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Forest Whitaker

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  • Birth Name: Forest Steven Whitaker
  • Birth Place: Longview, TX
  • Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 07/15/1961, Cancer
  • Profession: Actor; director; producer
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An impressive supporting player who manages to be versatile despite his imposing looks, Whitaker attended college on a football scholarship, which helped him land his first recognizable role as an angry linebacker in 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Myriad supporting parts followed, often in A-list movies (dramas Platoon and The Color of Money, and the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam), but as an in-demand character actor he was forced to sign on to low-rent fare, too (Bloodsport). In 1988, director Clint Eastwood gave Whitaker one of his first leading roles: The actor earned a much-deserved Golden Globe nod playing troubled jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker in the biopic Bird. During the '90s Whitaker branched out into directing (Waiting to Exhale) and producing while he kept up his jam-packed acting schedule. In 2006, he had a banner year playing two charismatic villains: an underhanded Internal Affairs agent on the series The Shield (for which he should have been nominated for an Emmy) and his incredible Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning turn as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland on the big screen.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 performance as Charlie Parker in Bird; Whitaker's younger brother Damon played Parker as a child.
  • Directed music videos for Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Low Key, Whitney Houston and Jagged Edge, among others.
  • Was host/narrator of UPN's 2002-03 revival of The Twilight Zone.
  • 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
  • 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Winner
  • 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
  • 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
  • College:
  • Attended California Polytechnic Institute, Pomona, CA; attended University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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