Forest Whitaker Biography (1961-)

Full name, Forest Steven Whitaker; born July 15, 1961, in Longview, TX; son of Forest, Jr. (in insurance sales) and Laura (a special education teacher) Whitaker; brother of Damon Whitaker and Kenn Whitaker (actors); married KeishaSimone Nash (a model and actress), May 4, 1996; children: (with Nash) SonnetNoel, True Isabella Summer, Autumn (stepdaughter); Ocean Alexander, Denzel (an actor). Addresses: Office: Spirit Dance Entertainment, 1023 North Orange Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90038.; Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Publicist: Heidi Slan, PMK/HBH, 8500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, director, producer
Birth Details: July 15, 1961; Longview, Texas, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Appearances
Charles Jefferson, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Universal, 1982
Gowdy's bodyguard, Tag: The Assassination Game (also known as Everybody Gets It in the End, Kiss Me, Kill Me, and T.A.G.: TheAssassination Game), 1982
Bulldozer, Vision Quest (also known as Crazy for You), Warner Bros., 1985
Amos, The Color of Money, Buena Vista, 1986
Big Harold, Platoon, Orion, 1986
Edward Montesque Garlick, Good Morning, Vietnam, Buena Vista, 1987
Jack Pismo, Stakeout, Buena Vista, 1987
Charlie "Bird" Parker, Bird, Warner Bros., 1988
Rawlins, Bloodsport, Cannon, 1988
Dr. Steven Resher (some sources cite Steven Fisher), Johnny Handsome, TriStar, 1989
Dennis Curren, Downtown, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1990
Jackson, A Rage in Harlem, Miramax, 1991
David Duttonville, Consenting Adults, Buena Vista, 1992
Dekker, Diary of a Hitman, Vision International, 1992
Dr. Sid Handleman, Article 99, Orion, 1992
Jody, The Crying Game, Miramax, 1992
Officer Battle, Bank Robber, IRS Releasing, 1993
Anthony Franklin, Blown Away, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1994
Cy Bianco, Pret-a-Porter (also known as Pret-a-Porter: Ready toWear and Ready to Wear), Miramax, 1994
Maddog, Jason's Lyric, Gramercy, 1994
Major Collins (a doctor), Body Snatchers, Warner Bros., 1994
Cyrus Cole, Smoke (also known as Smoke--Raucher unter sich), Miramax, 1995
Dan Smithson, Species, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1995
Nate Pope, Phenomenon, Buena Vista, 1996
Crane, Body Count, 1998
Officer Dante Jackson, Light It Up, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1999
Ghost Dog, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (also known as Ghost Dog--Der Weg des Samurai and Ghost Dog, la voie du samourai), Artisan Entertainment, 2000
Ker, Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (also known as Battlefield: Earth), Warner Bros., 2000
Mr. Ellington, Four Dogs Playing Poker, 2000
Agent Jules Bernard, The Fourth Angel (also known as Vengeancesecrete), Artisan Entertainment, 2001
(Uncredited) The Hire: The Follow, BMW Films, 2001
Addie, Green Dragon, Silver Nitrate Films, 2002
Burnham, Panic Room, Columbia, 2002
Captain Ramey, Phone Booth, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2003
Himself, American Storytellers, Indican Pictures, 2003
Himself, The Making of "Invasion of the Freedom Snatchers," Behindthe Scenes Productions, 2003
Himself, In Search of Ted Demme, IFC Films, 2004
American Gun, IFC Films, c. 2005
Film Director
Waiting to Exhale, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
Hope Floats, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1998
First Daughter, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2004
Film Executive Producer
Green Dragon, Silver Nitrate Films, 2002
First Daughter, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2004
Film Producer
(With others) A Rage in Harlem, Miramax, 1991
Chasing Papi, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2003

