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Forest Whitaker

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Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker, March 2007
Born
Forest Steven Whitaker
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, director
Years active1982–present
SpouseKeisha Nash (1996–present)

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.[1][2] However, for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television series, The Shield, Whitaker merely had to draw on his childhood years growing up in South Central Los Angeles, California.[3]

Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker has also won a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA. He became the fourth African American man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, following in the footsteps of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.[4]

Early life

Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas and his family moved to South Central Los Angeles due to racism in 1965, when he was four.[5] His father, Forest Whitaker, Jr., was an insurance salesman and the son of novelist Forest Whitaker, Sr. His mother, Laura Francis (née Smith), was a special education teacher who put herself through college and earned two Masters degrees while raising her children.[6][7] Whitaker has two younger brothers, Kenn and Damon, and an older sister, Deborah.

As a teenager, Whitaker commuted from Carson to wealthy Palisades High School on LA's West Side.[5] There, he was all-league defensive tackle on the football team quarterbacked by Jay Schroeder, a future NFL player.[7] While in high school, he also took voice lessons, performed in musicals, and caught the "acting bug"; his first role as an actor was the lead in Dylan Thomas' play, Under Milk Wood.[5] Whitaker graduated from "Pali High" in 1979.[8]

Whitaker then attended Cal Poly Pomona[9] on a football scholarship, but left due to a debilitating back injury when he was hurt in training by defensive end Manny Duran. He was accepted to the Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California (USC) to study opera as a tenor, and subsequently was accepted into the University's Drama Conservatory.[7] He graduated from USC in 1982. He also earned a scholarship to the Berkeley, California branch of the Drama Studio London.[10]

Career

Film work

Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and fellow actors. In his first onscreen role of note, he played a football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.[7] He co-starred alongside Nicolas Cage, Phoebe Cates, and Sean Penn. In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's film, The Color of Money (with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise), and in Oliver Stone's Platoon. The following year, he co-starred with Robin Williams in the comedy Good Morning, Vietnam.

In 1988, Whitaker played in the film Bloodsport alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and he had the lead role as musician Charlie Parker in the Clint Eastwood-directed film, Bird. To prepare himself for the part, he sequestered himself in a loft with only a bed, couch, and saxophone,[1] having also conducted extensive research and taken alto sax lessons.[11] His performance, which has been called "transcendent,"[3] earned him the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival[12] and a Golden Globe nomination. Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s. He starred in the 1990 film Downtown with Anthony Edwards and Penelope Ann Miller. Neil Jordan cast him in the pivotal role of "Jody" in his 1992 film, The Crying Game. Todd McCarthy, of Variety, described Whitaker's performance as "big-hearted," "hugely emotional," and "simply terrific."[13] In 1994, he was a member of the cast that won the first ever National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for Robert Altman's film, Prêt-à-Porter. He gave a "characteristically emotional performance"[14] in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's 1995 film, Smoke.

File:Ghostdog4.jpg
Whitaker as the samurai, Ghost Dog

Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising, bushido-following, mob hit man in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, a 1999 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Many consider this to have been a "definitive role" for Whitaker.[3] In a manner similar to his preparation for Bird, he again immersed himself in his character's world—he studied Eastern philosophy and meditated for long hours "to hone his inner spiritual hitman."[1] Jarmusch has told interviewers that he developed the title character with Whitaker in mind; the New York Times review of the film observed that "[I]t's hard to think of another actor who could play a cold-blooded killer with such warmth and humanity."[15]

Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the "worst films ever made,"[16] the 2000 production of Battlefield Earth, based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard. The film was widely criticized as a notorious commercial and critical disaster.[16][17] However, Whitaker's performance was lauded by the film's director, Roger Christian, who commented that, "Everybody's going to be very surprised" by Whitaker, who "found this huge voice and laugh."[18] Battlefield Earth "won" seven Razzie Awards; Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to his co-star, Barry Pepper.[19]

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.[20] 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."[5]

File:Lastking2.jpg
Whitaker as General Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland

Whitaker's 2006 portrayal of of Idi Amin in the film, The Last King of Scotland earned him positive reviews by critics as well as multiple awards and honors.[21][22] To portray the dictator, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research.[2] He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin's East African accent.[1] His performance earned him the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, making him the fourth African-American actor in history to do so.[23] For that same role, he was also recognized with a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, and accolades from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association among others.[24]

In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in The Great Debaters, for which he received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor.[25] 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.

