FOREST WHITAKER

Full Name, Age & Place of Birth

Forest Steven Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961, in Longview, Texas, U.S. He is 63 years old as of mid-2025 .

Family & Early Life

Whitaker is the son of Laura Francis (née Smith), a special education teacher, and Forest E. Whitaker Jr., an insurance salesman . His mother had Akan ancestry and his father was of Igbo descent . His family moved to South Central Los Angeles when he was four, where Forest grew up with two younger brothers and an older sister .

Education & Artistic Foundations

He attended Palisades High School, where he played football and sang in the choir, graduating in 1979 . Initially entering Cal Poly Pomona on a football scholarship, a back injury shifted his focus to music and drama . He later transferred to USC, earning a BFA in acting in 1982, and further honed his craft at Drama Studio London .

Rise to Stardom & Award-Winning Roles

He debuted onscreen in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and by the mid-1980s starred in acclaimed films such as Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam, and Bird—the last of which earned him Best Actor at Cannes in 1988 . His iconic portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006) earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Award .

Continued Film & Television Success

Whitaker’s diverse career includes notable roles in Phenomenon (1996), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Panic Room (2002), The Butler (2013), Arrival (2016), and Black Panther (2018) as Zuri .
He brought Saw Gerrera to life in Rogue One (2016) and in the Disney+ series Andor (2022–25), and plays Bumpy Johnson in MGM+'s Godfather of Harlem since 2019 .

Filmmaking & Directorial Work

Whitaker directed his first film, Strapped, in 1993, and went on to direct Waiting to Exhale (1995), Hope Floats (1998), and First Daughter (2004) . As a producer, he’s supported impactful indie films through his company Significant Productions, backing winners like Fruitvale Station and Dope .

Humanitarian Work & Advocacy

In 2011 he became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, later rising to Special Envoy . He founded the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI), operating youth and conflict-resolution programs across Africa, Mexico, and the U.S. .

Personal Life & Well-Being

Forest is a vegetarian, holds a black belt in kenpō, and practices daily meditation . He rarely vacations—just ten in his life—highlighting his “monk-like” devotion to craft and influence . He has three children and was previously married to Keisha Nash from 1996 to 2018; they amicably co-parent .

Summary

Forest Whitaker is a powerhouse of acting, directing, producing, and humanitarian work: from Texas beginnings and dramatic roles to prestigious awards, influential filmmaking, and global peace advocacy. He continues to shape culture and inspire change both on and off-screen.