Forest Whitaker

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.

Known For

Criminal Minds

American Dad!

The Daily Show

Saturday Night Live

ER

The Jennifer Hudson Show

Steve

The View

All Movies (128)

• Rose's Baby2027
• Havoc2025 · as Lawrence Beaumont
• The King of Kings2025 · as Peter (voice)
• Seaweed Stories2024 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Big George Foreman2023 · as Doc Broadus
• Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend2022 · as Self (archive footage)
• Prophets of Change2022 · as Narrator
• Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look2022 · as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Respect2021 · as C. L. Franklin
• Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey2020 · as Jeronicus Jangle
• Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times2020 · as Self
• Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King2020 · as Self
• Finding Steve McQueen2019 · as Howard Lambert
• City of Lies2018 · as Jack Jackson
• Burden2018 · as Reverend Kennedy
• How It Ends2018 · as Tom
• Sorry to Bother You2018 · as First Equisapien / Demarius
• Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace2018 · as Narrator (voice)
• The Forgiven2018 · as Desmond Tutu
• Black Panther2018 · as Zuri
• The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'2017 · as Self
• Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'2017 · as Self
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story2016 · as Saw Gerrera
• I Am You2016 · as Narrator (voice)
• Arrival2016 · as Colonel Weber
• Southpaw2015 · as Titus 'Tick' Wills
• Dope2015 · as The Narrator (voice)
• Taken 32014 · as Inspector Frank Dotzler
• Two Men in Town2014 · as William Garnett
• Food Chains2014
• Repentance2014 · as Angel
• Zulu2013 · as Ali Sokhela
• Black Nativity2013 · as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
• Making a Scene | 11 Performances2013
• Out of the Furnace2013 · as Chief Wesley Barnes
• Mysteries of the Unseen World2013 · as Narrator
• The Butler2013 · as Cecil Gaines
• Rising from Ashes2013 · as Narrator
• Pawn2013 · as Will
• The Last Stand2013 · as Agent John Bannister
• A Dark Truth2012 · as Francisco Francis
• Freelancers2012 · as Dennis Larue
• Catch.442011 · as Ronny
• A Man's Story2011 · as Self
• Serving Life2011 · as Narrator (voice)
• Lullaby for Pi2010 · as George
• 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift2010 · as (archive footage)
• The Experiment2010 · as Barris
• My Own Love Song2010 · as Joey
• Repo Men2010 · as Jake
• Our Family Wedding2010 · as Brad Boyd
• Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life2010 · as Lion
• Hurricane Season2010 · as Al Collins
• Where the Wild Things Are2009 · as Ira (voice)
• Crips and Bloods: Made in America2009 · as Narrator
• Winged Creatures2009 · as Charlie Archenault
• Powder Blue2009 · as Charlie
• Street Kings2008 · as Captain Jack Wander
• Vantage Point2008 · as Howard Lewis
• The Great Debaters2007 · as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
• Ripple Effect2007 · as Philip
• Even Money2007 · as Clyde Snow
• The Air I Breathe2007 · as Happiness
• Before the Music Dies2006 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• The Last King of Scotland2006 · as Idi Amin
• Everyone's Hero2006 · as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
• The Marsh2006 · as Geoffrey Hunt
• A Little Trip to Heaven2005 · as Abe Holt
• Mary2005 · as Ted Younger
• Odyssey in Rome2005
• American Gun2005 · as Carter
• Jiminy Glick in Lalawood2005 · as Forest Whitaker
• Deacons for Defense2005 · as Marcus Clay
• The Misbehavers2004 · as Self
• First Daughter2004 · as Narrator (voice)
• Shooting 'Panic Room'2004 · as Self
• Making of Phone Booth2003 · as Self
• Phone Booth2003 · as Captain Ramey
• Panic Room2002 · as Burnham
• Feast of All Saints2001 · as Daguerreotypist Picard
• The Fourth Angel2001 · as Agent Jules Bernard
• Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai2001
• The Follow2001 · as The Employer
• Green Dragon2001 · as Addie
• A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'2001 · as Self
• Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows2000 · as Self
• Four Dogs Playing Poker2000 · as Mr. Ellington
• Battlefield Earth2000 · as Ker
• The Paperboy2000 · as Narrator
• Witness Protection1999 · as Steven Beck
• Light It Up1999 · as Officer Dante Jackson
• Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai1999 · as Ghost Dog
• Body Count1998 · as Crane
• Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault1996 · as Mr. Rucker
• Phenomenon1996 · as Nate Pope
• Mr. Holland's Opus1995 · as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
• Species1995 · as Dan Smithson, Empath
• Smoke1995 · as Cyrus Cole
• Prêt-à-Porter1994 · as Cy Bianco
• Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso1994 · as Self
• The Enemy Within1994 · as Col. MacKenzie Casey
• Blown Away1994 · as Anthony Franklin
• Jason's Lyric1994 · as Maddog
• Bank Robber1993 · as Officer Battle
• Lush Life1993 · as Buddy Chester
• Last Light1993 · as Fred Whitmore
• Body Snatchers1993 · as Major Collins
• Consenting Adults1992 · as David Duttonville
• The Crying Game1992 · as Jody
• Article 991992 · as Dr. Sid Handleman
• Diary of a Hitman1991 · as Dekker
• A Rage in Harlem1991 · as Jackson
• Criminal Justice1990 · as Jessie Williams
• Downtown1990 · as Dennis Curren
• Johnny Handsome1989 · as Dr. Steven Fisher
• Bird1988 · as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
• Bloodsport1988 · as Rawlins
• Good Morning, Vietnam1987 · as Edward Garlick
• Stakeout1987 · as Det. Jack Pismo
• Hands of a Stranger1987 · as Sergeant Delaney
• Platoon1986 · as Big Harold
• The Color of Money1986 · as Amos
• Vision Quest1985 · as Balldozer
• The Grand Baby1983
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High1982 · as Charles Jefferson
• Tag: The Assassination Game1982 · as Gowdy's Bodyguard
• Sewing Hope— · as Narrator (voice)
• A Fall from Grace—

All TV Shows (45)

• My Generation2024 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• Hollywood Black2024 · as Self
• The Emperor of Ocean Park2024 · as Judge Oliver Garland
• Extrapolations2023 · as Auggie Bolo
• Andor2022 · as Saw Gerrera
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022 · as Self
• Cannes Festival2022 · as Self - Guest
• Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy2021 · as Self
• By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem2020 · as Self
• Godfather of Harlem2019 · as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
• Steve2017 · as Self
• Star Wars: Go Rogue2016 · as Saw Gerrera (voice)
• Roots2016 · as Fiddler
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• Empire2015 · as Eddie Barker
• Star Wars Rebels2014 · as Saw Gerrera (voice)
• Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior2011 · as Sam Cooper
• Criminal Minds2005 · as Sam Cooper
• American Dad!2005 · as Turlington (voice)
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson2005 · as Self
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
• The Twilight Zone2002 · as Self - Host
• American Idol2002 · as Self
• The Shield2002 · as Jon Kavanaugh
• Live from E!2002 · as Self
• The Hire2001 · as The Employer
• The Early Show1999 · as Self
• Where Are They Now?1999 · as Self
• The View1997 · as Self
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• ER1994 · as Curtis Ames
• Inside the Actors Studio1994 · as Self
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988 · as Self
• North and South1985 · as Cuffey
• Amazing Stories1985 · as Jerry
• Cagney & Lacey1982 · as Night Manager
• Hill Street Blues1981
• Diff'rent Strokes1978
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• The Oscars1953 · as Self - Presenter
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• Today1952 · as Self