Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an
American actor,
producer, and
director. Whitaker won an
Academy Award for his performance as
Ugandan dictator
Idi Amin in
the 2006 film
The
Last King of Scotland. Whitaker has also won a
Golden Globe, and a
BAFTA. He became the fourth
African American man to win an
Academy Award for Best Actor,
following in the footsteps of
Sidney
Poitier,
Denzel Washington,
and
Jamie Foxx.
He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for
films such as
Bird and
Ghost Dog: The Way
of the Samurai.
However, for his recurring role as ex-LAPD
Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the
gritty, award-winning television series, The Shield, Whitaker merely had to draw on
his childhood years growing up in South Central Los Angeles
, California
.
Early life
Whitaker
was born in Longview
, Texas
and his
family moved to South Central
Los Angeles due to
racism in 1965, when he was four. His father, Forest
Whitaker, Jr., was an insurance salesman and the son of novelist
Forest Whitaker, Sr. His mother, Laura Francis (
née Smith), was a special education
teacher who put herself through college and earned two Masters
degrees while raising her children. Whitaker has two younger
brothers, Kenn and Damon, and an older sister, Deborah.
As a
teenager, Whitaker commuted from Carson
to wealthy Palisades High School on LA's
West Side. There,
he was all-league defensive tackle on the football team
quarterbacked by
Jay Schroeder, a
future
NFL player. While in
high school, he also took voice lessons, performed in musicals, and
caught the "acting bug"; his first role as an actor was the lead in
Dylan Thomas' play,
Under Milk Wood. Whitaker graduated
from "Pali High" in 1979.
Whitaker
then attended Cal Poly Pomona
on a football scholarship, but left due to a
debilitating back injury when he was hurt in training by defensive
end Manny Duran. He was accepted to the Music Conservatory at
the University of Southern California
to study opera as a tenor, and subsequently was
accepted into the University's Drama Conservatory. He
graduated from USC in 1982.
He also earned a scholarship to the Berkeley,
California
branch of the Drama Studio London
.
Career
Film work
Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film
directors and fellow actors. In his first onscreen role of note, he
played a football player in the 1982 film version of
Cameron Crowe's
coming-of-age teen-
retrospective,
Fast Times at Ridgemont
High. He co-starred alongside
Nicolas Cage,
Phoebe
Cates, and
Sean Penn. In 1986, he
appeared in
Martin Scorsese's film,
The Color of Money (with
Paul Newman and
Tom Cruise), and in
Oliver Stone's Platoon. The following year, he
co-starred with
Robin Williams in the
comedy
Good Morning,
Vietnam.
In 1988, Whitaker played in the film
Bloodsport alongside
Jean-Claude Van Damme and he had the
lead role as musician
Charlie Parker
in the
Clint Eastwood-directed film,
Bird. To prepare himself for
the part, he sequestered himself in a loft with only a bed, couch,
and saxophone, having also conducted extensive research and taken
alto sax lessons. His performance, which has been called
"transcendent," earned him the
Best Actor award at
the
1988 Cannes Film
Festival and a
Golden Globe
nomination. Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known
directors throughout the 1990s. He
starred in the 1990 film
Downtown with
Anthony Edwards and
Penelope Ann Miller.
Neil Jordan cast him in the pivotal role of
"Jody" in his 1992 film,
The Crying
Game. Todd McCarthy, of
Variety, described Whitaker's
performance as "big-hearted," "hugely emotional," and "simply
terrific." In 1994, he was a member of the cast that won the first
ever
National
Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for
Robert Altman's film,
Prêt-à-Porter. He gave a
"characteristically emotional performance" in
Wayne Wang and
Paul
Auster's 1995 film,
Smoke.
Whitaker as the samurai, Ghost
Dog
Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising,
bushido-following,
mob hit man
in
Ghost Dog: The
Way of the Samurai, a 1999 film written and directed by
Jim Jarmusch. Many consider this to
have been a "definitive role" for Whitaker. In a manner similar to
his preparation for
Bird, he again immersed himself in his
character's world—he studied Eastern philosophy and meditated for
long hours "to hone his inner spiritual hitman." Jarmusch has told
interviewers that he developed the title character with Whitaker in
mind; the
New York Times
review of the film observed that "[I]t's hard to think of another
actor who could play a cold-blooded killer with such warmth and
humanity."
Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the "
worst films ever made," the
2000 production of
Battlefield Earth, based on
the novel of the same name by
L.
Ron Hubbard. The film was widely
criticized as a notorious commercial and critical disaster.
However, Whitaker's performance was lauded by the film's director,
Roger Christian, who
commented that, "Everybody's going to be very surprised" by
Whitaker, who "found this huge voice and laugh."
BattleField
Earth "won" seven
Razzie
Awards; Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but
lost to his co-star,
Barry
Pepper.
