Age, Biography, and Wiki
- Full Name: Forest Steven Whitaker
- Born: July 15, 1961
- Age: 63 (as of 2025)
- Birthplace: Longview, Texas, USA
- Profession: Actor, Producer, Director, Activist
Forest Whitaker is celebrated for his versatile acting skills and humanitarian work. He rose to international fame with his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Whitaker has also directed films and produced critically acclaimed projects.
| Occupation | Football Players |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 15 July 1961 |
| Age | 63 Years |
| Birth Place | Longview, Texas, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: Approximately 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
- Weight: Estimated around 220 lbs (100 kg)
- Body Measurements: Not publicly disclosed
Forest Whitaker’s imposing stature and expressive features have contributed to his distinctive screen presence.
| Height | 188 cm |
| Weight | 220 lbs |
| Body Measurements | |
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Dating & Relationship Status
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Former Spouse: Keisha Nash (m. 1996–2018)
- Children: Four (Sonnet, True, Ocean, and Autumn)
Whitaker has maintained a private personal life. He was previously married to actress Keisha Nash, with whom he shares four children.
Whitaker Jr., an insurance salesman. A DNA test has shown that his mother had Akan ancestry, while his father was of Igbo descent. When Whitaker was in elementary school, his family moved to Carson, California. He has two younger brothers and an older sister. His first role as an actor was the lead in Dylan Thomas's play Under Milk Wood.
Whitaker's voice and likeness were used for Saw Gerrera in the 2019 video game Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order as well as in the Disney+ series Andor which aired in 2022 (Season 1) and 2025 (Season 2). Since 2019, Whitaker has been starring as Bumpy Johnson in Godfather of Harlem, a series on EPIX which explores the intersection between the criminal underworld and civil rights movement in the 1960s. In 2020, Whitaker starred as Jeronicus Jangle in the Netflix Christmas musical Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. He appeared as Reverend C. L. Franklin, the father of Aretha Franklin (played by Jennifer Hudson) in the film Respect, and is set to appear alongside Tom Hardy in Havoc. In 2023, Whitaker will portray boxing trainer Doc Broadus in Big George Foreman. Whitaker is set to appear in an episode of Extrapolations, an Apple TV anthology series that focuses on climate change. In 2024, he appeared in the MGM+ series adaptation of Stephen L. Carter's novel The Emperor of Ocean Park. He was originally set to appear in Francis Ford Coppola's project Megalopolis but turned down the offer and his role was given to Laurence Fishburne.
Over the past decade, Whitaker has spent much of his time dedicated to humanitarian work. These pursuits were partially motivated by a core lesson his mother taught him: "You don't have to believe what I believe, but you have to believe in something," which Whitaker has discussed giving structure to much of his life.
| Parents | |
| Wife | Keisha Nash (m. 1996-2021) |
| Sibling | |
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Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth (2025): Estimated at $15–$20 million
- Primary Income Sources: Acting, producing, directing
- Annual Salary: Earnings vary by year and project; Whitaker has commanded multi-million dollar fees for leading roles in major films and television series.
Whitaker’s wealth is attributed to his prolific film and television career, successful production ventures, and endorsements.
Career, Business, and Investments
- Film Career: Notable film credits include Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Bird, Platoon, The Butler, Arrival, Black Panther, and Rogue One.
- Television: Stars as Bumpy Johnson in Godfather of Harlem.
- Directing/Producing: Has directed films such as Waiting to Exhale and Hope Floats. Produced Fruitvale Station, Roxanne Roxanne, and Sorry to Bother You.
- Awards: Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, Cannes Film Festival Honorary Palme d'Or (2022), and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards.
- Business Ventures: Involved in production companies, humanitarian initiatives, and entertainment partnerships.
He made his Broadway debut in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie (2016). Apart from his acting 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 is the CEO of Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit outreach program.
Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He co-produced and co-starred in A Rage in Harlem in 1991. He made his directorial debut with a grim film about inner-city gun violence, Strapped, for HBO in 1993 – and won the International Critics' Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 1995, he directed his first theatrical feature, Waiting to Exhale, which was based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Roger Ebert observed that the tone of the film resembled Whitaker's own acting style: "measured, serene, confident". Whitaker also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". Whitaker continued his directing career with the 1998 romantic comedy, Hope Floats, starring Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr., which he also executive produced. He directed Katie Holmes in the romantic comedy First Daughter in 2004, while also an executive producer on the film; he had previously co-starred with Holmes in Phone Booth in 2002. He gained experience as the executive producer of several made-for-television movies, most notably the 2002 Emmy-award-winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy.
In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in The Great Debaters, for which he received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2008, Whitaker appeared in three films, first as a business man known only as Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film The Air I Breathe. He also portrayed a rogue police captain in Street Kings, and a heroic tourist in Vantage Point. Whitaker was cast in the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, that was subsequently cancelled by CBS on May 17, 2011. Under Frank Cooper, he was the creator and producer of DEWmocracy.com, an interactive video game, short film, and website that allowed people to select a new flavor of Mountain Dew. This campaign turned into the most successful launch of a soft drink in Mountain Dew's history. Whitaker appears in the Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain 2008 music video "Blame It".
In 2013, after a small career slump where he starred in a few straight-to-video films, Whitaker has enjoyed a career resurgence, having played the lead role in Lee Daniels' The Butler, which has become one of his greatest critical and commercial successes to date. Whitaker won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for that film as well as nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Whitaker also starred in the film Black Nativity and co-starred in 2013's The Last Stand, playing an FBI agent chasing an escaped drug cartel leader.
He produced numerous projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.
