Highest rated as cast or director
Platoon
1986
Arrival
2016
Godfather of Harlem
2019 · 4 Seasons
The Crying Game
1992
Roots
2016 · 1 Season
Forest Whitaker's 6 titles from the 1980s have a median Balasaur Score of 73, led by Platoon (84) and Good Morning, Vietnam (75), against 63 for those from the 2020s.
Biography
Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, director, and activist. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Whitaker went on to earn a reputation for intensive character study work for films, such as Platoon (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bird (1988), The Crying Game (1992), Phenomenon (1996), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), The Great Debaters (2007), The Butler (2013), Arrival (2016), and Respect (2021). He has also appeared in blockbusters, such as Panic Room (2002), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) as Saw Gerrera, and Black Panther (2018) as Zuri. For his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the British historical drama film The Last King of Scotland (2006), Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Whitaker made his directorial debut with the television film Strapped (1993), and directed the films Waiting to Exhale (1995), Hope Floats (1998), and First Daughter (2004). Apart from his film career, Whitaker is also known for his humanitarian work and activism. In 2011, he was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, later receiving a promotion to Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, and serves as the CEO of Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit outreach program.
Acted in 121
2020s
- 2027
Up Against It
Movie
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look
Saw Gerrera (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2021
- 2020
2010s
- 2019
- 2018
- 2016
Star Wars: Go Rogue
Saw Gerrera (voice) · 4 episodes
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
Making a Scene | 11 Performances
Movie
56Pawn
Will
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
Lullaby for Pi
George
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life
Lion
2000s
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
Ripple Effect
Philip
- 2006
- 2005
Odyssey in Rome
Movie
American Gun
Carter
Deacons for Defense
Marcus Clay
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
Feast of All Saints
Daguerreotypist Picard
The Follow
The Employer
Green Dragon
Addie
- 2000
Four Dogs Playing Poker
Mr. Ellington
1990s
- 1999
- 1998
- 1996
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault
Mr. Rucker
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
Lush Life
Buddy Chester
Last Light
Fred Whitmore
- 1992
- 1991
A Rage in Harlem
Jackson
- 1990
Criminal Justice
Jessie Williams
1980s
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
Hands of a Stranger
Sergeant Delaney
- 1986
- 1985
- 1982
Tag: The Assassination Game
Gowdy's Bodyguard
- 1981
1970s
- 1978
Diff'rent Strokes
TV
Produced 29
2020s
- 2026
Transplant
Producer
Lucky Lu
Executive Producer
- 2025
Boomerang Atomic
Executive Producer
To Live and Die and Live
Producer
- 2024
- 2022
For the Sake of Peace
Producer
- 2021
- 2020
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Executive Producer
2010s
- 2019
Devil's Pie: D'Angelo
Producer
A Kid from Coney Island
Executive Producer
- 2018
- 2017
- 2015
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Producer
- 2013
Rising from Ashes
Executive Producer
- 2011
Serving Life
Executive Producer
2000s
- 2009
Kassim the Dream
Producer
- 2007
Ripple Effect
Executive Producer
- 2005
American Gun
Executive Producer
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
Door to Door
Co-Executive Producer
- 2001
Green Dragon
Executive Producer
1990s
- 1991
A Rage in Harlem
Co-Producer
Directed 4
2000s
- 2004
1990s
- 1998
- 1995
- 1993
Strapped
Director
Other crew 1
1990s
- 1998
Appearances44
2020s
- 2026
Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo
Self (archive footage)
- 2024
Seaweed Stories
Self - Narrator (voice)
My Generation
Self - Narrator (voice) · 1 episode
- 2022
Prophets of Change
Narrator
Cannes Festival
Self - Guest · 1 episode
- 2021
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
Self · 9 episodes
- 2020
By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem
Self · 4 episodes
Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times
Self
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
Self
2010s
- 2018
Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
Narrator (voice)
- 2017
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Self
Xenolinguistics: Understanding 'Arrival'
Self
- 2015
- 2013
Rising from Ashes
Narrator
- 2011
A Man's Story
Self
Serving Life
Narrator (voice)
2000s
- 2009
- 2006
Before the Music Dies
Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2005
- 2004
Shooting 'Panic Room'
Self
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
Self
- 2000
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
Self
1990s
- 1999
- 1997
- 1996
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Self - Presenter · 1 episode
- 1994
Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso
Self
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · 1 episode
1980s
- 1988
1970s
- 1975
Thanked in the credits1
1980s
- 1986
A Little Off Mark
Thanks