Born in Texas but raised in Southern California, Forest Whitaker initially attended college on a football scholarship but then transferred to USC to focus on classical voice and opera. His strong tenor won Whitaker roles in several local stage productions and a move to New York and Broadway seemed to be the next logical career step. But that all changed when Whitaker landed his first recognizable film role as a linebacker in 1982's
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Strong supporting parts followed in top Hollywood movies (
Platoon,
The Color of Money,
Good Morning, Vietnam) but it was his role in Clint Eastwood's 1988
Bird, a biopic of legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, that cemented Whitaker's reputation as a legitimate actor with a wide range. During the 1990s Whitaker branched out into directing (
Waiting to Exhale) and producing (
A Rage in Harlem) while he kept up his jam-packed acting schedule with memorable appearances in such diverse films as Neil Jordan's
The Crying Game, Robert Altman's
Ready to Wear and Jim Jarmusch's
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. The new century saw Whitaker continue to expand his artistic horizons. For TV, he executive produced the Emmy-winning
Door to Door, hosted a
Twilight Zone reboot and gave a critically lauded performance as an Internal Affairs cop on the fifth season of
The Shield. But the highlight of the decade was his Oscar-winning turn as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in
The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker, who has a black belt in karate, showed off his expert moves in the 2010 sci-fi flick
Repo Men and signed on for a
Criminal Minds spin-off (
Minds 2.0) for the 2010-11 television season. Whitaker, married to Keisha Nash since 1996, is father to four children.
Forest Whitaker Fast Facts:
- Grew up in Southern California and was an All-League defensive tackle on his high-school football team; received a college football scholarship.
- Also earned a music scholarship at USC, where he studied voice (he's a tenor), and an acting scholarship at the Berkeley, CA, branch of the Drama Studio London.
- Won the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for his role of Charlie Parker in Bird; Whitaker's younger brother Damon played Parker as a child.
- Directed music videos for (among others) Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Low Key, Whitney Houston and Jagged Edge.
- Has a black belt in karate.
- Forest Whitaker Relationships:
- Autumn - Stepdaughter
- Damon Whitaker - Brother
- Forest Whitaker Jr. - Father
- Keisha Nash - Wife
- Kenn Whitaker - Brother
- Laura Whitaker - Mother
- Ocean Alexander Whitaker - Son
- Sonnet Noel Whitaker - Daughter
- True Isabella Summer Whitaker - Daughter
- Forest Whitaker Awards:
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Made for Television Movie - Winner
- 1989 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2010 Emmy: Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking - Nominee
- 2006 BAFTA Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
- 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
- 2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Nominee
- 1994 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Nominee
- College:
- Attended California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, CA; attended University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA