Forest Whitaker
Known for Acting · 172 credits
- Born
- 1961-07-15 (age 64)
- 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)
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
ER
1994
as Curtis Ames
The View
1997
as Self
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
Hill Street Blues
1981
The Shield
2002
as Jon Kavanaugh
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self / Self - Guest
American Idol
2002
as Self
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self
Empire
2015
as Eddie Barker
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self
Andor
2022
as Saw Gerrera
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Star Wars Rebels
2014
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
Cagney & Lacey
1982
as Night Manager
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
Godfather of Harlem
2019
as Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson
Amazing Stories
1985
as Jerry
The Oscars
1953
as Self - Presenter
North and South
1985
as Cuffey
The Twilight Zone
2002
as Self - Host
Where Are They Now?
1999
as Self
Extrapolations
2023
as Auggie Bolo
Live from E!
2002
as Self
Today
1952
as Self
Steve
2017
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
The Emperor of Ocean Park
2024
as Judge Oliver Garland
My Generation
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)
The Early Show
1999
as Self
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
2020
as Self
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Star Wars: Go Rogue
2016
as Saw Gerrera (voice)
Cannes Festival
2022
as Self - Guest
Movies (129)
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
Havoc
2025
as Lawrence Beaumont
Bloodsport
1988
as Rawlins
Platoon
1986
as Big Harold
Southpaw
2015
as Titus 'Tick' Wills
Species
1995
as Dan Smithson, Empath
Panic Room
2002
as Burnham
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1982
as Charles Jefferson
The Last Stand
2013
as Agent John Bannister
The King of Kings
2025
as Peter (voice)
Phone Booth
2003
as Captain Ramey
Big George Foreman
2023
as Doc Broadus
First Daughter
2004
as Narrator (voice)
Phenomenon
1996
as Nate Pope
Battlefield Earth
2000
as Ker
Street Kings
2008
as Captain Jack Wander
The Butler
2013
as Cecil Gaines
Where the Wild Things Are
2009
as Ira (voice)
Sorry to Bother You
2018
as First Equisapien / Demarius
The Color of Money
1986
as Amos
Vantage Point
2008
as Howard Lewis
Repo Men
2010
as Jake
The Last King of Scotland
2006
as Idi Amin
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999
as Ghost Dog
Out of the Furnace
2013
as Chief Wesley Barnes
Blown Away
1994
as Anthony Franklin
City of Lies
2018
as Jack Jackson
The Great Debaters
2007
as Dr. James Farmer Sr.
Stakeout
1987
as Det. Jack Pismo
Good Morning, Vietnam
1987
as Edward Garlick
Prêt-à-Porter
1994
as Cy Bianco
Johnny Handsome
1989
as Dr. Steven Fisher
How It Ends
2018
as Tom
Mr. Holland's Opus
1995
as Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
Dope
2015
as The Narrator (voice)
The Experiment
2010
as Barris
Everyone's Hero
2006
as Lonnie Brewster (voice)
Respect
2021
as C. L. Franklin
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
2017
as Self
Smoke
1995
as Cyrus Cole
Body Snatchers
1993
as Major Collins
Consenting Adults
1992
as David Duttonville
The Crying Game
1992
as Jody
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
2020
as Self
Zulu
2013
as Ali Sokhela
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
2020
as Jeronicus Jangle
Catch.44
2011
as Ronny
Freelancers
2012
as Dennis Larue
American Gun
2005
as Carter
Vision Quest
1985
as Balldozer
Winged Creatures
2009
as Charlie Archenault
The Air I Breathe
2007
as Happiness
Pawn
2013
as Will
Bird
1988
as Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
1996
as Mr. Rucker
Powder Blue
2009
as Charlie
Black Nativity
2013
as Reverend Cornell Cobbs
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
2005
as Forest Whitaker
Article 99
1992
as Dr. Sid Handleman
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
2022
as Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
2022
as Self (archive footage)
Green Dragon
2001
as Addie
A Dark Truth
2012
as Francisco Francis
The Follow
2001
as The Employer
Our Family Wedding
2010
as Brad Boyd
Even Money
2007
as Clyde Snow
A Rage in Harlem
1991
as Jackson
Hurricane Season
2010
as Al Collins
Light It Up
1999
as Officer Dante Jackson
The Forgiven
2018
as Desmond Tutu
My Own Love Song
2010
as Joey
A Man's Story
2011
as Self
The Fourth Angel
2001
as Agent Jules Bernard
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
2001
as Self
Feast of All Saints
2001
as Daguerreotypist Picard
Burden
2018
as Reverend Kennedy
Last Light
1993
as Fred Whitmore
Mary
2005
as Ted Younger
Tag: The Assassination Game
1982
as Gowdy's Bodyguard
Finding Steve McQueen
2019
as Howard Lambert
Repentance
2014
as Angel
The Marsh
2006
as Geoffrey Hunt
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
as (archive footage)
Bank Robber
1993
as Officer Battle
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
2000
as Self
Downtown
1990
as Dennis Curren
Jason's Lyric
1994
as Maddog
The Enemy Within
1994
as Col. MacKenzie Casey
Body Count
1998
as Crane
A Little Trip to Heaven
2005
as Abe Holt
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai
2001
Two Men in Town
2014
as William Garnett
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
1994
as Self
Diary of a Hitman
1991
as Dekker
Deacons for Defense
2005
as Marcus Clay
Criminal Justice
1990
as Jessie Williams
Witness Protection
1999
as Steven Beck
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
2020
as Self
Four Dogs Playing Poker
2000
as Mr. Ellington
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
2023
as Ghost Dog (archive footage)
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
2009
as Narrator
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
2010
as Lion
Lush Life
1993
as Buddy Chester
Ripple Effect
2007
as Philip
Lullaby for Pi
2010
as George
Mysteries of the Unseen World
2013
as Narrator
Food Chains
2014
Prophets of Change
2022
as Narrator
Shooting 'Panic Room'
2004
as Self
Odyssey in Rome
2005
Hands of a Stranger
1987
as Sergeant Delaney
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
2017
as Self
Rose's Baby
2027
Before the Music Dies
2006
as Self - Narrator (voice)
The Misbehavers
2004
as Self
A Fall from Grace
The Paperboy
2000
as Narrator
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 172 credits spanning from 1952 to 2027, Forest Whitaker has appeared in 129 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
- Havoc (2025) — as Lawrence Beaumont
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.