Forest Whitaker
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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
Credits
Black Panther (2018)
as Zuri
Arrival (2016)
as Colonel Weber
Taken 3 (2014)
as Inspector Frank Dotzler
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
as Saw Gerrera
Southpaw (2015)
as Titus 'Tick' Wills
Platoon (1986)
as Big Harold
Havoc (2025)
as Lawrence Beaumont
Bloodsport (1988)
as Rawlins
Panic Room (2002)
as Burnham
Species (1995)
as Dan Smithson, Empath
Street Kings (2008)
as Captain Jack Wander
Phone Booth (2003)
as Captain Ramey
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
as Edward Garlick
The Last Stand (2013)
as Agent John Bannister
Phenomenon (1996)
as Nate Pope
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
as First Equisapien / Demarius
The King of Kings (2025)
as Peter (voice)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
as Ira (voice)
Out of the Furnace (2013)
as Chief Wesley Barnes
Repo Men (2010)
as Jake
Vantage Point (2008)
as Howard Lewis
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
as Idi Amin
The Color of Money (1986)
as Amos
Big George Foreman (2023)
as Doc Broadus
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
as Ghost Dog
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
as Charles Jefferson
The Great Debaters (2007)
as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
City of Lies (2018)
as Jack Jackson
Blown Away (1994)
as Anthony Franklin
The Butler (2013)
as Cecil Gaines
First Daughter (2004)
as Narrator (voice)
Respect (2021)
as C. L. Franklin
Battlefield Earth (2000)
as Ker
Prêt-à-Porter (1994)
as Cy Bianco
Body Snatchers (1993)
as Major Collins
Johnny Handsome (1989)
as Dr. Steven Fisher
The Crying Game (1992)
as Jody
How It Ends (2018)
as Tom
Everyone's Hero (2006)
as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
Catch.44 (2011)
as Ronny
Dope (2015)
as The Narrator (voice)
The Experiment (2010)
as Barris
Stakeout (1987)
as Det. Jack Pismo
Powder Blue (2009)
as Charlie
Smoke (1995)
as Cyrus Cole
Zulu (2013)
as Ali Sokhela
The Air I Breathe (2007)
as Happiness
Winged Creatures (2009)
as Charlie Archenault
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Freelancers (2012)
as Dennis Larue
Pawn (2013)
as Will
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
as Jeronicus Jangle
A Dark Truth (2012)
as Francisco Francis
Even Money (2007)
as Clyde Snow
Body Count (1998)
as Crane
Consenting Adults (1992)
as David Duttonville
Finding Steve McQueen (2019)
as Howard Lambert
Vision Quest (1985)
as Balldozer
Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo (2026)
as Self (archive footage)
Two Men in Town (2014)
as William Garnett
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2005)
as Forest Whitaker
Up Against It (2027)
Actor
Downtown (1990)
as Dennis Curren
Diary of a Hitman (1991)
as Dekker
The Forgiven (2018)
as Desmond Tutu
Our Family Wedding (2010)
as Brad Boyd
Bird (1988)
as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend (2022)
as Self (archive footage)
Jason's Lyric (1994)
as Maddog
A Rage in Harlem (1991)
as Jackson
The Fourth Angel (2001)
as Agent Jules Bernard
Hurricane Season (2010)
as Al Collins
A Little Trip to Heaven (2005)
as Abe Holt
Mary (2005)
as Ted Younger
Article 99 (1992)
as Dr. Sid Handleman
The Enemy Within (1994)
as Col. MacKenzie Casey
American Gun (2005)
as Carter
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996)
as Mr. Rucker
My Own Love Song (2010)
as Joey
Feast of All Saints (2001)
as Daguerreotypist Picard
Light It Up (1999)
as Officer Dante Jackson
Serving Life (2011)
as Narrator (voice)
Witness Protection (1999)
as Steven Beck
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift (2010)
as (archive footage)
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look (2022)
as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Marsh (2006)
as Geoffrey Hunt
Bank Robber (1993)
as Officer Battle
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King (2020)
as Self
The Follow (2001)
as The Employer
Repentance (2014)
as Angel
Ripple Effect (2007)
as Philip
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2017)
as Self
Food Chains (2014)
Actor
Burden (2018)
as Reverend Kennedy
Hands of a Stranger (1987)
as Sergeant Delaney
A Man's Story (2011)
as Self
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (2010)
as Lion
Making a Scene | 11 Performances (2013)
Actor
Green Dragon (2001)
as Addie
Lullaby for Pi (2010)
as George
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times (2020)
as Self
Before the Music Dies (2006)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000)
as Mr. Ellington
Black Nativity (2013)
as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (2000)
as Self
Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2009)
as Narrator
Deacons for Defense (2005)
as Marcus Clay
Last Light (1993)
as Fred Whitmore
The Misbehavers (2004)
as Self
Rising from Ashes (2013)
as Narrator
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1994)
as Self
Prophets of Change (2022)
as Narrator
Lush Life (1993)
as Buddy Chester
The Paperboy (2000)
as Narrator
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982)
as Gowdy's Bodyguard
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon' (2001)
as Self
Odyssey in Rome (2005)
Actor
Criminal Justice (1990)
as Jessie Williams
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival' (2017)
as Self
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace (2018)
as Narrator (voice)
Making of Phone Booth (2003)
as Self
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai (2001)
Actor
Seaweed Stories (2024)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Shooting 'Panic Room' (2004)
as Self
I Am You (2016)
as Narrator (voice)
The Grand Baby (1983)
Actor
Mysteries of the Unseen World (2013)
as Narrator
Sewing Hope (—)
as Narrator (voice)