Forest Whitaker filmography

Last updated
Forest Whitaker in 2014 Forest Whitaker 2014.jpg
Forest Whitaker in 2014

Forest Whitaker is an American actor, producer and director.

Contents

Whitaker started his career in early roles in films such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Vision Quest (1985), The Color of Money (1986), Platoon (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) before his leading role in Clint Eastwood's Bird (1988). Whitaker continued acting in films such as The Crying Game (1992), Blown Away (1994), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Mr. Holland's Opus (1995), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and Panic Room (2002) He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in The Last King of Scotland (2006). He has since acted in The Great Debaters (2007), Vantage Point (2008), Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013), Arrival (2016), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), The Forgiven (2017), and Black Panther (2018).

Whitaker made his television debut in the CBS sitcom Making the Grade (1982). He has since had roles as Curtis Ames in the NBC medical drama ER (2006–2007), Lt. Jon Kavanaugh in FX crime drama The Shield (2006–2007), and Sam Cooper in the CBS police drama Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011). Whitaker's recent roles include Eddie Barker in the Fox musical drama series Empire (2017–2018) and Bumpy Johnson in the Epix crime drama Godfather of Harlem (2019–present). He made his Broadway debut in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie (2016).

Film

Actor

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1982 Tag: The Assassination Game Gowdy's Bodyguard
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Charles Jefferson
1985 Vision Quest Jean-Pierre "Balldozer" Baldosier
1986 The Color of Money Amos
Platoon Harold "Big Harold"
1987 Stakeout Detective Jack Pismo
Good Morning, Vietnam Private Edward Garlick
1988 Bloodsport CID Agent Rawlins
Bird Charlie "Bird" Parker, Jr.
1989 Johnny Handsome Dr. Steven Fisher
1990 Downtown Dennis Curren
1991 Diary of a Hitman Dekker
A Rage in Harlem JacksonAlso co-producer
1992 Article 99 Dr. Sid Handleman
The Crying Game Jody
Consenting Adults David Duttonville
1993 Bank Robber Officer Battle
Body Snatchers Major Matthew Collins
Last Light Fred Whitmore
1994 Blown Away Officer Anthony Franklin
Prêt-à-Porter Cy Bianco
Jason's Lyric "Maddog"
1995 Species Dan Smithson
Smoke Cyrus Cole
Mr. Holland's Opus Adult Bobby TiddUncredited
1996 Phenomenon Nate Pope
1998 Body Count Crane
1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai "Ghost Dog"
Light It Up Officer Dante Jackson
2000 Battlefield Earth Ker
Four Dogs Playing Poker Mr. Ellington
2001 The Fourth Angel FBI Agent Jules Bernard
Jew BalloonsJeremiah ShultzeShort film
The Hire: The Follow The EmployerShort film; uncredited [1]
Green Dragon AddieAlso executive producer
2002 Panic Room Burnham
Phone Booth Captain Ed RameyRelease delayed due to the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks [2]
2004 Jiminy Glick in Lalawood Himself
First Daughter NarratorAlso director and executive producer
2005 A Little Trip to Heaven Abe Holt
American Gun CarterAlso executive producer
Mary Ted Younger
2006 Even Money Clyde Snow
The Marsh Geoffrey Hunt
Everyone's Hero Lonnie BrewsterVoice
The Last King of Scotland Idi Amin Academy Award for Best Actor
2007 The Air I Breathe Happiness
Ripple Effect PhilipAlso executive producer
The Great Debaters James L. Farmer, Sr.
2008 Vantage Point Howard Lewis
Street Kings Captain Jack Wander
Dragon Hunters Lian ChuVoice role; English-language version
Winged Creatures Charlie Archenault
2009 Powder Blue CharlieDirect-to-video; also producer
Where the Wild Things Are IraVoice role
Hurricane Season Al CollinsDirect-to-video
2010 Repo Men Jake Freivald
Lullaby for Pi George
My Own Love Song Joey
The Experiment BarrisDirect-to-video
Our Family Wedding Bradford Boyd
2011 Catch .44 RonnyDirect-to-video
2012 Freelancers Dennis LaRue
A Dark Truth Francisco Francis
Ernest & Celestine ErnestVoice role; English-language version
2013 The Last Stand FBI Agent John Bannister
Repentance Angel SanchezAlso producer [3]
Zulu Ali Sokhela
Pawn WillDirect-to-video
Lee Daniels' The Butler Cecil Gaines
Black Nativity Reverend Cornell
Out of the Furnace Chief Wesley Barnes
2014 Two Men in Town William Garnett
Taken 3 Inspector Frank Dotzler
2015 Dope NarratorAlso producer
Southpaw Titus "Tick" Wills
2016 Arrival Colonel Weber
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Saw Gerrera
2017 The Forgiven Archbishop Desmond Tutu
2018 Sorry to Bother You First Equisapien / DemariusAlso producer
Burden Reverend David Kennedy
Black Panther Zuri
How It Ends Tom
City of Lies Jack Jackson
2019 Finding Steve McQueen Howard Lambert
2020 Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Jeronicus Jangle [4]
2021 Respect C. L. Franklin
2023 Big George Foreman Doc Broadus
2024 Havoc Post-production

