Forest Whitaker began his acting career at 21 in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and nearly four decades into his career has a filmography that stretches into triple digits. The 6’2 actor has made a career out of gentle, and not so gentle giant roles, both starring and supporting. Whitaker’s career got out to a fast start in the 1980s with roles in films like Platoon, Good Morning Vietnam, and The Color of Money, but stalled as Whitaker’s penchant for doing a tremendous amount of projects has littered his resume with some of the biggest bombs in recent memory (Battlefield Earth anyone?). His career got back on track in the 2000s when he became the fourth African-American (after Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx) to win Best Actor for his role as the African dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. He also became part of the Star Wars and MCU franchises, and continues to be one of the hardest working actors in the business.
Forest Whitaker’s 10 Best Movies
1. Good Morning Vietnam (1987) Edward Garlick
2. Black Panther (2018) Zuri
3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Saw Gererra
4. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1996) Bobby Tibb – Adult
5. The Color of Money (1986) Amos
6. The Great Debaters (2007) Dr. James Farmer Sr.
7. Platoon (1986) Big Harold
8. The Last King of Scotland (2006) Idi Amin
9. Panic Room (2002) Burnham
10. Phenomenon (1996) Nate Pope
Honorable Mention: Lee Daniels’s The Butler (2013) Cecil Gaines
Oscars, Golden Globes & Emmys
Oscar Wins (1): The Last King of Scotland (2007)
Oscar Nominations (1): The Last King of Scotland (2007)
Golden Globe Wins (1): The Last King of Scotland (2007
Golden Globe Nominations (2): Bird (1989), The Last King of Scotland (2007)
Emmy Wins (1): Door to Door (2003 – Producer)
Emmy Nominations (3): Door to Door (2003 – Producer), ER (2007 – Guest Actor), Brick City (2010 – Producer)
My Favorite Whitaker Scene:
“Idi Speaks” from The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Next Film: Whitaker has a number of projects on his plate for 2018 (though not all are likely to make it out this year): The Poison Rose with John Travolta and Morgan Freeman, LAbyrinth with Johnny Depp about the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG, A Fall from Grace with Vincent D’Onofrio, the post-apocalyptic thriller How it Ends, and Finding Steve McQueen with Rachael Taylor.
As ever, an intriguing and unique post…just so enjoyable to read all that you share…your writing is fantastic….thanks for sharing 🙂
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Truly you always make me feel like a much better writer than I am, ty, my friend.
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That’s because you are humble…often, we don’t see ourselves as others do because we are all we know 🙂 However, from the outside looking in, I can see what a marvelous gift you have for written communication/connection. I love reading and really appreciate when it is effortless and “speaks to me”….thank you for that 🙂
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Well, thank you, and I really appreciate it. I’m glad you enjoy it.
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Have you seen Ghost Dog? I won’t pretend it’s a great film, or even one of his best, but some movies just strike you a certain way. It’s worth checking out.
He’s somehow quite likable in Battlefield Earth. I do often wonder how great actors get roped into horrible, horrible films. I would have thought the awfulness of BE would have been right there on the page. I know that nothing could have prepared anyone for actually seeing the dialogue delivered by John Travolta with dreadlocks, and stuff hanging off his face, but the heroes’ rallying cry was the catchphrase “It’s a piece of cake!”
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Ghost Dog is perhaps the most unintentionally hilarious film I’ve ever seen. I would say it’s awful, but I have literally seen it three times because it makes me laugh at how absurd it is.
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Always remember that you are talking to the one guy who appreciated the genius of Ziro the Hutt. I love weird juxtapositions, and things that are askew.
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Good list. One film I’d probably have in my top 10 that I don’t see here is A Rage in Harlem. Whitaker was goofy, but likable in that one and I think it’s an underrated film.
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His filmography is so huge at this point, that it’s a trick to narrow it down, but good suggestion.
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