Forest Whitaker

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Forest Whitaker
Whitaker at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Forest Steven Whitaker

(1961-07-15) July 15, 1961 (age 62)
EducationCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona
University of Southern California (BFA)
New York University
Alma materDrama Studio London
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • director
Years active1981–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
Keisha Nash
(m. 1996; div. 2021)
Children3
AwardsFull list

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer and director. He is the recipient of

British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards
.

After making his film debut in

Zuri
.

Whitaker won the

Epix crime drama series Godfather of Harlem
.

He made his

Hughie (2016). Apart from his acting 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.[4]

Early life and education

Forest Steven Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961, in Longview, Texas,[5] the son of Laura Francis (née Smith), a special education teacher and Forest E. Whitaker Jr., an insurance salesman.[6][7] A DNA test has shown that his mother had Akan ancestry, while his father was of Igbo descent.[8] When Whitaker was in elementary school, his family moved to Carson, California.[9] He has two younger brothers and an older sister. His first role as an actor was the lead in Dylan Thomas's play Under Milk Wood.[9]

Whitaker attended

tenor and was subsequently accepted into the university's Drama Conservatory.[7] He graduated from USC with a BFA in acting in 1982.[11] He then took a course at Drama Studio London at its now defunct California branch.[12] He was pursuing a degree in "The Core of Conflict: Studies in Peace and Reconciliation" at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2004.[13]

Career

1982–1987: Rise to prominence

Michael Zelniker, Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke and Forest Whitaker promoting the film Bird at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival

Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and actors. In his first onscreen performance of note, he had a supporting role playing a high school football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective Fast Times at Ridgemont High.[7] In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's sports drama The Color of Money and Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama film Platoon. The following year, he co-starred in the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam alongside Robin Williams.

After completing several films in the early 1980s, Whitaker gained additional roles in multiple television shows. On the series Diff'rent Strokes, he played a bully in the 1985 episode "Bully for Arnold".[14] That same year, Whitaker also played the part of a comic book salesman in the Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye Acorns".[15] He appeared in the first and second parts of North and South in 1985 and 1986. Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker mainly had roles in television films which aired on HBO, including Criminal Justice, The Enemy Within, and Witness Protection.

1988–2006: Breakthrough and acclaim

In 1988, Whitaker appeared in the film

Golden Globe
nomination.

Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s. He starred in the 1990 film

National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for Robert Altman's film, Prêt-à-Porter, in 1994. In 1995, he gave a "characteristically emotional performance"[19] in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's Smoke, and appeared in the science-fiction film Species. In 1996, he played the role of a good-natured man in Phenomenon, alongside John Travolta and Robert Duvall, which earned him a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama, and was also nominated for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
.

Whitaker presenting the film My Own Love Song in Paris, 2010

Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He co-produced and co-starred in

Emmy-award-winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy
.

Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising,

South Central Los Angeles for the role.[3] He received rave reviews for his performance—Variety called it a "crackling-good guest stint"[24]
—and he reprised the role in the show's 2007 season.

Whitaker at the premiere of Two Men in Town (2014)

Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the worst films ever made,[25] 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.[25][26] 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."[27] Battlefield Earth won seven Razzie Awards.[28] Whitaker later expressed his regret for participating in the film.[29]

In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the

Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the series.[31] Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.[32]

Whitaker's 2006 portrayal of

2007–2018: Established actor

Hughie
(2016)

In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in

Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.[39] In 2008, Whitaker appeared in three films, first as a business man known only as Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film The Air I Breathe. He also portrayed a rogue police captain in Street Kings, and a heroic tourist in Vantage Point. Whitaker was cast in the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, that was subsequently cancelled by CBS on May 17, 2011.[40] Under Frank Cooper, he served as the creator and producer of DEWmocracy.com, an interactive video game, short film, and website that allowed people to select a new flavor of Mountain Dew. This campaign turned into the most successful launch of a soft drink in Mountain Dew's history.[41] Whitaker appears in the Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain 2008 music video "Blame It".[42]

In 2013, after a small career slump where he starred in a few straight-to-video films, Whitaker has enjoyed a career resurgence, having played the lead role in

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for that film as well as nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.[43][44] Whitaker also starred in the film Black Nativity and co-starred in 2013's The Last Stand
, playing an FBI agent chasing an escaped drug cartel leader.