In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the
Wong Kar-wai-directed
The Follow, one
of five short films produced by
BMW that year to
promote its cars. He co-starred in
Joel
Schumacher's 2002
thriller,
Phone Booth, with
Kiefer Sutherland and
Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred
with
Jodie Foster in
Panic Room. His performance as the
film's "bad guy" was described as "a subtle chemistry of aggression
and empathy."
Whitaker as General Idi Amin in
The Last King of Scotland
Whitaker's greatest success to date is the 2006 film,
The Last King of
Scotland. To prepare for his role as dictator
Idi Amin, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to
play the
accordion, and immersed himself
in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary
footage, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends,
relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned
Swahili and mastered Amin's
East African accent.
His performance earned him the 2007
Academy Award for Best Actor in
a Leading Role, making him the fourth African-American actor in
history to do so. For that same role, he also received multiple
other awards, including
Golden
Globe,
Screen Actors
Guild,
BAFTA Awards, and accolades
from the
New York Film
Critics Circle, the
Los Angeles Film Critics
Association, the
National
Board of Review and the
Broadcast Film Critics
Association. In 2007, Whitaker also played Dr. James Farmer Sr.
in
The Great
Debaters.
In 2008, Whitaker appeared as a business man known only as
Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film
The Air I Breathe, as rogue police
captain Jack Wander in
Street
Kings, and heroic tourist Howard Lewis in
Vantage Point.
Television work
In 1985, Whitaker played a bully who loses his girlfriend to Arnold
on the
Diff'rent Strokes
episode "Bully for Arnold". That same year, Whitaker also played
the part of a comic book salesman in the
Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye
Acorns".
In 2002, Whitaker was the host and narrator of 44 new episodes of
the
Rod Serling classic,
The Twilight Zone, which lasted one
season on
UPN.
Whitaker returned to television in 2006 when he joined the cast of
FX's police serial
The Shield, as Lieutenant
Jon Kavanaugh, who was determined to prove
that the lead character,
Vic Mackey, is a
dirty cop. He received rave reviews for his performance —
Variety called it a
"crackling-good guest stint" — and he reprised the role in the
show's 2007 season.
In the fall of 2006, Whitaker started a multi-episode story arc on
ER as Curtis Ames, a man who
comes into the ER with a cough, but quickly faces the long-term
consequences of a paralyzing
stroke; he then
takes out his anger on Doctors
Luka
Kovač and
Abby Lockhart. Whitaker
received a 2007
Emmy nomination for his
performance on the series. Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in
T.I.'s video "Live in the Sky" alongside
Jamie Foxx.
Whitaker hosted
Saturday Night
Live, which featured his singing skills in several
sketches, including a sketch about a singing waiter who can sing
notes that can only be heard by dogs.
Whitaker has lent his voice to three episodes of the animated
sitcom
American Dad! in 2008
and 2009, as the recurring character Ron Turlington. The character
parodies Whitaker's performances in
The Shield, and is
seen in the episodes "
Meter Made",
"
Chimdale" and "
Live and Let Fry".
Producing and directing
Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He
co-produced and co-starred in
A Rage in Harlem in 1991. He
made his directorial debut with a grim film about inner-city gun
violence,
Strapped, for
HBO in 1993. In 1995, he directed his first
feature,
Waiting to Exhale, which was based on
the
Terry McMillan novel of the same
name.
Roger Ebert observed that the tone
of the film resembled Whitaker's own acting style: "measured,
serene, confident." Whitaker also directed co-star
Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's
theme song ("Shoop Shoop").
Whitaker continued his directing career with the 1998 romantic
comedy,
Hope Floats, starring
Sandra Bullock and
Harry Connick, Jr. He directed
Katie Holmes in the
romantic comedy,
First Daughter in 2004; he
had co-starred with Holmes in
Phone Booth in 2002. Whitaker also
served as an
executive
producer on
First Daughter. He had previously
executive produced several
made-for-television movies, most notably
the 2002
Emmy-award winning
Door to Door, starring
William H. Macy. He produced these projects through his
production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down
in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.
Recent honors
In addition to the numerous awards Whitaker won for his performance
in
The Last King of Scotland, he has also received several
other honors. In September 2006, the 10th Annual Hollywood Film
Festival presented him with its "Hollywood Actor of the Year
Award," calling him "one of Hollywood's most accomplished actors."
He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
2007, where he received the American Riviera Award. Previously, in
2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute
to him.
Whitaker
was the recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame
on April 16, 2007.
He also
received an Honorary Degree from Xavier
University of Louisiana
on May 9, 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony,
along with Democratic political stategist Donna Brazile.
Personal life
In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash, whom he met on the
set of
Blown Away.
The Whitakers have four children: two daughters together (Sonnet
and True), his son (Ocean) from a previous relationship, and her
daughter (Autumn) from a previous relationship. Whitaker studies
yoga and has a black belt in
karate. On
Inside the Actors Studio,
Whitaker said that a genetic test indicated he was of
Igbo descent on his father's side,
and
Akan descent on his mothers
side.
