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.
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Havoc
Lawrence Beaumont
2025
Seaweed Stories
Narrator (voice)
2024
My Generation
Narrator · (1 episode)
2024
Clint Eastwood: The Last Legend
Self (archive footage)
2022
Respect
C. L. Franklin
2021
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
Self
2020
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Self
2020
Burden
Reverend Kennedy
2018
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood
Forest Whitaker
2005
The Follow
The Employer
2001
Sewing Hope
Narrator (voice)
The King of Kings
Peter (voice)
2025
Emperor of Ocean Park
Oliver Garland · (10 episodes)
2024
to Crinkle their Wrist, Perfumed Splendour
Ghost Dog (archive footage)
2023
Big George Foreman
Doc Broadus
2023
Extrapolations
Auggie Bolo · (1 episode)
2023
Prophets of Change
Narrator
2022
Andor
Saw Gerrera · (5 episodes)
2022
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Self · (1 episode)
2022
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
2022
Cannes Festival
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2022
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
Self · (9 episodes)
2021
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Himself · (4 episodes)
2020
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Jeronicus Jangle
2020
A Fall from Grace
2020
Godfather of Harlem
Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson · (40 episodes)
2019
Finding Steve McQueen
Howard Lambert
2019
City of Lies
Jack Jackson
2018
How It Ends
Tom
2018
Sorry to Bother You
First Equisapien / Demarius
2018
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
Narrator (voice)
2018
The Forgiven
Desmond Tutu
2018
Black Panther
Zuri
2018
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Self
2017
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
Self
2017
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Saw Gerrera
2016
I Am You
Narrator (voice)
2016
Arrival
Colonel Weber
2016
Star Wars: Go Rogue
Saw Gerrera (voice) · (4 episodes)
2016
Roots
Fiddler · (4 episodes)
2016
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Dope
The Narrator (voice)
2015
Southpaw
Titus 'Tick' Wills
2015
Empire
Eddie Barker · (1 episode)
2015
Taken 3
Inspector Frank Dotzler
2014
Star Wars Rebels
Saw Gerrera (voice) · (4 episodes)
2014
Two Men in Town
William Garnett
2014
Food Chains
2014
Repentance
Angel
2014
Zulu
Ali Sokhela
2013
Black Nativity
Reverend Cornell Cobbs
2013
Making a Scene
Man
2013
The Making of 'Making a Scene'
Self
2013
Out of the Furnace
Chief Wesley Barnes
2013
Mysteries of the Unseen World
Narrator
2013
The Butler
Cecil Gaines
2013
Rising from Ashes
Narrator
2013
Pawn
Will
2013
The Last Stand
Agent John Bannister
2013
A Dark Truth
Francisco Francis
2012
Freelancers
Dennis Larue
2012
Catch.44
Ronny
2011
A Man's Story
Self
2011
Serving Life
Narrator (voice)
2011
Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
Sam Cooper · (13 episodes)
2011
Lullaby for Pi
George
2010
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
2010
The Experiment
Barris
2010
My Own Love Song
Joey
2010
Repo Men
Jake
2010
Our Family Wedding
Brad Boyd
2010
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
Lion
2010
Hurricane Season
Al Collins
2009
Where the Wild Things Are
Ira (voice)
2009
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Narrator
2009
Winged Creatures
Charlie Archenault
2009
Powder Blue
Charlie
2009
Street Kings
Captain Jack Wander
2008
Mon Clown
Self (archive footage)
2008
Vantage Point
Howard Lewis
2008
The Great Debaters
Dr. James Farmer Sr.
2007
Ripple Effect
Philip
2007
Even Money
Clyde Snow
2007
The Air I Breathe
Happiness
2007
Before the Music Dies
Self - Narrator (voice)
2006
Everyone's Hero
Lonnie Brewster (voice)
2006
The Marsh
Geoffrey Hunt
2006
The Last King of Scotland
Idi Amin
2006
A Little Trip to Heaven
Abe Holt
2005
Mary
Ted Younger
2005
Odyssey in Rome
2005
Criminal Minds
Sam Cooper · (1 episode)
2005
American Gun
Carter
2005
Deacons for Defense
Marcus Clay
2005
American Dad!
Turlington (voice) · (3 episodes)
2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self · (1 episode)
2005
The Misbehavers
Self
2004
First Daughter
Narrator (voice)
2004
Shooting 'Panic Room'
Self
2004
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Phone Booth
Captain Ramey
2003
Making of Phone Booth
Self
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
(1 episode)
2003
The Twilight Zone
Self - Host · (43 episodes)
2002
American Idol
Self · (1 episode)
2002
Panic Room
Burnham
2002
The Shield
Jon Kavanaugh · (13 episodes)
2002
E! Live from the Red Carpet
Self · (1 episode)
2002
Feast of All Saints
Daguerreotypist Picard
2001
The Fourth Angel
Agent Jules Bernard
2001
Ghost Dog: The Odyssey: The Journey Into the Life of a Samurai
2001
Green Dragon
Addie
2001
The Hire
The Employer · (1 episode)
2001
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
Self
2001
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
Self
2000
Four Dogs Playing Poker
Mr. Ellington
2000
Battlefield Earth
Ker
2000
The Paperboy
Narrator
2000
Witness Protection
Steven Beck
1999
Light It Up
Officer Dante Jackson
1999
The Early Show
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Ghost Dog
1999
Where Are They Now?
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Body Count
Crane
1998
The View
Self · (1 episode)
1997
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Mr. Rucker
1996
The Daily Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
Phenomenon
Nate Pope
1996
Mr. Holland's Opus
Bobby Tidd as an adult (uncredited)
1995
Species
Dan Smithson, Empath
1995
Smoke
Cyrus Cole
1995
Prêt-à-Porter
Cy Bianco
1994
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
Self
1994
Jason's Lyric
Maddog
1994
ER
Curtis Ames · (4 episodes)
1994
The Enemy Within
Col. MacKenzie Casey
1994
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · (1 episode)
1994
Blown Away
Anthony Franklin
1994
Bank Robber
Officer Battle
1993
Lush Life
Buddy Chester
1993
Last Light
Fred Whitmore
1993
Body Snatchers
Major Collins
1993
Consenting Adults
David Duttonville
1992
The Crying Game
Jody
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(1 episode)
1992
Article 99
Dr. Sid Handleman
1992
Diary of a Hitman
Dekker
1991
A Rage in Harlem
Jackson
1991
Criminal Justice
Jessie Williams
1990
Downtown
Dennis Curren
1990
Johnny Handsome
Dr. Steven Fisher
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
(1 episode)
1988
Bird
Charlie 'Bird' Parker
1988
Bloodsport
Rawlins
1988
Good Morning, Vietnam
Edward Garlick
1987
Stakeout
Det. Jack Pismo
1987
Hands of a Stranger
Sergeant Delaney
1987
Platoon
Big Harold
1986
The Color of Money
Amos
1986
North and South
Cuffey · (8 episodes)
1985
Amazing Stories
Jerry · (1 episode)
1985
Vision Quest
Balldozer
1985
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Charles Jefferson
1982
Tag: The Assassination Game
Gowdy's Bodyguard
1982
Cagney & Lacey
Night Manager · (1 episode)
1982
Hill Street Blues
(1 episode)
1981
Diff'rent Strokes
(1 episode)
1978
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
The Oscars
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1953
Today
Self · (1 episode)
1952