Forest Whitaker made his big-screen debut in the 1982 American film, ‘Tag: The Assassination Game’ directed by Nick Castle. The same year, he also appeared in the Amy Heckerling-directed American coming-of-age comedy-drama film ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ where he played the role of ‘Charles Jefferson.’ The film was a critical and commercial success and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2005. Whitaker went on to star in films like ‘Vision Quest’ (1985), ‘The Color of Money’ (1986), ‘Platoon’ (1986), ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ (1987), ‘Bird’ (1988), ‘Johnny Handsome’ (1989), ‘Downtown’ (1990), ‘Diary of a Hitman’ (1991), ‘A Rage in Harlem’ (1991), ‘The Crying Game’ (1992), ‘Consenting Adults’ (1992), ‘Body Snatchers’ (1993), and ‘Last Light’ (1993). In 1994, he starred as ‘Cy Bianco’ in the American satirical comedy-drama film ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ directed by Robert Altman. Despite receiving a lukewarm response from critics, the film managed to gross over $46.8 million on a budget of $18 million. The same year, he also played the role of "Mad Dog" Alexander in the Doug McHenry-directed American erotic romantic psychological drama film ‘Jason's Lyric.’ The film opened to mixed reception and currently holds a 58% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.
He continued to star in films like ‘Species’ (1995), ‘Phenomenon’ (1996), ‘Body Count’ (1998), ‘Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai’ (1999), ‘Light It Up’ (1999), ‘Battlefield Earth’ (2000), ‘The Fourth Angel’ (2001), ‘Green Dragon’ (2001), ‘Panic Room’ (2002), ‘Phone Booth’ (2002), ‘Jiminy Glick in Lalawood’ (2004), ‘A Little Trip to Heaven’ (2005), and ‘American Gun’ (2005). In 2006, he portrayed ‘Idi Amin’ in the historical drama film ‘The Last King of Scotland’ directed by Kevin Macdonald. The film received a positive response from critics and grossed over $48.4 million on a $6 million budget. Whitaker also won several awards, including the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘BAFTA Award,’ for his portrayal of Idi Amin in the film. The same year, he also joined the cast of the American crime drama television series ‘The Shield’ as ‘Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh.’ He starred in 13 episodes and remained a part of the show until 2007. He was next seen in films such as ‘The Air I Breathe’ (2007), ‘The Great Debaters’ (2007), ‘Vantage Point’ (2008), ‘Winged Creatures’ (2008), ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ (2009), ‘Repo Men’ (2010), ‘The Experiment’ (2010), ‘Catch .44’ (2011), ‘Freelancers’ (2012), ‘The Last Stand’ (2012), ‘Zulu’ (2013), ‘The Butler’ (2013), ‘Black Nativity’ (2013), ‘Two Men in Town’ (2014), ‘Southpaw’ (2015), ‘Rogue One’ (2016), ‘The Forgiven’ (2017), ‘Burden’ (2018), ‘Black Panther’ (2018), and ‘Finding Steve McQueen’ (2019). In 2019, he became a part of the American crime drama television series ‘Godfather of Harlem’ where he grabbed the role of ‘Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson.’ The series was renewed for a third season in January 2022. He next played the role of ‘C. L. Franklin’ in the 2021 American biographical musical drama film ‘Respect’ directed by Liesl Tommy. Even though the film opened to positive reception, it failed to perform at the box office. Whitaker last appeared in the American action and science-fiction television series ‘Andor’ in 2022.
Chris Taylor joins the Vietnam War as a volunteer soldier and quickly faces the horrors of war. Meanwhile tensions erupt within the Platoon when some of its members kill villagers in a raid. Sergeant Barnes is willing to do anything for victory while Sergeant Elias is more idealistic. Taylor is now caught between the war with the enemy and the one within the platoon.
Ghost Dog, a hitman who is a master in his trade, is employed by the American Mafia, but he adheres to an ancient samurai code. Things take a turn when he finds himself targeted by the mob.
British soldier Jody is lured by Jude into IRA trap. While he is held hostage, Jody strikes an exceptional friendship with IRA guard Fergus. When their plan regarding Jody goes wrong, Fergus flees to London with a new name Jimmy, and meets Jody’s lover, Dil. Both are besotted, but will they continue to feel same way after learning truth about each other?
Based on true events, the story depicts social concepts of the 1930s’ Texas. Melvin Tolson, professor at largely black Wiley College, Texas, coaches and encourages the college debate team of four resolute, bright black students, including a girl and a 14-year-old James Farmer Jr. The team, trained by Tolson using power of words, becomes the first black team to take on elite Harvard champions.
