Forest The son of Laura Francis (née Smith), a special education teacher who supported herself through college and obtained two master’s degrees while caring for her children, and Forest E. Whitaker Jr., an insurance salesman, Steven Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961, in Longview, Texas.
His mother was of Akan heritage, according to a DNA test, and his father was Igbo. Whitaker’s family relocated to Carson, California, when he was a student in primary school. He has an older sister and two younger brothers. His debut performance was as the title character in Dylan Thomas’ play Under Milk Wood.
Whitaker studied opera at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and graduated with a BFA in acting in 1982. In 2004, he was pursuing a master’s degree in conflict studies at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Whitaker is well known for his humanitarian efforts and advocacy in addition to his acting profession. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO in 2011 and was later promoted to Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation. He is also the CEO of the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit organization that does outreach.
Forest Whitaker top movies and TV shows
After starring in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982, Whitaker established a reputation for delving deeply into the characters he played in movies like 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).
In addition, he made appearances in blockbusters including Panic Room (2002), Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and Zuri in Black Panther (2018).
With the 1993 television movie Strapped, Whitaker made his directorial debut. He later went on to direct the movies Waiting to Exhale (1995), Hope Floats (1998), and First Daughter (2004). He has been playing Bumpy Johnson in the Epix criminal thriller series Godfather of Harlem since 2019.
Forest Whitaker awards and nominations
He has received numerous honors, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a British Academy Film Award.
Whitaker earned the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2006 for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the British historical drama The Last King of Scotland.
