Forest Whitaker is an award-winning actor who rocketed to stardom for his role as Idi Amin in movie The Last King of Scotland. While he has greatly established himself as a versatile movie actor, he has also made a name for himself on the small screen, thanks to his role as Jon Kavanaugh on the critically acclaimed series The Shield.
Born on July 15, 1961, Whitaker attended Palisades High School, where he was exposed to acting and was part of the school's football team. His expertise on football allowed him to earn a scholarship at California State Polytechnic University though he was eventually forced to change his major due to a back injury. He took up voice before pursuing drama at the University of Southern California.
Some of Whitaker's early work on the big screen include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Color of Money, Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam and Bloodsport. In 1988, he landed his breakthrough role as musician Charlie Parker in the movie Bird, where he earned a Golden Globe nod and won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. This was followed by a string of projects such as Johnny Handsome, Diary of a Hitman, Article 99, The Crying Game, Consenting Adults, Body Snatchers, Species and Panic Room
Whitaker's career got more boost as he earned numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, BET Award for Best Actor, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama and Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor among others for his performance in The Last King of Scotland. At present, he stars as Sam Cooper on the spin-off series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.
1982 Tag: The Assassination Game
1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1985 Vision Quest
1985 North and South
1986 The Color of Money Amos
1986 North and South, Book II
1986 Platoon
1987 Stakeout
1987 Good Morning, Vietnam
1988 Bird
1988 Bloodsport Rawlins
1989 Johnny Handsome
1990 Downtown
1991 Diary of a Hitman
1991 A Rage in Harlem
1992 Article 99
1992 The Crying Game
1992 Consenting Adults
1993 Bank Robber
1993 Body Snatchers
1994 Blown Away
1994 Jason's Lyric
1995 Species
1995 Smoke
1996 Phenomenon
1998 Body Count
1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999 Light It Up
2000 Battlefield Earth
2000 Four Dogs Playing Poker
2001 The Fourth Angel
2001 The Follow The Employer
2001 Green Dragon
2002 Panic Room Burnham
2002 Phone Booth
2004 First Daughter
2005 A Little Trip to Heaven
2005 American Gun
2005 Mary
2006 Even Money
2006 The Marsh
2006 Everyone's Hero
2006 The Last King of Scotland
2007 The Air I Breathe
2007 Ripple Effect
2007 The Great Debaters
2008 Vantage Point
2008 Street Kings
2008 Dragon Hunters
2009 Powder Blue
2009 Winged Creatures
2009 Where the Wild Things Are
2009 Lullaby for Pi
2009 Hurricane Season
2010 Repo Men
2010 My Own Love Song
2010 The Experiment
2010 Our Family Wedding