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