Forest Whitaker

Birthplace: Longview, Texas
Birthday: July 15, 1961

Soft-spoken but carrying a talent every bit as huge as his imposing bear-like physique, Forest Whitaker started college on an athletic scholarship, but the charismatic African-American all-league defensive standout soon dropped football, studying first to become a classical tenor before shifting to acting. After playing high school athletes in a few ambitious teen flicks ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High" 1982; "Vision Quest" 1985), Whitaker gained notice as a charmingly duplicitous billiards opponent of Paul Newman in Martin Scorsese's "The Color…more

Full Biography

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Credits

Actor

The Twilight Zone
Deacons For Defense
Marcus
Last Light
Fred Whitmore
Criminal Justice
Jesse Williams
Lush Life
Buddy Chester

Director

Strapped
Director
The First Amendment Project
Director

Producer

The Twilight Zone
Consulting Producer
Sweet Soul Music
Executive Producer
The Feast of All Saints
Executive Producer
Door to Door
Co-Executive Producer

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NEWS

Career Milestones

2008
Co-stared with Denzel Washington (who also directed) in "The Great Debaters"
2008
Will be featured in Spike Jonze's half-puppet, half-computer-animated adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are"
2006
Guest starred in five episodes of the NBC medical drama, "ER" as a carpenter who ends up being paralyzed by a stroke after being admitted for a cough; earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
2006
Offered an award winning performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland"
2006
Played a principal of a violent inner-city school in Aric Avelino's film debut "American Gun"; earned an Independent Spirit Award Nomination for Best Male Lead