Television work

After completing several films in the early 1980s, Whitaker gained additional roles in multiple television shows. On the series, Diff'rent Strokes, he played a bully in the 1985 episode "Bully for Arnold".[26] That same year, Whitaker also played the part of a comic book salesman in the Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye Acorns".[27] Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker mainly had roles in television films, including Criminal Justice, The Enemy Within, and Witness Protection.

From 2002 to 2003, Whitaker was the host and narrator of 44 new episodes of the Rod Serling classic, The Twilight Zone, which lasted one season on UPN.[28] After working in several film roles, he returned to television in 2006 when he joined the cast of FX's police serial The Shield, as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, who was determined to prove that the lead character, Vic Mackey, is a dirty cop. He received rave reviews for his performance — Variety called it a "crackling-good guest stint"[29] — and he reprised the role in the show's 2007 season.

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 then takes out his anger on Doctors Luka Kovač and Abby Lockhart. Whitaker received a 2007 Emmy Award nomination for his performance on the series.[30] Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.[31]

Producing and directing

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. In 1995, he directed his first 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."[32] 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. He directed Katie Holmes in the romantic comedy, First Daughter in 2004; he had co-starred with Holmes in Phone Booth in 2002. Whitaker served as an executive producer on First Daughter. He had previously 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. He produced these projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.[3][11]

Honors

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 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."[33] He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award.[34]

Previously, in 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him.[35] Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 16, 2007.[36][37] He received an Honorary Degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony.[38]

Personal life

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash, whom he met on the set of Blown Away.[2] The Whitakers have four children: two daughters together (Sonnet and True), his son (Ocean) from a previous relationship, and her daughter (Autumn) from a previous relationship. Whitaker studies yoga and has a black belt in karate.[2] On Inside the Actors Studio, Whitaker said that a genetic test indicated he was of Igbo descent on his father's side, and Akan descent on his mothers side.[39]

Whitaker, who is a vegetarian,[2] recorded a public service announcement with his daughter, True, promoting vegetarianism on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).[40] In politics, Whitaker supported and spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign.[41] On April 6, 2009, Whitaker was given a chieftancy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Whitaker, who was named a chief among the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, was given the title Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means A Brother in a Foreign Land.[42]

Whitaker's left eye ptosis has been called "intriguing" by some critics[43] and "gives him a sleepy, contemplative look."[44] Whitaker has explained that the condition is hereditary and that he has considered having surgery to correct it, not for cosmetic reasons but because it affects his vision.[45]