Whitaker played Saw Gerrera in the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.[45][46] In December 2016, it was announced that Whitaker would reprise his role as Saw Gerrera from Rogue One for the Star Wars Rebels animated series.[47] That same year he made his Broadway debut in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie at the Booth Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage.[48] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote of Whitaker's performance, "With his sleepy eyes, soulful voice and fluttering hands, Whitaker is a superb actor who can wear sorrow like a baggy overcoat".[49]

Whitaker portrayed Colonel Weber in the science fiction drama film

2019–present

Didier Allouch and Whitaker at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022

Whitaker's voice and likeness were used for

Havoc.[54] In 2023, Whitaker will portray boxing trainer Doc Broadus in Big George Foreman.[55] Whitaker is set to appear in an episode of Extrapolations, an Apple TV anthology series that focuses on climate change.[56] He joined Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming project Megalopolis
.

Production companies

Spirit Dance Entertainment

He produced numerous projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.[3][57]

Significant Productions

Whitaker's current company, Significant Productions, is devoted to creating opportunities for underrepresented narratives and storytellers by championing films and television shows starring people of color, alongside diversified representation behind the camera. Whitaker and his partner

Sorry to Bother You (2018).[62] In 2021, the company's latest film, Passing, debuted on Netflix.[63]

Significant Productions also produced a documentary that was shot in the hospice at Angola prison in Louisiana, Serving Life (2011), which was produced for

OWN and Oprah's Doc Club.[64] They produced A Kid from Coney Island, a documentary about basketball star Stephon Marbury.[65] In 2020, Significant produced By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem.[66]

JuntoBox films

Whitaker has played an active role as co-chair of JuntoBox Films since his initial involvement as co-chair with the collaborative film studio starting in March 2012.[67] JuntoBox was developed as a social-media platform for filmmakers and fans to share ideas to create films and then collaborate to make them. Since Whitaker joined as co-chair, five projects have been greenlit for production.[68]

Music producer

Whitaker worked closely with Babyface as the executive producer to the soundtrack for Waiting to Exhale, which Whitaker directed. The album received a total of eleven Grammy nominations in 1997, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". Three songs were nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", written by Babyface.[69] Whitaker served as executive soundtrack producer on the soundtrack for Hope Floats, which he directed. Best known for Garth Brooks' rendition of "To Make You Feel My Love", the album went double-platinum and was Grammy-nominated. Whitaker also served as executive music producer and co-wrote eight songs for the soundtrack to First Daughter, which he directed. He also appears in the music video "In the Dark" by Bring Me the Horizon, released on October 21, 2019,[70]

Activism

Charity work

Over the past decade, Whitaker has spent much of his time dedicated to humanitarian work. These pursuits were partially motivated by a core lesson his mother taught him: "You don't have to believe what I believe, but you have to believe in something," which Whitaker has discussed giving structure to much of his life.[71]

He founded the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-governmental organization, in 2012. WPDI implements peace-building programs in conflict affected communities throughout the world, which are focused on training youths in conflict resolution and developing businesses in areas of conflict. WPDI's programs are currently operating throughout Africa, Mexico, and the United States.