Whitaker, who is a
vegetarian, recorded a
public service
announcement with his daughter, True, promoting vegetarianism
on behalf of
People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals . In politics, Whitaker supported
and spoke on behalf of Senator
Barack
Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign.
Whitaker's left eye
ptosis has been
called "intriguing" by some critics and "gives him a sleepy,
contemplative look." Whitaker has explained that the condition is
hereditary and that he has considered having surgery to correct it,
not for cosmetic reasons but because it affects his vision.
On April
6, 2009, Whitaker was given a chieftancy title in Imo State, Nigeria
.
Whitaker, who was named a chief among the
Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, was given
the title
Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means
A
Brother in a Foreign Land.
Filmography
Actor
Director
Television
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1982 |
Making The Grade |
|
Episode "Marriage David Style" |
| 1983 |
Cagney &
Lacey |
Night Manager |
Episode "The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All" |
| 1984 |
Trapper John,
M.D. |
Lewis Jordan |
Episode "School Nurse" |
| Hill Street
Blues |
Floyd Green |
Episode "Blues for Mr. Green" |
| 1985 |
Diff'rent
Strokes |
Herman |
Episode "Bully for Arnold" |
| The Grand Baby |
|
Television movie |
| The Fall Guy |
Friend |
Episode "Spring Break" |
| 1986 |
Amazing Stories |
Jerry |
Episode "Gather Ye Acorns" |
| 1987 |
Hands of a Stranger |
Sergeant Delaney |
Television movie |
| 1990 |
Criminal Justice |
Jessie Williams |
Television movie |
| 1993 |
Lush Life |
Buddy Chester |
Television movie |
| Last Light |
Fred Whitmore |
Television movie |
| 1994 |
The Enemy Within |
Colonel MacKenzie 'Mac' Casey |
Television movie |
| 1996 |
Rebound: The Legend
of Earl "The Goat" Manigault |
Mr. Rucker |
Television movie |
| 1999 |
Witness Protection |
Steven Beck |
Television movie |
| 2001 |
Feast of All Saints |
Daguerreotypist Picard |
Television movie |
| 2003 |
Deacons for Defense |
Marcus Clay |
Television movie |
| 2002-2003 |
The Twilight
Zone |
Host / Narrator |
44 episodes |
| 2006-2007 |
ER |
Curtis Ames |
6 episodes |
| The Shield |
Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh |
(Seasons 5 and 6) |
| 2007-2009 |
American Dad! |
Turlington |
3 episodes |
References
- "Forest Whitaker wins Best Actor Oscar for Idi Amin
role." ABCNewsOnline. February 26, 2007.
- "In general, he rules." The Boston
Globe. October 1, 2006.
- "Forest Whitaker: The King Of The Oscars?"
CBS News. February 4, 2007.
- Sternbergh, Adam. "Out of the Woods: How Forest Whitaker escaped his career
slump." New York. January 9, 2006.
- Patterson, John. "The bigger picture." The Guardian. April 20,
2002.
- "Forest Whitaker Biography (1961-)."
FilmReference.com.
- "Bringing Home the Oscars."
Palisadian-Post. February 28, 2007.
- Joshua Rich. "Spotlight: Forest Whitaker." EW.com.
- Longino, Bob. "The power of Forest Whitaker." The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. October 12, 2006.
- McCarthy, Todd. "The Crying Game (Review)." Variety.
September 11, 1992.
- Stratton, David. "Smoke (Review)." Variety. February
20, 1995.
- Scott, A.O. "'Ghost Dog': Passions of Emptiness in an Essay on
Brutality." New York Times. March 3, 2000.
- Campbell, Duncan. "Cult Classic." Guardian Unlimited.
May 31, 2005.
- Ebert, Roger. "Battlefield Earth." Chicago
Sun-Times. May 12, 2000.
- Graham, Bob. "What on Earth Are These Guys Doing?"
San Francisco Chronicle. April
30, 2000.
- The Follow. MSN Movies.
- "Forest Whitaker: The King Of The Oscars?"
CBS News/ February 4, 2007.
- The Twilight Zone (2002). epguides.com.
- Lowry, Brian. "The Shield (Review)."
Variety. March 27, 2007.
- Ebert, Roger. "Waiting to Exhale (review)." Chicago
Sun-Times. December 22, 1995.
- "Press release." Hollywood Film Festival
News. September 28, 2006.
- "Festival 2007 Tributes." Santa Barbara
International Film Festival. sbiff.org.
- Nesselson, Lisa. "Deauville tips hat." Variety. August
18, 2005.
- PSA for PETA PETA TV.
- Wloszczyna, Susan. "'Last King' demanded obedience to their
craft." USA Today. October 2, 2006.
- Zackarek, Stephanie. "Jim Jarmusch adds lyrical violence to a Zen
meditation on warriors hip-hop and ancient."
Salon.com. March 9, 2000.
- Sager, Mike. "What I've Learned: Forest Whitaker."
Esquire. February 26, 2007.
- The Associated Press
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Misc
Search