Loosely based on the life of Eugene Allen, the movie tells the story of African-American Cecil Gaines who went from being an enslaved plantation worker to a butler at the White House in 1957. He becomes a witness to some of America’s most iconic political moments, including the birth of the Civil Rights Act.
Stuart Shepard, a two-timing publicist in New York City, is forced to accept the truth by a mysterious sniper, who reveals his infidelity to his wife and girlfriend. What follows is a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat thriller that revolves around a phone booth conversation between the sniper and Stuart.
Rich socialite Melanie meets a lawyer, Mitch, at a pet store. She follows him to his home and gifts him two love birds. Things turn ugly when the birds start attacking the people in the town.
12 mysterious alien spacecrafts appear silently hovering over 12 disparate locations around the world, posing a global threat to humanity. Unable to discern whether the extraterrestrials are peaceful or hostile, US Army Colonel G.T. Weber recruits expert linguist Dr. Louise Banks, who must lead an elite team tasked with establishing communication with the visitors.
The movie is based on Giles Foden's 1998 novel, The Last King of Scotland. Nicholas Garrigan, a young Scottish doctor is employed by the Ugandan President Idi Amin as his personal physician. Nicholas initial trusts Amin but soon realises that the latter is savage. He tries to flee from Uganda, but his life is endangered with Amin finding out the truth.
Jyn Erso, an outcast whose scientist father Galen was forced by the Galactic Empire to complete the moon-sized battle-station Death Star, is rescued by the rebels after they learn that Galen secretly built a vulnerability into the super-weapon. She must accompany rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor in rescuing Galen and retrieving the blueprint of the Death Star.
As T'Challa prepares to assume the kingship of isolated but technologically superior Wakanda, he is challenged by an old foe, Killmonger. T'Challa, as the Black Panther, must now rise to the occasion and confront a situation that threatens the safety of Wakanda as well as the world.
Jason hopes for a bigger and brighter future, coming from a drug-infested, violent neighbourhood. He works hard to support his mother and to put his unscrupulous brother, Joshua, on right track. When Lyric enters Jason's life, he aspires for good times ahead, but a gut-wrenching secret from his past awaits to be unravelled.
After leaving a smoke shop, Paul Benjamin, a writer is nearly hit by a bus. However, a stranger Rashid Cole saves his life, and therefore, Paul decides to let Rashid stay with him, as he is homeless.
Starring Robin Williams as the bubbly radio jockey, Adrian Cronauer, Good Morning, Vietnam is a biographical film set during The Vietnam War. When Cronauer is appointed as an RJ of the Armed Forces Radio in Saigon, he shakes things up by playing the music of his choice and relaying true stories of the war much to the chagrin of his superiors.
Based on the novel The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia, the film Repo Men is set in a future era where scientists have perfected bio-mechanical organs. However, these organs are expensive and the customers who are unable or unwilling to pay for them are killed off by a group of “Repo Men".
Meg Altman and her daughter Sarah find themselves trapped in a secret panic room, built inside their new apartment. On their first night, they must survive a home invasion by three men Raoul, Burnham, and Junior, who are after the US $3 million in bearer bonds hidden in the panic room.
The coming-of-age story revolves around the lives of sophomores, Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner, and their friends, Linda and Mike. Stacy’s older brother, Brad, is also trying to figure things out after a break up while Stacy becomes pregnant. There is also Jeff Spicoli, a stoned surfer who is constantly going up against teacher Mr.Hand.
Former pool hustler ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson takes in a new apprentice, the talented and charismatic Vincent Lauria. As he keeps teaching Vincent and his girlfriend Carmen, Eddie and Vincent have a falling out, thanks to Vincent’s showboating and jealousy. When Eddie takes up playing again, he ends up in a game against Vincent.
Billy "The Great" Hope, an undefeated professional boxer with a perfect family life, succumbs to depression and alcohol and drug abuse after his loving wife is killed. Despite deciding to retire, he gets back into the ring with the help of former boxer Tick Wills to gain back custody of his daughter from Child Protective Services.
Tom Ludlow, a disillusioned undercover LAPD vice detective known for his unconventional and violent ways, is confronted by his former partner Terrence Washington following a shootout at a gangster hideout. After Washington is found dead in his presence, Ludlow must clear his name in a personal mission under the watchful eyes of Internal Affairs captain James Biggs.