Film Soundtrack Executive Producer
Waiting to Exhale, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
Hope Floats, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1998
Television Appearances
Series
Host, The Twilight Zone, UPN, 2002-2003
Miniseries
Cuffey, North and South, ABC, 1985
Cuffey, North and South, Book II, ABC, 1986
Sergeant Delaney, Hands of a Stranger, CBS, 1987
Daguerreotypist Picard, Feast of All Saints (also known as AnneRice's The Feast of All Saints), ABC, 2001
Movies
Jesse Williams, "Criminal Justice," HBO Showcase, HBO, 1990
Fred Whitmore, Last Light, Showtime, 1993
Buddy Chester, Lush Life, Showtime, 1994
Colonel MacKenzie "Mac" Casey, The Enemy Within, HBO, 1994
Holcolm Rucker, Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault (also known as Angel of Harlem and Rebound), HBO, 1996
Crane, The Split (also known as Body Count), The Movie Channel, 1998
U.S. Marshal Steven "Steve" Beck, Witness Protection, HBO, 1999
Marcus Clay, Deacons for Defense, Showtime, 2003
Specials
Himself, "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows," American Masters, PBS, 2000
Himself, The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 2000
Himself, The Making of "Panic Room," 2002
Awards Presentations
Himself, The 21st Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1989
Himself, American Film Institute Salute to Clint Eastwood, ABC, 1996
Himself, The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards, 1996
Himself, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, UPN, 1997
Presenter, The 15th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, Bravo and Independent Film Channel, 2000
(Uncredited) Presenter, The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (also known as The 16th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards),Independent Film Channel, 2001
Himself, The 30th Annual People's Choice Awards, 2004
Himself, The 35th Annual NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 2004
Presenter, 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, Bravo, 2004
Episodic
Making the Grade, CBS, 1982
Floyd Green, "Blues for Mr. Green," Hill Street Blues, NBC, 1984
Lewis Jordan, "School Nurse," Trapper John, M.D., CBS, 1984
Herman, "Bully for Arnold," Diff'rent Strokes, NBC, 1985
"Spring Break," The Fall Guy, ABC, 1985
Cagney and Lacey, CBS, 1985
Jerry, "Gather Ye Acorns," Amazing Stories, NBC, 1986
Harris, He's the Mayor, ABC, 1986
ABC in Concert, ABC, c. 1991
Himself, "Clint Eastwood--The Man from Malpaso," Crazy about the Movies, Cinemax, 1993
Himself, Intimate Portrait: Lela Rochon Fuqua (also known as Intimate Portrait: Lela Rochon), Lifetime, 2001
Himself, "John Travolta," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2003
Himself, The Wayne Brady Show, syndicated, 2004
Other
The Grand Baby, 1985
Television Work
Movies
Director, "Strapped," HBO Showcase, HBO, 1993
Co-executive producer, Door to Door, TNT, 2002
Other
Director and executive producer, Black Jaq (pilot), ABC, 1998
Executive producer, Feast of All Saints (miniseries; also known asAnne Rice's The Feast of All Saints), ABC, 2001
Stage Appearances
Appeared in Craig's Wife, The Greeks, Hamlet, Ring around the Moon, Romeo and Juliet, and Whose Life Is It Anyway?, all Drama Studio London; in Swan, Drama Studio London, Inner City Cultural Center, Los Angeles; in Patchwork Shakespeare, CaliforniaYouth Theatre; in School Talk, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles; and inBeggar's Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar.
Stage Director
Drums across the Realm, 1986
Also directed a production of Look Back in Anger.
RECORDINGS
Videos
(And in archive footage) Himself, Battlefield Earth: Evolution & Creation, Warner Home Video, 2000
(And in archive footage) Himself, A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting "Platoon," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2001
Himself, Shooting "Panic Room," Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004
Video Executive Producer
The Making of "Green Dragon," Columbia/TriStar Home Video, 2002
Music Video Director
"Thanks for My Child," by Cheryl Pepsii Riley, 1989
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," by Whitney Houston, 1995
"Goodbye," by Jagged Edge, 2001
Director of music videos by Low Key, Soula, and MC Supreme.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 2, Gale, 1992

Periodicals

Biography, September, 2002
Black Men, July, 2000, pp. 58-59
Ebony, April, 1995
Interview, June, 1998, p. 28
Jet, December 14, 1998, p. 33
Los Angeles Times, May 24, 1998
Movieline, December, 1996; May, 1998, pp. 76-79
New York Post, December 11, 1999
New York Times, August 17, 1993
People Weekly, June 1, 1998, p. 31
Playboy, March, 1992, pp. 140-44
Premiere, September, 2000, p. 86
Yolk, January, 2002, pp. 24-26, 63

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