Filmmaker

YearTitle Director Producer
1993 Strapped YesNo
1995 Waiting to Exhale YesNo
1998 Hope Floats YesNo
2003 Chasing Papi NoYes
2004 First Daughter YesNo
2009 Powder Blue NoYes
2013 Fruitvale Station NoYes
Repentance NoYes
2015 Dope NoYes
2016 Songs My Brothers Taught Me NoYes
2017 Roxanne Roxanne NoYes
2018 Sorry to Bother You NoYes
2021 Passing NoYes
2023 To Live and Die and Live NoYes

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1982 Making the Grade Episode: "Marriage David Style"
1983 Cagney & Lacey Night ManagerEpisode: "The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All"
1984 Trapper John, M.D. Lewis JordanEpisode: "School Nurse"
Hill Street Blues Floyd GreenEpisode: "Blues for Mr. Green"
1985 Diff'rent Strokes HermanEpisode: "Bully for Arnold"
The Grand BabyTelevision movie
The Fall Guy FriendEpisode: "Spring Break"
North and South CuffeyMiniseries
1986 Amazing Stories JerryEpisode: "Gather Ye Acorns"
North and South, Book II CuffeyMiniseries
1987Hands of a StrangerSergeant DelaneyTelevision movie
1990 Criminal Justice Jessie WilliamsTelevision movie
1993Lush LifeBuddy ChesterTelevision movie
Last Light Fred WhitmoreTelevision movie
1994 The Enemy Within Colonel MacKenzie "Mac" CaseyTelevision movie
1996 Rebound Mr. RuckerTelevision movie
1999 Witness Protection US Marshal Steve BeckTelevision movie
2001Feast of All SaintsDaguerreotypist PicardTelevision movie; also executive producer
2002 Door to Door Television movie; co-executive producer
2003 Deacons for Defense Marcus ClayTelevision movie
2002–2003 The Twilight Zone Host / Narrator44 episodes; also consulting producer
2006–2007 ER Curtis Ames6 episodes
2006–2007 The Shield Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh 13 episodes (seasons 5 and 6)
2007–2009 American Dad! The TurlingtonsVoice; 3 episodes
2010 Criminal Minds Sam CooperEpisode: "The Fight"
Brick City 11 episodes; executive producer
2011 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Sam CooperLead role; 13 episodes
2012Serving LifeNarratorDocumentary; also executive producer
2013 Africa NarratorDocumentary series
2016 Roots Henry (Fiddler)3 episodes
2017 Star Wars Rebels Saw Gerrera Voice; 4 episodes
2017–2018 Empire Eddie Barker11 episodes
2019–present Godfather of Harlem Bumpy Johnson 30 episodes; also executive producer
2022 Young Rock Himself3 episodes
Andor Saw Gerrera2 episodes
2023 Extrapolations August BoloEpisode: "2068: The Going-Away Party"

Theatre

YearTitlePlaywrightRoleVenue
2016 Hughie Eugene O'Neill Erie Smith Booth Theatre, Broadway debut

Video games

YearTitleVoice roleNotesRef.
2019 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Saw GerreraVoice, likeness, and motion capture [5]

Music videos

YearArtistTitleNotesRef.
1995 Whitney Houston "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"Director
2001 Jagged Edge "Goodbye" [6]
2009 Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain "Blame It"
2019 Bring Me the Horizon "In the Dark"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny DeVito</span> American actor (born 1944)

Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He plays Frank Reynolds on the FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2006–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Potts</span> American actress (born 1952)

Anne Hampton Potts is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Corvette Summer (1978) and won a Genie Award for Heartaches (1981), before appearing in Ghostbusters (1984), Pretty in Pink (1986), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Who's Harry Crumb? (1989), Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). She voiced Bo Peep in the first, second and fourth films of the Toy Story franchise and in various Disney video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Buscemi</span> American actor (born 1957)

Steven Vincent Buscemi is an American actor. Buscemi is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. His early credits consist of major roles in independent film productions such as the AIDS drama Parting Glances (1986), Mystery Train (1989), In the Soup (1992), and his breakout role as Mr. Pink in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brock Peters</span> American actor (1927–2005)

Brock Peters was an American actor and singer, best known for playing the villainous "Crown" in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess, and Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. He made his Broadway debut in the 1965 Norman Rosten play Mister Johnson. He was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his lead role as Rev. Stephen Kumalo in the 1972 Broadway revival of the musical Lost in the Stars. He received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1991 and a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Paquin</span> Canadian-New Zealand actress (born 1982)

