Acting
Forest Whitaker
EN, FR, DE cinema · 149 credits
Born
15 July 1961 (age 65)
Birthplace
Longview, Texas, USA
Also known as Forest Steven Whitaker III · Forest Steven 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.
Known for
Filmography
Sewing Hope
Sewing Hope
as Narrator (voice)
Rosetta
Rosetta
Producer
Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo
as Self (archive footage)
Lucky Lu
Executive Producer
The King of Kings
as Peter (voice)
Havoc
as Lawrence Beaumont
Boomerang Atomic
Executive Producer
Seaweed Stories
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Fancy Dance
Executive Producer
Transplant
Producer
Big George Foreman
as Doc Broadus
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
Prophets of Change
as Narrator
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
as Self (archive footage)
Respect
as C. L. Franklin
Passing
Producer
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
as Jeronicus Jangle
Finding Steve McQueen
as Howard Lambert
A Kid from Coney Island
Executive Producer
Black Panther
as Zuri
Burden
as Reverend Kennedy
City of Lies
as Jack Jackson
The Forgiven
as Desmond Tutu
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
as Narrator (voice)
How It Ends
as Tom
Sorry to Bother You
as First Equisapien / Demarius, Producer
Roxanne Roxanne
Producer
Arrival
as Colonel Weber
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
as Saw Gerrera
I Am You
2016
I Am You
as Narrator (voice)
Southpaw
as Titus 'Tick' Wills
Dope
as The Narrator (voice), Producer
Repentance
as Angel
Two Men in Town
as William Garnett
Taken 3
as Inspector Frank Dotzler
The Last Stand
as Agent John Bannister
The Butler
as Cecil Gaines
Out of the Furnace
as Chief Wesley Barnes
Pawn
as Will
Zulu
as Ali Sokhela
Black Nativity
as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Mysteries of the Unseen World
as Narrator
Rising from Ashes
as Narrator, Executive Producer
Fruitvale Station
Producer
Freelancers
as Dennis Larue
A Dark Truth
as Francisco Francis
Catch.44
as Ronny
Serving Life
as Narrator (voice), Executive Producer
A Man's Story
as Self
Monte Carlo
Executive Producer
Repo Men
as Jake
Hurricane Season
as Al Collins
Our Family Wedding
as Brad Boyd
The Experiment
as Barris
My Own Love Song
as Joey
Lullaby for Pi
as George
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
as (archive footage)
Winged Creatures
as Charlie Archenault
Where the Wild Things Are
as Ira (voice)
Powder Blue
as Charlie, Producer
Kassim the Dream
Producer
Street Kings
as Captain Jack Wander
Vantage Point
as Howard Lewis
The Air I Breathe
as Happiness
The Great Debaters
as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
Even Money
as Clyde Snow
Ripple Effect
as Philip, Executive Producer
The Last King of Scotland
as Idi Amin
The Marsh
as Geoffrey Hunt
Everyone's Hero
as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
Before the Music Dies
as Self - Narrator (voice)
A Little Trip to Heaven
as Abe Holt
American Gun
as Carter, Executive Producer
Mary
as Ted Younger
Deacons for Defense
as Marcus Clay
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
as Forest Whitaker
First Daughter
as Narrator (voice), Director, Executive Producer
Phone Booth
as Captain Ramey
Chasing Papi
Producer
Panic Room
as Burnham
Door to Door
Co-Executive Producer
Green Dragon
as Addie, Executive Producer
Feast of All Saints
as Daguerreotypist Picard
The Fourth Angel
as Agent Jules Bernard
The Follow
as The Employer
The Paperboy
as Narrator
Four Dogs Playing Poker
as Mr. Ellington
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
as Ghost Dog
Light It Up
as Officer Dante Jackson
Witness Protection
as Steven Beck
Body Count
as Crane
Hope Floats
Director, Executive Music Producer
Phenomenon
as Nate Pope
Smoke
as Cyrus Cole
Species
as Dan Smithson, Empath
Mr. Holland's Opus
as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Waiting to Exhale
Director
Blown Away
as Anthony Franklin
Prêt-à-Porter
as Cy Bianco
Jason's Lyric
as Maddog
The Enemy Within
as Col. MacKenzie Casey
Body Snatchers
as Major Collins
Last Light
as Fred Whitmore
Lush Life
as Buddy Chester
Bank Robber
as Officer Battle
Strapped
Director
The Crying Game
as Jody
Article 99
as Dr. Sid Handleman
Consenting Adults
as David Duttonville
A Rage in Harlem
as Jackson, Co-Producer
Diary of a Hitman
as Dekker
Downtown
as Dennis Curren
Criminal Justice
as Jessie Williams
Johnny Handsome
as Dr. Steven Fisher
Bloodsport
as Rawlins
Bird
as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Good Morning, Vietnam
as Edward Garlick
Stakeout
as Det. Jack Pismo
Hands of a Stranger
as Sergeant Delaney
Platoon
as Big Harold
Vision Quest
as Balldozer
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
as Charles Jefferson
Tag: The Assassination Game
as Gowdy's Bodyguard