Forest Whitaker
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.
Movies (122)
Havoc
2025
The King of Kings
2025
Seaweed Stories
2024
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
2023
Big George Foreman
2023
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022
Prophets of Change
2022
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
2022
Respect
2021
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
2020
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
2020
Finding Steve McQueen
2019
City of Lies
2018
Burden
2018
How It Ends
2018
Sorry to Bother You
2018
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
2018
The Forgiven
2018
Black Panther
2018
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
2017
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
2017
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2016
Arrival
2016
Southpaw
2015
Dope
2015
Taken 3
2014
Two Men in Town
2014
Food Chains
2014
Repentance
2014
Zulu
2013
Black Nativity
2013
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
2013
Out of the Furnace
2013
Mysteries of the Unseen World
2013
The Butler
2013
Rising from Ashes
2013
Pawn
2013
The Last Stand
2013
A Dark Truth
2012
Freelancers
2012
Catch.44
2011
A Man's Story
2011
Serving Life
2011
Lullaby for Pi
2010
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
The Experiment
2010
My Own Love Song
2010
Repo Men
2010
Our Family Wedding
2010
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
2010
Hurricane Season
2010
Where the Wild Things Are
2009
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
2009
Winged Creatures
2009
Powder Blue
2009
Street Kings
2008
Vantage Point
2008
The Great Debaters
2007
Ripple Effect
2007
Even Money
2007
The Air I Breathe
2007
Before the Music Dies
2006
The Last King of Scotland
2006
Everyone's Hero
2006
The Marsh
2006
A Little Trip to Heaven
2005
Mary
2005
Odyssey in Rome
2005
American Gun
2005
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
2005
Deacons for Defense
2005
First Daughter
2004
Shooting 'Panic Room'
2004
Phone Booth
2003
Panic Room
2002
Feast of All Saints
2001
The Fourth Angel
2001
The Follow
2001
Green Dragon
2001
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
2001
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
2000
Four Dogs Playing Poker
2000
Battlefield Earth
2000
The Paperboy
2000
Witness Protection
1999
Light It Up
1999
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999
Body Count
1998
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
1996
Phenomenon
1996
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
Species
1995
Smoke
1995
Prêt-à-Porter
1994
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
1994
The Enemy Within
1994
Blown Away
1994
Jason's Lyric
1994
Bank Robber
1993
Lush Life
1993
Last Light
1993
Body Snatchers
1993
Consenting Adults
1992
The Crying Game
1992
Article 99
1992
Diary of a Hitman
1991
A Rage in Harlem
1991
Criminal Justice
1990
Downtown
1990
Johnny Handsome
1989
Bird
1988
Bloodsport
1988
Good Morning, Vietnam
1987
Stakeout
1987
Hands of a Stranger
1987
Platoon
1986
The Color of Money
1986
Vision Quest
1985
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1982
Tag: The Assassination Game
1982
A Fall from Grace
TV Shows (44)
My Generation
2024
Hollywood Black
2024
The Emperor of Ocean Park
2024
Extrapolations
2023
Andor
2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
Cannes Festival
2022
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
2021
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020
Godfather of Harlem
2019
Steve
2017
Star Wars: Go Rogue
2016
Roots
2016
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
Empire
2015
Star Wars Rebels
2014
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
2011
Criminal Minds
2005
American Dad!
2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
The Twilight Zone
2002
American Idol
2002
The Shield
2002
Live from E!
2002
The Hire
2001
The Early Show
1999
The View
1997
The Daily Show
1996
ER
1994
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
North and South
1985
Amazing Stories
1985
Cagney & Lacey
1982
Hill Street Blues
1981
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Oscars
1953
The Oscars
1953
Today
1952