Anna Paquin is a Canadian and New Zealand actress. Born in Winnipeg and raised in Wellington, she made her acting debut in the romantic drama film The Piano (1993), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 11, becoming the second-youngest winner in Oscar history. As a child actress, she received multiple Young Artist Award nominations for her roles in Fly Away Home (1996), The Member of the Wedding (1997), and A Walk on the Moon (1999), and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for appearing in Cameron Crowe's comedy drama film Almost Famous (2000). She also appeared in the films Jane Eyre (1996) and Amistad (1997).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Smits</span> American actor (born 1955)

Jimmy L. Smits is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s–1990s legal drama L.A. Law, NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s–2000s police drama NYPD Blue, Matt Santos on the political drama The West Wing, and for appearing in Switch (1991), My Family (1995), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), and In the Heights (2021). He also appeared as Bail Organa in the Star Wars franchise and as ADA Miguel Prado in Dexter. From 2012 to 2014, he joined the main cast of Sons of Anarchy as Nero Padilla. Smits also portrayed Elijah Strait in the NBC drama series Bluff City Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Caruso</span> American retired actor and producer (born 1956)

David Stephen Caruso is an American retired actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama NYPD Blue (1993–1994) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series CSI: Miami (2002–2012). He appears in the feature films An Officer and a Gentleman, First Blood, Twins (1988), King of New York (1990), Kiss of Death (1995) and Proof of Life (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Crewson</span> Canadian actress

Wendy Jane Crewson is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film The Doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phylicia Rashad</span> American actress (born 1948)

Phylicia Rashad is an American actress. She is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University and best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She also played Ruth Lucas on Cosby (1996–2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Whitaker</span> American actor (born 1961)

Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer and director. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony LaPaglia</span> Australian actor (born 1959)

Anthony LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He has won three AACTA Awards, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lantana (2001) and Balibo (2009), and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Nitram (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair Underwood</span> American actor

Blair Erwin Underwood is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film Krush Groove and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series L.A. Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marton Csokas</span> New Zealand actor (born 1966)

Marton Paul Csokas is a New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with his native country, and often portrays villainous roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eriq La Salle</span> American actor, director, and writer

Erik Ki La Salle, professionally known as Eriq La Salle, is an American actor, director, writer and producer. La Salle is best known for his performance in the film Coming to America (1988) and especially as Dr. Peter Benton in the NBC medical drama ER which earned him three NAACP Image Awards and nominations for a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mykelti Williamson</span> American actor and director

Mykelti Williamson is an American actor best known for his roles in the films Forrest Gump, 12 Angry Men (1997), Con Air, and Ali, and the television shows Boomtown, 24, and Justified. In 2016, he portrayed Gabriel Maxson in Denzel Washington's acclaimed film adaptation of August Wilson's play Fences, reprising his role from the 2010 Broadway revival.

Rae Dawn Chong is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film Stony Island, and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film Quest for Fire, for which she received the Genie Award for Best Actress.

Eamonn Roderique Walker is an English actor. On television, he began in the BBC sitcom In Sickness and in Health (1985–1987), the ITV crime dramas The Bill (1988–1989) and Supply & Demand (1998), and the HBO series Oz (1997–2003), for which he won a CableACE Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bokeem Woodbine</span> American actor (born 1973)

Bokeem Woodbine is an American actor. In 1994, he portrayed Joshua, the eponymous character's troubled brother, in Jason's Lyric. He won a Black Reel Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award for his role as Kansas City mob enforcer Mike Milligan in the second season of Fargo. Woodbine also portrayed Daniel in season 2 of the WGN series Underground, Herman Schultz/Shocker in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming, and saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman in the Oscar-winning Ray Charles biopic Ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Black</span> American actor

Lucas Black is an American actor. He is best known for his leading role as Sean Boswell in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), which he reprised in Furious 7 (2015) and F9 (2021). He also portrayed Caleb Temple in the CBS television series American Gothic (1995–1996) and Special Agent Christopher LaSalle on CBS's NCIS: New Orleans (2014–2019). His other notable films include Sling Blade (1996), Flash (1997), Crazy in Alabama (1999), All the Pretty Horses (2000), Friday Night Lights (2004), Jarhead (2005), Get Low (2009), Legion (2010), Seven Days in Utopia (2011), and 42 (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Tyree Henry</span> American actor (born 1982)

Brian Tyree Henry is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

References

  1. "The Follow". CineArchive. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  2. "'Phone' release delayed". Amarillo.com. Associated Press. October 18, 2002. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  3. "Repentance – In Theaters February 28, 2014". Code Black. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 30, 2018). "Forest Whitaker To Star In David E. Talbert's Netflix Holiday Family Musical 'Jingle Jangle'". Deadline. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  5. Sarkar, Samit (June 8, 2019). "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features Rogue One's Saw Gerrera". Polygon. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. "Burning Question". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 5, 2021.