Forest Whitaker

Actor/Director

Forest Whitaker might have had a pro football career in mind, but an injury sidelined the Texas native and he became an actor instead. His feature film debut was in the teen cult ’80s classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High and he enjoyed a vibrant movie career throughout the decade, starring in Platoon, The Color of Money and Good Morning Vietnam. Whitaker won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor honors for his role as Charlie Parker in the 1988 Clint Eastwood biopic Bird, and expanded his résumé to include directing for both TV (Strapped) and film (Waiting To Exhale). In 2006, Whitaker took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.