Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker 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
Credits
- 2025 · Havoc as Lawrence Beaumont
- 2025 · The King of Kings as Peter (voice)
- 2024 · Seaweed Stories as Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Big George Foreman as Doc Broadus
- 2023 · Extrapolations as Auggie Bolo
- 2022 · Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend as Self (archive footage)
- 2022 · Andor as Saw Gerrera
- 2022 · The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
- 2021 · Respect as C. L. Franklin
- 2020 · Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey as Jeronicus Jangle
- 2020 · Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- 2019 · Godfather of Harlem as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
- 2019 · Finding Steve McQueen as Howard Lambert
- 2018 · City of Lies as Jack Jackson
- 2018 · Burden as Reverend Kennedy
- 2018 · How It Ends as Tom
- 2018 · Sorry to Bother You as First Equisapien / Demarius
- 2018 · Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · The Forgiven as Desmond Tutu
- 2018 · Black Panther as Zuri
- 2016 · Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Saw Gerrera
- 2016 · Arrival as Colonel Weber
- 2016 · Roots as Fiddler
- 2015 · Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2015 · Dope as The Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Southpaw as Titus 'Tick' Wills
- 2015 · Empire as Eddie Barker
- 2014 · Taken 3 as Inspector Frank Dotzler
- 2014 · Star Wars Rebels as Saw Gerrera (voice)
- 2014 · Two Men in Town as William Garnett
- 2013 · Zulu as Ali Sokhela
- 2013 · Out of the Furnace as Chief Wesley Barnes
- 2013 · The Butler as Cecil Gaines
- 2013 · Pawn as Will
- 2013 · The Last Stand as Agent John Bannister
- 2012 · A Dark Truth as Francisco Francis
- 2012 · Freelancers as Dennis Larue
- 2011 · Catch.44 as Ronny
- 2011 · A Man's Story as Self
- 2011 · Witness Protection as Steven Beck
- 2011 · Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior as Sam Cooper
- 2010 · Lullaby for Pi as George
- 2010 · The Experiment as Barris
- 2010 · My Own Love Song as Joey
- 2010 · Repo Men as Jake
- 2009 · Hurricane Season as Al Collins
- 2009 · Where the Wild Things Are as Ira (voice)
- 2009 · Winged Creatures as Charlie Archenault
- 2009 · Powder Blue as Charlie
- 2008 · Street Kings as Captain Jack Wander
- 2008 · Vantage Point as Howard Lewis
- 2007 · The Great Debaters as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
- 2007 · Ripple Effect as Philip
- 2007 · Even Money as Clyde Snow
- 2007 · The Air I Breathe as Happiness
- 2006 · The Last King of Scotland as Idi Amin
- 2006 · Everyone's Hero as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
- 2006 · The Marsh as Geoffrey Hunt
- 2005 · A Little Trip to Heaven as Abe Holt
- 2005 · Mary as Ted Younger
- 2005 · Criminal Minds as Sam Cooper
- 2005 · American Gun as Carter
- 2005 · Jiminy Glick in Lalawood as Forest Whitaker
- 2005 · Deacons for Defense as Marcus Clay
- 2005 · American Dad! as Turlington (voice)
- 2005 · The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- 2004 · First Daughter as Narrator (voice)
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2003 · Phone Booth as Captain Ramey
- 2002 · The Twilight Zone as Self - Host
- 2002 · American Idol as Self
- 2002 · Panic Room as Burnham
- 2002 · The Shield as Jon Kavanaugh
- 2002 · E! Live from the Red Carpet as Self
- 2001 · Feast of All Saints as Daguerreotypist Picard
- 2001 · The Fourth Angel as Agent Jules Bernard
- 2001 · Green Dragon as Addie
- 2001 · A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon' as Self
- 2000 · Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows as Self
- 2000 · Four Dogs Playing Poker as Mr. Ellington
- 2000 · Battlefield Earth as Ker
- 1999 · Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai as Ghost Dog
- 1999 · Where Are They Now? as Self
- 1998 · Body Count as Crane
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1996 · Phenomenon as Nate Pope
- 1995 · Mr. Holland's Opus as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
- 1995 · Species as Dan Smithson, Empath
- 1995 · Smoke as Cyrus Cole
- 1994 · Prêt-à-Porter as Cy Bianco
- 1994 · ER as Curtis Ames
- 1994 · The Enemy Within as Col. MacKenzie Casey
- 1994 · Blown Away as Anthony Franklin
- 1994 · Jason's Lyric as Maddog
- 1993 · Bank Robber as Officer Battle
- 1993 · Lush Life as Buddy Chester
- 1993 · Last Light as Fred Whitmore
- 1993 · Body Snatchers as Major Collins
- 1992 · Consenting Adults as David Duttonville
- 1992 · The Crying Game as Jody
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1992 · Article 99 as Dr. Sid Handleman
- 1991 · Diary of a Hitman as Dekker
- 1991 · A Rage in Harlem as Jackson
- 1990 · Criminal Justice as Jessie Williams
- 1990 · Downtown as Dennis Curren
- 1989 · Johnny Handsome as Dr. Steven Fisher
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
- 1988 · Bird as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
- 1988 · Bloodsport as Rawlins
- 1987 · Good Morning, Vietnam as Edward Garlick
- 1987 · Stakeout as Det. Jack Pismo
- 1986 · Platoon as Big Harold
- 1986 · The Color of Money as Amos
- 1985 · North and South as Cuffey
- 1985 · Amazing Stories as Jerry
- 1985 · Vision Quest as Balldozer
- 1982 · Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Charles Jefferson
- 1982 · Cagney & Lacey as Night Manager
- 1981 · Hill Street Blues as
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self - Presenter
- Future · Rose's Baby as
- 2024 · My Generation as Narrator
- 2024 · Emperor of Ocean Park as Oliver Garland
- 2023 · to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour as Ghost Dog (archive footage)
- 2022 · Prophets of Change as Narrator
- 2022 · Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2022 · Cannes Festival as Self - Guest
- 2021 · Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy as Self
- 2020 · By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem as Himself
- 2020 · Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times as Self
- 2020 · A Fall from Grace as
- 2017 · The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' as Self
- 2017 · Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival' as Self
- 2016 · I Am You as Narrator (voice)
- 2016 · Star Wars: Go Rogue as Saw Gerrera (voice)
- 2014 · Food Chains as
- 2014 · Repentance as Angel
- 2013 · Black Nativity as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
- 2013 · Mysteries of the Unseen World as Narrator
- 2013 · Rising from Ashes as Narrator
- 2011 · Serving Life as Narrator (voice)
- 2010 · 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift as (archive footage)
- 2010 · Our Family Wedding as Brad Boyd
- 2010 · Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life as Lion
- 2009 · Crips and Bloods: Made in America as Narrator
- 2006 · Before the Music Dies as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · Odyssey in Rome as
- 2004 · The Misbehavers as Self
- 2004 · Shooting 'Panic Room' as Self
- 2003 · Making of Phone Booth as Self
- 2001 · Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai as
- 2001 · The Follow as The Employer
- 2001 · The Hire as The Employer
- 2000 · The Paperboy as Narrator
- 1999 · Light It Up as Officer Dante Jackson
- 1999 · The Early Show as Self
- 1996 · Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault as Mr. Rucker
- 1994 · Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso as Self
- 1994 · Inside the Actors Studio as Self
- 1987 · Hands of a Stranger as Sergeant Delaney
- 1982 · Tag: The Assassination Game as Gowdy's Bodyguard
- 1978 · Diff'rent Strokes as
- 1952 · Today as Self
- Future · Sewing Hope as Narrator (voice)