Forest Whitaker Biography, Age, Wife, Children, Net Worth & Wiki

Forest Whitaker is an actor, director, and producer from the United States who is best known for his appearances in the films The Last King of Scotland and Bird.  Whitaker was a collegiate professional footballer at California State Polytechnic University, but a back ailment forced him to switch to theatre and opera. In Tag: The Assassination Game, he made his film debut, and through Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he had his first taste of success.

Well over years, he starred in films such as Platoon, Vietnam, Good Morning, Ready to Wear, Panic Room, and many others. He also appeared in a number of successful television programs and made his directorial debut with Strapped. Forest won an Oscar for Best Actor for his part in The Last King of Scotland. He has also received the Hollywood Actor of the Year Award, among other accolades and distinctions.

Forest Whitaker Bio/Wiki

Life Journey

Forest Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas, on July 15, 1961. Laura Francis, his mom, was a special ed teacher, and Forest Steven Jr., his dad, was an insurance agent. Kenn & Damon, his younger brothers, and Deborah, his elder sister, are his siblings.

He was a collegiate professional footballer at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Due to a back ailment, he changed his major to music. He eventually changed his focus to theatre and was admitted to the University of Southern California’s Musical Conservatory to pursue opera, and then to the university’s Theater Conservatory. He received his degree in 1982.

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He was given a fellowship at the Drama Studio London branch in Berkeley, California. He also visited Britain with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers within the 1980s.

Whitaker has a long track record of collaborating with well-known filmmakers and actors. He got his first notable movie appearance as a high school football player in the 1982 film adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age novel Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in which he played a high school football player.

Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker proceeded to collaborate with a variety of well-known filmmakers. He appeared in the 1990 film Downtown and as Jody, a captured British soldier in The Crying Game, where he used an English accent.

Whitaker got more parts in numerous television series after finishing many films in the 1980s. Whitaker hosted and narrated 44 latest series of the Rod Serling original The Twilight Zone, which aired on UPN for one series between 2002 and 2003.

Whitaker got married to actress Keisha Nash in 1996 after meeting her on the filming of Blown Away.  They have 4 kids, two daughters from their current relationship, as well as his son and her daughter from prior relationships.

Forest Whitaker Net Worth

Forest Whitaker’s net worth is around $35 million.

Forest Whitaker has amassed wealth during the course of his four-decade acting career. He began his acting career in supporting roles until landing a significant role in the film Bird. In addition, he has appeared in a number of TV episodes and series. Whitaker has ventured into filming and producing as well.

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Forest paid a total of $2 million for two houses in the Hollywood Hills in 2003. In January of 2020, he sold one of his houses for $3.85 million.

Career

• Forest Whitaker made his cinematic debut in 1982 with Tag: The Assassination Game, and subsequently that year in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
• In 1985, he starred in the films North and South and Vision Quest.  He also dabbled with television, appearing in tiny roles in programs including The Fall Guy and Different Strokes both in 1985, as well as Amazing Stories in 1986.
• In 1986, he was featured in The Color of Money & Platoon. Following the year in 1987, he performed in Good Morning, Vietnam.
• Following the release of Bloodsport in 1988, he had his first leading role in Bird that year.
• Whitaker won the Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988, and that he was also shortlisted for an Academy Award.
• He appeared in the films Downtown, Diary of a Hitman, A Rage in Harlem, Article 99, and Consenting Adults, among others. In 1992, he portrayed a befuddled British soldier in the film The Crying Game.
• In 1993, Forest Whitaker made his directorial debut with the film Strapped.
• In 1993, he gave great performances in Bank Robber as well as Body Snatchers, and in 1994, he gave remarkable performances in Blown Away and Jason’s Lyric.
• In 1994, he played Colonel MacKenzie  Casey in the tv film The Enemy Within.  In 1995, he played an emotional character in the film Smoke.
• In 2004, he directed and starred in the film First Daughter, and in 2005, he had an outstanding performance in the film American Gun.
• He also starred in the films Mary, and ‘The Marsh, among others in 2006.
• Forest Whitaker won several prizes and accolades for his portrayal of Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland.
• In 2007, he won a prestigious award for his supporting performance in The Great Debaters.
• In 2008, he appeared in three movies: Vantage Point, Dragon Hunters, and Street Kings.
• He featured in a few small films before returning to Lee Daniels’ The Butler in 2013, for which he earned a number of accolades and nominations.
• In 2013, he featured alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The Last Stand.  Whitaker received nods for his roles in Taken 3 and Southpaw in 2015.
• In 2016, he appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as Saw Gerrera and Arrival as Colonel Webber. In 2016, he had his Theatrical debut in the Booth Theatre with the play Hughie.
• In 2018, he starred in Black Panther in the role of Zuri. His latest films include Finding Steve McQueen, Burden, and Request.

Facts

• Forest is a vegetarian who advocates for the suffering of animals in an appropriate manner with PETA.
• In June 2011, he was recognized as the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador to Peace and Reconciliation at a special ceremony at UNESCO head office.
• At Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, he co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP).
• In 2009, Forest got an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters distinction at Xavier University of Louisiana.
• For The Last King of Scotland, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor
• He has also received the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and the BET Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
• In 2013, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Cecil Gaines in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

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