Forest Whitaker

Born: 1961-07-15 in Longview, Texas, USA

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

2027

Up Against It

2026

Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo as Self (archive footage)
Lucky Lu ... (Executive Producer)

2025

Havoc as Lawrence Beaumont
The King of Kings as Peter (voice)
To Live and Die and Live ... (Producer)

2024

Hollywood Black as Self
The Emperor of Ocean Park as Judge Oliver Garland
Fancy Dance ... (Executive Producer)
My Generation as Self - Narrator (voice)
Transplant ... (Producer)
Seaweed Stories as Self - Narrator (voice)

2023

Extrapolations as Auggie Bolo
Big George Foreman as Doc Broadus

2022

The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
Andor as Saw Gerrera
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend as Self (archive footage)
Cannes Festival as Self - Guest
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
Prophets of Change as Narrator
For the Sake of Peace ... (Producer)

2021

Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy as Self
Respect as C. L. Franklin
Passing ... (Producer)

2020

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey as Jeronicus Jangle
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem as Self
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times as Self

2019

Godfather of Harlem as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
Finding Steve McQueen as Howard Lambert
A Kid from Coney Island ... (Executive Producer)
Devil's Pie: D'Angelo ... (Producer)

2018

Black Panther as Zuri
City of Lies as Jack Jackson
How It Ends as Tom
Sorry to Bother You as First Equisapien / Demarius
The Forgiven as Desmond Tutu
Burden as Reverend Kennedy
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace as Narrator (voice)

2017

Steve as Self
Roxanne Roxanne ... (Producer)
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival' as Self
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' as Self

2016

Arrival as Colonel Weber
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Saw Gerrera
Roots as Fiddler
Star Wars: Go Rogue as Saw Gerrera (voice)
I Am You as Narrator (voice)

2015

Empire as Eddie Barker
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
Southpaw as Titus 'Tick' Wills
Dope as The Narrator (voice)
Songs My Brothers Taught Me ... (Producer)

2014

Star Wars Rebels as Saw Gerrera (voice)
Taken 3 as Inspector Frank Dotzler
Food Chains
Two Men in Town as William Garnett
Repentance as Angel

2013

The Last Stand as Agent John Bannister
The Butler as Cecil Gaines
Fruitvale Station ... (Producer)
Out of the Furnace as Chief Wesley Barnes
Zulu as Ali Sokhela
Pawn as Will
Black Nativity as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
Mysteries of the Unseen World as Narrator
Rising from Ashes as Narrator

2012

Freelancers as Dennis Larue
A Dark Truth as Francisco Francis

2011

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior as Sam Cooper
Monte Carlo ... (Executive Producer)
Catch.44 as Ronny
Serving Life as Narrator (voice)
A Man's Story as Self

2010

Repo Men as Jake
The Experiment as Barris
Our Family Wedding as Brad Boyd
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift as (archive footage)
My Own Love Song as Joey
Hurricane Season as Al Collins
Lullaby for Pi as George
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life as Lion

2009

Where the Wild Things Are as Ira (voice)
Powder Blue as Charlie
Winged Creatures as Charlie Archenault
Brick City ... (Executive Producer)
Crips and Bloods: Made in America as Narrator
Kassim the Dream ... (Producer)

2008

Street Kings as Captain Jack Wander
Vantage Point as Howard Lewis

2007

The Great Debaters as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
The Air I Breathe as Happiness
Even Money as Clyde Snow
Ripple Effect as Philip

2006

Everyone's Hero as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
The Last King of Scotland as Idi Amin
The Marsh as Geoffrey Hunt
Before the Music Dies as Self - Narrator (voice)

2002

The Shield as Jon Kavanaugh
American Idol as Self
The Twilight Zone as Self - Host
Live from E! as Self
Panic Room as Burnham
Door to Door ... (Co-Executive Producer)

2001

The Hire as The Employer
The Fourth Angel as Agent Jules Bernard
Green Dragon as Addie
The Follow as The Employer
Feast of All Saints as Daguerreotypist Picard
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon' as Self
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai

2000

Battlefield Earth as Ker
Four Dogs Playing Poker as Mr. Ellington
The Paperboy as Narrator
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows as Self

1999

Where Are They Now? as Self
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai as Ghost Dog
The Early Show as Self
Witness Protection as Steven Beck
Light It Up as Officer Dante Jackson

1998

Hope Floats ... (Director)
Body Count as Crane

1997

The View as Self

1996

The Daily Show as Self
Phenomenon as Nate Pope
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault as Mr. Rucker

1995

Species as Dan Smithson, Empath
Waiting to Exhale ... (Director)
Mr. Holland's Opus as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Smoke as Cyrus Cole

1994

ER as Curtis Ames
Blown Away as Anthony Franklin
Prêt-à-Porter as Cy Bianco
The Enemy Within as Col. MacKenzie Casey
Jason's Lyric as Maddog
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso as Self
Inside the Actors Studio as Self

1993

Body Snatchers as Major Collins
Strapped ... (Director)
Bank Robber as Officer Battle
Last Light as Fred Whitmore
Lush Life as Buddy Chester

1992

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Crying Game as Jody
Consenting Adults as David Duttonville
Article 99 as Dr. Sid Handleman

1991

Diary of a Hitman as Dekker
A Rage in Harlem as Jackson

1990

Downtown as Dennis Curren
Criminal Justice as Jessie Williams

1989

Johnny Handsome as Dr. Steven Fisher

1988

LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
Bloodsport as Rawlins
Bird as Charlie 'Bird' Parker

1987

Good Morning, Vietnam as Edward Garlick
Stakeout as Det. Jack Pismo
Hands of a Stranger as Sergeant Delaney

1986

Platoon as Big Harold
The Color of Money as Amos
A Little Off Mark ... (Thanks)

1985

North and South as Cuffey
Amazing Stories as Jerry
Vision Quest as Balldozer

1983

The Grand Baby

1982

Cagney & Lacey as Night Manager
Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Charles Jefferson
Tag: The Assassination Game as Gowdy's Bodyguard

1981

Hill Street Blues

1978

Diff'rent Strokes

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host

1953

The Oscars as Self - Presenter

1952

Today as Self