BloodSport tells the story of Frank Dux, an American martial artist working for the military. He eventually decides to leave his military career and take part in a tournament in Hong Kong, where even deaths are a possibility.
Returning home to meet his ex-wife Lenore, former covert operative Bryan Mills finds her dead body on his bed and is immediately surrounded by LAPD units. He manages to flee from the scene, but must now clear his name and secure the wellbeing of their only daughter Kim, while being chased by the CIA, FBI and the police.
As he resumes working at a steel mill after release from jail, Russell Baze finds his brother Rodney, an Iraq war veteran who incurred a huge debt gambling, missing following an illegal bare-knuckle prizefight with sociopathic drug dealer Harlan DeGroat. When the police refuse to go after the culprit, he takes it upon himself to attain justice.
Zulu is a crime thriller film which tells the story of Ali and Brian, two South African policemen, who investigate the death of a white woman who was brutally murdered. They soon feel that her death might be connected to a dangerous drug, which is somehow connected to the disappearance of several black street children.
Stakeout is an action comedy film which revolves around two detectives who are assigned to keep an eye on a convict’s ex-girlfriend after he escapes from prison, as the police believe he will eventually return to her. However, things get extremely complicated when one of the detectives start falling for her.
The movie employs storytelling from multiple perspectives where the different viewpoints of witnesses are used to unravel a plot on U.S. President Henry Ashton’s life. Secret Service agent Thomas Barnes must not only uncover the plot but get the President back after he ends up being kidnapped.
This drama film tells four different stories about four people, a gangster who can predict the future, a doctor struggling to save his lover’s life, a businessman who bets his life in a horse race, and a pop star who falls prey to a crime boss.
After seeing a bright light in the sky, an ordinary mechanic receives super-intelligence as well as telekinetic powers, which he decides to put into good use.
This drama thriller film revolves around 26 subjects who are chosen to partake in experiment, where one group has to play the role of prison guards while the others play inmates.
Ex-LAPD officer Ray Owens semi-retires as the sheriff of a quiet border town, but crime chases him there when drug lord Gabriel Cortez escapes from FBI and rushes towards border with his gang. Reluctant at first considering the limitations of his small force, Owens eventually prepares for a last stand to prevent Cortez from fleeing to Mexico.
As a serial bomber, targeting Boston bomb-squad members, kills a close friend of the recently retired explosive expert Jimmy Dove, he returns to help find the bomber. Dove soon identifies the man behind the bombings as former-colleague, radical Irishman Ryan Gaerity, who had escaped from prison to avenge Dove, whom he held responsible for his imprisonment. But can Dove stop the mad bomber?
This heist thriller film takes us to 1972, and it tells us the story of a small group of thieves, who manage to rob a bank that is holding the illegal funds of US President Richard Nixon. But eventually, all the thieves are arrested, except one.
Johnny Handsome is a crime drama thriller film which tells the story of John, a disfigured criminal who is given plastic surgery in prison, which makes him unrecognizable from his past self. After getting his parole, he decides to set out on a revenge mission against the people who had betrayed him.
This drama film revolves around a former hitman who tries to track down his daughter Jessica, after serving 25 years in prison. Circumstances bring him and three other people together on Christmas Eve.
Lucia and Marcus announce their marriage and are looking forward to the day of their wedding. However, the weeks leading to their special day seem to be filled with stress and problems, especially due to their highly competitive fathers and their feud.
Body Snatchers is a sci-fi horror film which revolves around the discovery that people working at a military base in Alabama are being replaced by beings grown from pods, who are the perfect physical imitations of the original. The only thing that differentiates the duplicates is their utter lack of emotion.
Vision Quest is a romantic drama sports film which tells the story of a star athlete, who sets a lot of goals for himself, that seem unrealistic for others. His father and his coach doesn’t seem to support him much, but he stays focused on his goals, with the help of Carla, the woman he loves.
Loren Gersh is known for his expertise in a college assassination game that involves "killing" the opponent with suction cup dart toy guns. A master in the game, he has "killed” all his opponents without being "killed" once. Then one day one of his victims accidentally “kills” him. Fearful of losing his reputation, he changes the rules of the game, replacing the dart gun with real weapon.
An alien transmission containing information about an alien DNA is intercepted by a team of scientists led by Xavier Fitch. Using it they create Sil, a woman-alien hybrid. But when Sil starts growing up at a rapid rate and escapes to find a suitable mate, by any means necessary, the government tries to stop her.