Filmography

Actor

Year Film Role Notes
1982 Tag: The Assassination Game Gowdy's Bodyguard
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Charles Jefferson
1985 Vision Quest Balldozer
North and South Cuffey
1986 The Color of Money Amos
North and South, Book II Cuffey
Platoon Big Harold
1987 Stakeout Jack Pismo
Good Morning, Vietnam Edward Garlick
1988 Bird Charlie 'Bird' Parker Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor
Bloodsport Rawlins
1989 Johnny Handsome Dr. Steven Fisher
1990 Downtown Dennis Curren
1991 Diary of a Hitman Dekker
A Rage in Harlem Jackson
1992 Article 99 Dr. Sid Handleman
The Crying Game Jody
Consenting Adults David Duttonville
1993 Bank Robber Officer Battle
Body Snatchers Major Collins
1994 Blown Away Anthony Franklin
Prêt-à-Porter Cy Bianco NBR Award for Best Cast
Jason's Lyric Maddog
1995 Species Dan Smithson, Empath
Smoke Cyrus Cole
1996 Phenomenon Nate Pope
1998 Body Count Crane
1999 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai Ghost Dog
Witness Protection Steven Beck
Light It Up Officer Dante Jackson
2000 Battlefield Earth Ker
Four Dogs Playing Poker Mr. Ellington
2001 The Fourth Angel Agent Jules Bernard
The Follow The Employer uncredited
Green Dragon Addie
2002 Panic Room Burnham
Phone Booth Captain Ed Ramey Theatrical release was delayed due to the Beltway sniper attacks in October 2002.[46]
2004 First Daughter Narrator also directed
2005 A Little Trip to Heaven Abe Holt
American Gun Carter Nominated - Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male
Mary Ted Younger
2006 Even Money Clyde Snow
The Marsh Geoffrey Hunt
Everyone's Hero Lonnie Brewster voice only
The Last King of Scotland Idi Amin Academy Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Actor
Screen Actors Guild for Best Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actor
2007 The Air I Breathe Happiness
Ripple Effect Philip
The Great Debaters James L. Farmer, Sr.
2008 Vantage Point Howard Lewis
Street Kings Capt. Jack Wander
Dragon Hunters Lian Chu Voice - English version
2009 Powder Blue Charlie
Winged Creatures Charlie Archenault
Where the Wild Things Are Ira (voice only)
Lullaby for Pi George post-production
Hurricane Season Al Collins completed
2010 Repo Men Jake Freivald awaiting release
My Own Love Song TBA post-production
The Experiment Barris post-production
Family Wedding TBA filming

Director

Year Film
1995 Waiting to Exhale
1998 Hope Floats
2004 First Daughter

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Making The Grade Episode "Marriage David Style"
1983 Cagney & Lacey Night Manager Episode "The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All"
1984 Trapper John, M.D. Lewis Jordan Episode "School Nurse"
Hill Street Blues Floyd Green Episode "Blues for Mr. Green"
1985 Diff'rent Strokes Herman Episode "Bully for Arnold"
The Grand Baby Television movie
The Fall Guy Friend Episode "Spring Break"
1986 Amazing Stories Jerry Episode "Gather Ye Acorns"
1987 Hands of a Stranger Sergeant Delaney Television movie
1990 Criminal Justice Jessie Williams Television movie
1993 Lush Life Buddy Chester Television movie
Last Light Fred Whitmore Television movie
1994 The Enemy Within Colonel MacKenzie 'Mac' Casey Television movie
1996 Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault Mr. Rucker Television movie
1999 Witness Protection Steven Beck Television movie
2001 Feast of All Saints Daguerreotypist Picard Television movie
2003 Deacons for Defense Marcus Clay Television movie
2002-2003 The Twilight Zone Host / Narrator 44 episodes
2006-2007 ER Curtis Ames 6 episodes
The Shield Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh (Seasons 5 and 6)
2007-2009 American Dad! Turlington 3 episodes

