Forest Whitaker
Known for Acting · 170 credits
- Born
- 1961-07-15 (age 65)
- Place of birth
- Longview, Texas, USA
- Also known as
- Forest Steven Whitaker III · Forest Steven Whitaker · פורסט ויטאקר
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
TV Shows (43)
Criminal Minds
2005
as Sam Cooper
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
American Dad!
2005
as Turlington (voice)
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self
ER
1994
as Curtis Ames
The View
1997
as Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self / Self - Guest
American Idol
2002
as Self
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self
The Shield
2002
as Jon Kavanaugh
Hill Street Blues
1981
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Steve
2017
as Self
The Twilight Zone
2002
as Self - Host
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Andor
2022
as Saw Gerrera
Empire
2015
as Eddie Barker
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
Today
1952
as Self
Star Wars Rebels
2014
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
Godfather of Harlem
2019
as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
Cagney & Lacey
1982
as Night Manager
North and South
1985
as Cuffey
The Oscars
1953
as Self - Presenter
Amazing Stories
1985
as Jerry
Extrapolations
2023
as Auggie Bolo
Where Are They Now?
1999
as Self
Live from E!
2002
as Self
The Emperor of Ocean Park
2024
as Judge Oliver Garland
The Early Show
1999
as Self
Roots
2016
as Fiddler
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
2011
as Sam Cooper
The Hire
2001
as The Employer
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
2021
as Self
Hollywood Black
2024
as Self
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
My Generation
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020
as Self
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Star Wars: Go Rogue
2016
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
Cannes Festival
2022
as Self - Guest
Movies (127)
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
Bloodsport
1988
as Rawlins
Havoc
2025
as Lawrence Beaumont
Southpaw
2015
as Titus 'Tick' Wills
Platoon
1986
as Big Harold
Johnny Handsome
1989
as Dr. Steven Fisher
Vantage Point
2008
as Howard Lewis
Pawn
2013
as Will
Sorry to Bother You
2018
as First Equisapien / Demarius
Panic Room
2002
as Burnham
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1982
as Charles Jefferson
The Last Stand
2013
as Agent John Bannister
Phone Booth
2003
as Captain Ramey
Big George Foreman
2023
as Doc Broadus
Street Kings
2008
as Captain Jack Wander
How It Ends
2018
as Tom
The King of Kings
2025
as Peter (voice)
Phenomenon
1996
as Nate Pope
Catch.44
2011
as Ronny
The Butler
2013
as Cecil Gaines
Species
1995
as Dan Smithson, Empath
Good Morning, Vietnam
1987
as Edward Garlick
Where the Wild Things Are
2009
as Ira (voice)
The Great Debaters
2007
as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
Repo Men
2010
as Jake
Out of the Furnace
2013
as Chief Wesley Barnes
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999
as Ghost Dog
The Last King of Scotland
2006
as Idi Amin
First Daughter
2004
as Narrator (voice)
The Crying Game
1992
as Jody
The Experiment
2010
as Barris
The Color of Money
1986
as Amos
Zulu
2013
as Ali Sokhela
Blown Away
1994
as Anthony Franklin
City of Lies
2018
as Jack Jackson
Serving Life
2011
as Narrator (voice)
Dope
2015
as The Narrator (voice)
Battlefield Earth
2000
as Ker
Winged Creatures
2009
as Charlie Archenault
Everyone's Hero
2006
as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
Mary
2005
as Ted Younger
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Stakeout
1987
as Det. Jack Pismo
Finding Steve McQueen
2019
as Howard Lambert
Respect
2021
as C. L. Franklin
Body Snatchers
1993
as Major Collins
The Air I Breathe
2007
as Happiness
Freelancers
2012
as Dennis Larue
A Dark Truth
2012
as Francisco Francis
Powder Blue
2009
as Charlie
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
2005
as Forest Whitaker
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
2020
as Jeronicus Jangle
Prêt-à-Porter
1994
as Cy Bianco
Feast of All Saints
2001
as Daguerreotypist Picard
Hurricane Season
2010
as Al Collins
The Forgiven
2018
as Desmond Tutu
My Own Love Song
2010
as Joey
The Enemy Within
1994
as Col. MacKenzie Casey
Consenting Adults
1992
as David Duttonville
Vision Quest
1985
as Balldozer
Diary of a Hitman
1991
as Dekker
Repentance
2014
as Angel
Our Family Wedding
2010
as Brad Boyd
Two Men in Town
2014
as William Garnett
Hands of a Stranger
1987
as Sergeant Delaney
A Man's Story
2011
as Self
Before the Music Dies
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Bank Robber
1993
as Officer Battle
The Paperboy
2000
as Narrator
Smoke
1995
as Cyrus Cole
A Little Trip to Heaven
2005
as Abe Holt
The Fourth Angel
2001
as Agent Jules Bernard
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
2009
as Narrator
Bird
1988
as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Burden
2018
as Reverend Kennedy
Prophets of Change
2022
as Narrator
Article 99
1992
as Dr. Sid Handleman
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
1996
as Mr. Rucker
Black Nativity
2013
as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Making of Phone Booth
2003
as Self
Food Chains
2014
Shooting 'Panic Room'
2004
as Self
American Gun
2005
as Carter
Witness Protection
1999
as Steven Beck
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
as (archive footage)
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
2013
Criminal Justice
1990
as Jessie Williams
Deacons for Defense
2005
as Marcus Clay
Green Dragon
2001
as Addie
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
2000
as Self
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
2020
as Self
Four Dogs Playing Poker
2000
as Mr. Ellington
Light It Up
1999
as Officer Dante Jackson
The Marsh
2006
as Geoffrey Hunt
Body Count
1998
as Crane
Even Money
2007
as Clyde Snow
Lullaby for Pi
2010
as George
Jason's Lyric
1994
as Maddog
A Rage in Harlem
1991
as Jackson
The Misbehavers
2004
as Self
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
2001
as Self
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
2022
as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
Tag: The Assassination Game
1982
as Gowdy's Bodyguard
I Am You
2016
as Narrator (voice)
Lush Life
1993
as Buddy Chester
Downtown
1990
as Dennis Curren
Last Light
1993
as Fred Whitmore
Odyssey in Rome
2005
Ripple Effect
2007
as Philip
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
1994
as Self
The Follow
2001
as The Employer
Rose's Baby
2027
Seaweed Stories
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
2010
as Lion
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
2017
as Self
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
2017
as Self
About Forest Whitaker
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 Sam… With 170 credits spanning from 1952 to 2027, Forest Whitaker has appeared in 127 films and 43 TV shows.
Fans searching for Forest Whitaker movies, Forest Whitaker filmography, or the latest projects starring Forest Whitaker can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Forest Whitaker Movies
- 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
- Bloodsport (1988) — as Rawlins
Where to Watch Forest Whitaker Films
Most Forest Whitaker movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Forest Whitaker, check our movies catalogue and browse page.