A small robbery at a diner escalates into much more, as the robbers were unaware that the diner is actually a mob den.
The lives of Richard and his wife Priscilla become interesting after they meet their new neighbors Eddy and Kay. The two couples become close friends, and soon Eddie is attracted to Priscilla. However, soon it seems that Eddy is a scam artist. He also suggests to Richard that they share their wives for one night.
Winged Creatures is a drama film which revolves around a group of people, including Carla, Charlie, Bruce, Annie, and Jimmy, who are forced to retreat under a table at a diner when a suicidal gunman begins shooting people randomly. All five of them manage to survive and they develop a unique relationship with one another.
A Dark Truth is an action thriller film which tells the story of Jack, a retired CIA agent who is currently working as a host for a political talk show. His life takes a turn when he takes up a mission to rescue a South American environmental activist, who has evidence that can bring down a multinational corporation, that is responsible for numerous deaths in an Ecuadorian village.
As the Paris Fashion Week gets closer, models, designers and journalists prepare for it. However, things get complicated when the Head of the Fashion Council, Olivier de la Fontaine, chokes to death on a sandwich.
How it Ends is an apocalyptic action adventure film, which revolves around a man who tries to reach home to his pregnant fiancée, after a mysterious apocalyptic event causes chaos everywhere. In addition, he is thousands of miles away from home.
Catch .44 is a crime thriller film which revolves around three women, Tes, Dawn and Kara, who are sent to intercept a double-cross drug shipment for their crime boss. They soon find themselves in a complicated situation. A shootout ensues, in which Dawn and Kara, are killed. Tes soon learns that the job was only a set-up.
The bereaved son of an NYPD officer joins in with his father's friends, who happen to be rogue cops, and trains under them to become a rogue himself. But the truth about his father's murder causes him to take vengeance until he reaches the point of no return.
Based on controversial author and founder of Scientology, Ron Hubbard’s novel, the movie is set in the future where Earth is being ruled by a race of gigantic humanoid aliens called The Psychlos. It is up to human Jonnie Goodboy Tyler to lead a rebellion against the aliens and restore humanity.
Birdee returns to her hometown after she comes to know that her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend. She soon meets her childhood crush, and finds herself attracted to him.
Based on a best-selling novel of the same name, this romantic comedy drama film tells the story of four different African-American women and their various relationships, as well as the struggles that they face in the modern world.
Samantha is the daughter of the US President who decides to enroll at a college away from home, as her life has been mostly sheltered. During her time away from the White House, she starts experiencing a new sense of freedom, and soon starts falling for another student named James.
In California’s tough neighborhood teeming with gangsters, Malcolm, a high-school nerd with dreams of Harvard, tries to focus on his studies. When he and his friends attend drug dealer Dom’s underground party, a violent gang-fight followed by a police raid makes them escape from party. But, the underworld goons hunt them for the drugs that Dom has secretly hidden in Malcolm’s backpack.
Becoming upset with his mother Connie and older sister Claire, 8-year-old Max runs away from home in his wolf costume and sails aimlessly in a small boat in a pond. He lands in an island filled with large wild beasts that accept him as their king, but he soon realizes that being king is not an easy task.
Samantha is the daughter of the US President who decides to enroll at a college away from home, as her life has been mostly sheltered. During her time away from the White House, she starts experiencing a new sense of freedom, and soon starts falling for another student named James.
Celestine is a young mouse living in the underground world of rodents. She soon forms an unlikely friendship with a bear named Ernest.
Lian-Chu and Gwizdo are two dragon hunters who are living in a world that is being plagued by monstrous and ferocious dragons. A young girl seeks their help as her kingdom is under threat from a dragon that returns every 20 years.
This animated adventure sports comedy film tells the story of a young boy named Yankee who teams up with a sassy young girl, and sets out on a perilous journey from Chicago to return Babe Ruth’s baseball bat, before the end of the World Series.
Passionate musician and composer Glenn Holland’s only dream in life is to compose one spectacular symphony. But he takes up teaching music at a local Oregon high school to pay bills. Initially his inability to get through to his students disheartens him, but as he and his students achieve successes over the years, he realizes that his life’s goal has changed.
A mysterious driver is hired to keep the wife of a celebrity under surveillance, when she is suspected of adultery. However, everything is not as it seems.
Forest Whitaker Awards
| The Last King of Scotland | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | 2007 |
| The Last King of Scotland | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | 2007 |
| Door to Door | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | 2003 |
| The Last King of Scotland | Best Actor in a Leading Role | 2007 |
