Audiences first took notice of Forest Whitaker in the Cameron Crowe-penned 80s teen classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Ever since then he has consistently impressed in a wide variety of character roles that have made him one of Hollywood’s most talented thespians. His portrayal of cruel Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in this year’s “The Last King of Scotland” has earned him numerous accolades including a Golden Globe nomination and a Best Actor prize from the New York Film Critics Circle.
A native of Longview, Texas, Whitaker played football like many of his classmates, and entered college at Cal State Fullerton on a sports scholarship. Dissatisfied with athletics, he moved on to course work at USC and UC-Berkeley where he studied music and drama. He quickly found success in Hollywood, with turns in “Fast Times…”, the Civil War mini-series “North and South”, and “The Color of Money”. The latter was somewhat of a star-maker for Whitaker, as his brief pool-hall scene with Paul Newman proved to be the highlight of the movie. He then went on to bigger productions like Oliver Stone’s “Platoon”, the Richard Dreyfuss/Emilio Estevez comedy “Stakeout”, “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Bloodsport”. His greatest success of the 80s came with Clint Eastwood’s passionate biopic “Bird” about the great saxophonist Charlie Parker. Whitaker’s performance as the titular character was stunning, and earned him a Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Whitaker was prolific in the 90s, appearing in over twenty films, including phenomenal work in “The Crying Game”, Robert Altman’s “Prêt-à-Porter”, and Jim Jarmusch’s unique “Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai”. He also began a move behind the camera, directing the popular 1995 Terry McMillan adaptation “Waiting to Exhale” and the 1998 Sandra Bullock romantic comedy “Hope Floats”. Recently Whitaker has starred in two popular thrillers – “Phone Booth” with Colin Farrell and Kiefer Sutherland, and “Panic Room” with Jodie Foster. This year has seen him join the cast of the popular FX crime thriller “The Shield” and star in the indie drama “American Gun”. As the New Year approaches, Whitaker seems a near-lock for a Best Actor Oscar for “The Last King of Scotland”. Maybe he’ll finally pick up that statue the Academy owes him for “Bird”.