Character:Ted Younger
Release Date:18/11/2005
Odyssey in Rome
Character:
Release Date:30/09/2005
American Gun
Character:Carter
Release Date:15/09/2005
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
Character:Forest Whitaker
Release Date:08/05/2005
Deacons for Defense
Character:Marcus Clay
Release Date:05/04/2005
The Misbehavers
Character:Self
Release Date:04/12/2004
First Daughter
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:24/09/2004
Shooting 'Panic Room'
Character:Self
Release Date:30/03/2004
Making of Phone Booth
Character:Self
Release Date:25/03/2003
Phone Booth
Character:Captain Ramey
Release Date:06/01/2003
Panic Room
Character:Burnham
Release Date:29/03/2002
Feast of All Saints
Character:Daguerreotypist Picard
Release Date:11/11/2001
The Fourth Angel
Character:Agent Jules Bernard
Release Date:15/08/2001
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai
Character:
Release Date:14/08/2001
The Follow
Character:The Employer
Release Date:24/05/2001
Green Dragon
Character:Addie
Release Date:17/05/2001
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/2001
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
Character:Self
Release Date:27/09/2000
Four Dogs Playing Poker
Character:Mr. Ellington
Release Date:06/06/2000
Battlefield Earth
Character:Ker
Release Date:12/05/2000
The Paperboy
Character:Narrator
Release Date:01/01/2000
Light It Up
Character:Officer Dante Jackson
Release Date:04/11/1999
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Character:Ghost Dog
Release Date:06/10/1999
Body Count
Character:Crane
Release Date:28/04/1998
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Character:Mr. Rucker
Release Date:23/11/1996
Phenomenon
Character:Nate Pope
Release Date:05/07/1996
Mr. Holland's Opus
Character:Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Release Date:29/12/1995
Species
Character:Dan Smithson, Empath
Release Date:07/07/1995
Smoke
Character:Cyrus Cole
Release Date:09/06/1995
Prêt-à -Porter
Character:Cy Bianco
Release Date:23/12/1994
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
Character:Self
Release Date:11/12/1994
The Enemy Within
Character:Col. MacKenzie Casey
Release Date:24/08/1994
Blown Away
Character:Anthony Franklin
Release Date:01/07/1994
Jason's Lyric
Character:Maddog
Release Date:22/05/1994
Bank Robber
Character:Officer Battle
Release Date:03/12/1993
Lush Life
Character:Buddy Chester
Release Date:01/10/1993
Last Light
Character:Fred Whitmore
Release Date:22/08/1993
Body Snatchers
Character:Major Collins
Release Date:09/06/1993
Consenting Adults
Character:David Duttonville
Release Date:16/10/1992
The Crying Game
Character:Jody
Release Date:02/09/1992
Article 99
Character:Dr. Sid Handleman
Release Date:13/03/1992
Diary of a Hitman
Character:Dekker
Release Date:20/11/1991
A Rage in Harlem
Character:Jackson
Release Date:03/05/1991
Criminal Justice
Character:Jessie Williams
Release Date:08/09/1990
Downtown
Character:Dennis Curren
Release Date:12/01/1990
Johnny Handsome
Character:Dr. Steven Fisher
Release Date:12/09/1989
Bird
Character:Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Release Date:01/06/1988
Bloodsport
Character:Rawlins
Release Date:26/02/1988
Good Morning, Vietnam
Character:Edward Garlick
Release Date:23/12/1987
Stakeout
Character:Det. Jack Pismo
Release Date:05/08/1987
Hands of a Stranger
Character:Sergeant Delaney
Release Date:10/05/1987
Platoon
Character:Big Harold
Release Date:19/12/1986
The Color of Money
Character:Amos
Release Date:17/10/1986
Vision Quest
Character:Balldozer
Release Date:15/02/1985
The Grand Baby
Character:
Release Date:02/11/1983
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Character:Charles Jefferson
Release Date:13/08/1982
Tag: The Assassination Game
Character:Gowdy's Bodyguard
Release Date:20/04/1982
Television Appearances
My Generation
Character:Narrator
Emperor of Ocean Park
Character:Oliver Garland
Extrapolations
Character:Auggie Bolo
Andor
Character:Saw Gerrera
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Character:Self
Cannes Festival
Character:Self - Guest
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
Character:Self
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Character:Self
Godfather of Harlem
Character:Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
Star Wars: Go Rogue
Character:Saw Gerrera (voice)
Roots
Character:Fiddler
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Character:Self
Empire
Character:Eddie Barker
Star Wars Rebels
Character:Saw Gerrera (voice)
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Character:Sam Cooper
Criminal Minds
Character:Sam Cooper
American Dad!
Character:Turlington (voice)
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Character:Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Character:Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Character:Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Character:Self - Guest
The Twilight Zone
Character:Self - Host
American Idol
Character:Self
The Shield
Character:Jon Kavanaugh
Live from E!
Character:Self
The Hire
Character:The Employer
The Early Show
Character:Self
Where Are They Now?
Character:Self
The View
Character:Self
The Daily Show
Character:Self
ER
Character:Curtis Ames
Inside the Actors Studio
Character:Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Character:
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Character:Self
North and South
Character:Cuffey
Amazing Stories
Character:Jerry
Cagney & Lacey
Character:Night Manager
Hill Street Blues
Character:
Diff'rent Strokes
Character:
Saturday Night Live
Character:Self - Host
The Oscars
Character:Self - Presenter
Today
Character:Self
Images