Whitaker was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, in a ceremony at UNESCO headquarters on June 21, 2011. As Goodwill Ambassador, Whitaker worked with UNESCO to support and develop initiatives that empower youths and keep them from entering or remaining in cycles of violence. At the induction ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion described Whitaker as a "perfect choice as a Goodwill Ambassador... he has exemplified compassion in every area of his life, with humility and grace. He does this because it's the right thing to do."[72] Following his increased work in conflict-impacted regions, Whitaker was then promoted to a UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation,[73] and was a member of President Obama's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.[74] He previously served on President Obama's Urban Policy Committee and started collaborating with the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict as an Advocate for Children Affected by War, a topic on which he was invited to speak before the UN Security Council in September 2014. Whitaker worked with elementary schools through the Turnaround Arts organization.[75] Additionally, he is on the steering committee for the UN's work with the Reintegration of Child Soldiers after having served as an Advocate for Children Affected by War, and is an Advocate for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.[76]

He is also a supporter and public advocate for Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for escaped child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country's civil war.[77]

Above all, Whitaker believes that ordinary people can and must come together to change the world. In his own words, "Even a seemingly small action can cause ripples that make an enormous impact."[78]

Politics

In politics, Whitaker supported and spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign.[79] On April 6, 2009, he was given a chieftaincy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Whitaker, who was named a chief among the Igbo community of Nkwerre, was given the title Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means A Brother in a Foreign Land.

Whitaker co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, where he is also a senior research scholar.[80] Launched during the international Newark Peace Education Summit, IIP's mission is to develop programs and strategic partnerships to address issues such as increasing citizen security through community-building; the role of women and spiritual and religious leaders in peacebuilding; the impact of climate change; and the reduction of poverty. IIP operates under the auspices of UNESCO.[81]

Personal life

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash (1972–2023),[82] whom he met on the set of Blown Away.[2] As a couple, they had four children: two daughters together (Sonnet and True), and his son (Ocean Alexander) and her daughter (Autumn) from their previous relationships. In December 2018, Whitaker filed for divorce from Nash, citing irreconcilable differences.[83]

Whitaker studies yoga, has a black belt in

eskrima, originally under Dan Inosanto and currently with Joe Jackson. In 2021, it was announced that he had joined NBA Africa as a minority owner and strategic investor.[84]

Whitaker's left eye ptosis has been called "intriguing" by the critic Susan Wloszczyna,[85] with the writer Stephanie Zacharek maintaining that it gives him "a sleepy, contemplative look".[86] 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.[87]

His ancestry has been traced to Nkwerre in Imo State of Nigeria, where he was made an honorary titled chief on April 5, 2009.[88]

Acting credits and accolades

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 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him.[89] 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".[90] Whitaker received the Capri Legend Award in 2006, from the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival.[20] He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award.[91] On April 16, 2007, Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures industry at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.[92][93][94][95]

In 2004, Whitaker received an Honorary Doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts.[96] In 2007, he received the Cinema for Peace Award for his ongoing advocacy for child soldiers and his work with inner-city youths.[78] Whitaker then received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony.[97] In 2009, he also received an Honorary Degree from Manhattanville College, where he delivered the commencement address.[98] In 2012, in recognition of his contributions to the values embodied by the UN, he received the United Nations Correspondents Association's Advocate of the Year Award.[78] In 2013, Whitaker received the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Minister of Culture, in recognition of his work serving those affected by conflicts and violence.[99] That year, he was also named a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow by Boston University.[100] Whitaker was the keynote speaker at Miami University's commencement in 2014.[101] He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Dominguez Hills on May 16, 2015.[102] In 2016, Whitaker received the Humanitarian Award from the World Childhood Foundation.[103]

In 2017, Whitaker earned the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit.[109] In 2021, USC awarded him the Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists.[110] That year, he was also promoted to Commander of France's Order of Arts and Letters.[111] In 2021, Whitaker also received an honorary German Sustainability Award.[112] In 2022, he was awarded the International Peace Honors prize for his philanthropy and humanitarian service,[113] as well as the SDG Vanguard Award by the UN Foundation, for his innovative championing of sustainability and resilience across a wide array of countries.[114] He also received the Honorary Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival.[115]

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External links