References

  1. ^ a b c d "In general, he rules." The Boston Globe. October 1, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Forest Whitaker: The King Of The Oscars?" CBS News. February 4, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "CBS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Sternbergh, Adam. "Out of the Woods: How Forest Whitaker escaped his career slump." New York. January 9, 2006.
  4. ^ "Forest Whitaker wins Best Actor Oscar for Idi Amin role." ABCNewsOnline. February 26, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d Patterson, John. "The bigger picture." The Guardian. April 20, 2002.
  6. ^ "Forest Whitaker Biography (1961-)." FilmReference.com.
  7. ^ a b c d "Forest Whitaker". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 13. Episode 1. 2006-12-11.
  8. ^ "Bringing Home the Oscars." Palisadian-Post. February 28, 2007.
  9. ^ "Cal Poly Pomona". CSU Mentor. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  10. ^ Joshua Rich. "Spotlight: Forest Whitaker." EW.com.
  11. ^ a b Longino, Bob. "The power of Forest Whitaker." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. October 12, 2006.
  12. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Bird". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  13. ^ McCarthy, Todd. "The Crying Game (Review)." Variety. September 11, 1992.
  14. ^ Stratton, David. "Smoke (Review)." Variety. February 20, 1995.
  15. ^ Scott, A.O. "'Ghost Dog': Passions of Emptiness in an Essay on Brutality." New York Times. March 3, 2000.
  16. ^ a b Campbell, Duncan. "Cult Classic." Guardian Unlimited. May 31, 2005.
  17. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Battlefield Earth." Chicago Sun-Times. May 12, 2000.
  18. ^ Graham, Bob. "What on Earth Are These Guys Doing?" San Francisco Chronicle. April 30, 2000.
  19. ^ "Hollywood honours its worst". BBC News. March 25, 2001. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  20. ^ The Follow. MSN Movies.
  21. ^ Hirshon, Nicholas (September 17, 2006). "Reel Study of a Tyrant". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  22. ^ Hall, Sandra (February 2, 2007). "The Last King of Scotland". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  23. ^ Cocks, Tim (February 26, 2007). "Ugandans laud Whitaker for Oscar". Independent Online. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  24. ^ "Here's a list of what honours the top movies and Oscar nominees have won" (Registration required). The Spectator. February 24, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  25. ^ "'Great Debaters' scores 8 Image Award nods". MSNBC. Associated Press. January 8, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  26. ^ Grover, Ronald (February 15, 2007). "The Academy Should Reward Whitaker". BusinessWeek. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  27. ^ Schultz, Paul (August 28, 2006). "VD Review: Amazing Stories - The Complete First Season". The Trades. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  28. ^ The Twilight Zone (2002). epguides.com.
  29. ^ Lowry, Brian. "The Shield (Review)." Variety. March 27, 2007.
  30. ^ Kings, Susan (July 19, 2007). "Emmy nominations unveiled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  31. ^ Reid, Shaheem (August 14, 2006). "T.I. Gets Vulnerable, Jamie Foxx Provides Comic Relief On 'Live In The Sky' Video Set". MTV. Retrieved January 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Waiting to Exhale (review)." Chicago Sun-Times. December 22, 1995.
  33. ^ "Press release." Hollywood Film Festival News. September 28, 2006.
  34. ^ "Festival 2007 Tributes." Santa Barbara International Film Festival. sbiff.org.
  35. ^ Nesselson, Lisa. "Deauville tips hat." Variety. August 18, 2005.
  36. ^ "Forest Whitaker Gets Star On Walk Of Fame." The Insider. April 17, 2007. Accessed January 9, 2009.
  37. ^ "Forest Whitaker Gets Walk of Fame Star". Fox News. Associated Press. April 16, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  38. ^ "Commencement 2009". Xavier University of Louisiana. Accessed January 9, 2009.
  39. ^ James Lipton (Himself - Host), Forest Whitaker (Himself) (2006-12-11). "Inside the Actors Studio: Forest Whitaker (2006)". Inside the Actors Studio. Season 13. Bravomedia. Bravotv. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ PSA for PETA PETA TV.
  41. ^ "Actor Forest Whitaker campaigns for Barack Obama at Grand Rapids Community College". The Grand Rapids Press. October 9, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  42. ^ Amadi, Ogbonna (Saturday, 11 April 2009). "Whittiker gets chieftaincy title after DNA reveals his Igbo identity". Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 2009-04-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan. "'Last King' demanded obedience to their craft." USA Today. October 2, 2006.
  44. ^ Zackarek, Stephanie. "Jim Jarmusch adds lyrical violence to a Zen meditation on warriors hip-hop and ancient." Salon.com. March 9, 2000.
  45. ^ Sager, Mike. "What I've Learned: Forest Whitaker." Esquire. February 26, 2007.
  46. ^ "'Phone' release delayed". 2002-10-18. Retrieved 2008-11-11. The Associated Press

External links

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