Whitaker's current company, Significant Productions, is devoted to creating opportunities for underrepresented narratives and storytellers by championing films and television shows starring people of color, alongside diversified representation behind the camera. Whitaker and his partner Nina Yang Bongiovi produced Ryan Coogler's directorial debut Fruitvale Station, which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and won Prize of the Future at Cannes. They also launched the career of Chloé Zhao, with Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015). Other producing highlights have included Repentance (2013), Dope (2015), Roxanne Roxanne (2017) and Sorry to Bother You (2018). In 2021, the company's latest film, Passing, debuted on Netflix.
Whitaker studies yoga, has a black belt in kenpō and is a vegetarian. He also trains in eskrima, originally under Dan Inosanto and currently with Joe Jackson. In 2021, it was announced that he had joined NBA Africa as a minority owner and strategic investor.
In addition to the numerous awards Whitaker won for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, he has also received several other honors. In 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him. In September 2006, the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival presented him with its "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award", calling him "one of Hollywood's most accomplished actors". Whitaker received the Capri Legend Award in 2006, from the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival. He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award. On April 16, 2007, Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures industry at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.
Social Network
- Instagram: @forestwhitaker
- Twitter: Not active under a verified account (as of 2025, public presence is limited)
- Facebook: ForestWhitakerOfficial (rarely active)
Whitaker maintains a modest social media presence, focusing on professional updates and advocacy work.
In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the Wong Kar-wai-directed The Follow, one of five short films produced by BMW that year to promote its cars. He co-starred in Joel Schumacher's 2002 thriller Phone Booth with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. His performance as the film's "bad guy" was described as "a subtle chemistry of aggression and empathy". In the fall of 2006, Whitaker started a multi-episode story arc on ER as Curtis Ames, a man who comes into the ER with a cough, but quickly faces the long-term consequences of a paralyzing stroke; he sues, then takes out his anger on Dr. Luka Kovač, who he blames for the strokes. Whitaker received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the series. Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.
In 2016, Whitaker played Saw Gerrera in the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and reprised this role for the Star Wars Rebels animated series. That same year he made his Broadway debut in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie at the Booth Theatre, directed by Michael Grandage. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote of Whitaker's performance, "With his sleepy eyes, soulful voice and fluttering hands, Whitaker is a superb actor who can wear sorrow like a baggy overcoat".
Whitaker has played an active role as co-chair of JuntoBox Films since his initial involvement as co-chair with the collaborative film studio starting in March 2012. JuntoBox was developed as a social-media platform for filmmakers and fans to share ideas to create films and then collaborate to make them. Since Whitaker joined as co-chair, five projects have been greenlit for production.
Education
- High School: Palisades Charter High School
- College: California State University, Long Beach (Music and Drama)
- Graduate School: USC School of Dramatic Arts (Theatre Arts)
Forest Whitaker’s rigorous training in drama and music has contributed to his multifaceted career in entertainment.
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 The Color of Money (1986), Panic Room (2002), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), and Black Panther (2018) as Zuri. Whittaker starred in the Star Wars franchise as Saw Gerrera, appearing in the film Rogue One (2016), in the television series Star Wars: Rebels (2017) and Andor (2022–2025), and would appear in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019).
Whitaker attended Palisades High School, where he played on the football team and sang in the choir, graduating in 1979. He entered California State Polytechnic University, Pomona on a football scholarship, but a back injury made him change his major to music (singing). He toured England with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers in 1980. While still at Cal Poly, he briefly changed his major to drama. He later transferred to the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor and was subsequently accepted into the university's Drama Conservatory. He graduated from USC with a BFA in acting in 1982. He then took a course at Drama Studio London at its now defunct California branch. He was pursuing a degree in "The Core of Conflict: Studies in Peace and Reconciliation" at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2004.
Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and actors. In his first onscreen performance of note, he had a supporting role playing a high school football player in the 1982 film version of Amy Heckerling's coming-of-age teen-retrospective Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's sports drama The Color of Money and Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama film Platoon. The following year, he co-starred in the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam alongside Robin Williams.
He is also a supporter and public advocate for Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for escaped child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country's civil war.
Whitaker co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, where he is also a senior research scholar. Launched during the international Newark Peace Education Summit, IIP's mission is to develop programs and strategic partnerships to address issues such as increasing citizen security through community-building; the role of women and spiritual and religious leaders in peacebuilding; the impact of climate change; and the reduction of poverty. IIP operates under the auspices of UNESCO.
In 2004, Whitaker received an Honorary Doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2007, he received the Cinema for Peace Award for his ongoing advocacy for child soldiers and his work with inner-city youths. Whitaker then received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony. In 2009, he also received an Honorary Degree from Manhattanville College, where he delivered the commencement address. In 2012, in recognition of his contributions to the values embodied by the UN, he received the United Nations Correspondents Association's Advocate of the Year Award. In 2013, Whitaker received the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Minister of Culture, in recognition of his work serving those affected by conflicts and violence. That year, he was also named a Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow by Boston University. Whitaker was the keynote speaker at Miami University's commencement in 2014. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University, Dominguez Hills on May 16, 2015. In 2016, Whitaker received the Humanitarian Award from the World Childhood Foundation.
In 2017, Whitaker earned the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos. That year, he also received the 4GameChanger Of The Year Award. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from University of Southern California on May 11, 2018, at the 135th Commencement Ceremony. He received the Medal of Peace from the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies in 2018, and received an Honorary Fellowship from SOAS University of London that same year. In 2019, he was also among the recipients of the 2019 Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit. In 2021, USC awarded him the Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists. That year, he was also promoted to Commander of France's Order of Arts and Letters. In 2021, Whitaker also received an honorary German Sustainability Award. In 2022, he was awarded the International Peace Honors prize for his philanthropy and humanitarian service, as well as the SDG Vanguard Award by the UN Foundation, for his innovative championing of sustainability and resilience across a wide array of countries. He also received the Honorary Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival.
