Forest Whitaker

By Tom Kirvan

“I try to be like a forest, revitalizing and constantly growing.”

So said the aptly named Forest Whitaker, the Academy Award-winning actor who was born in Longview, Texas on July 15, 1961, to a special education teacher and an insurance salesman.

A star football player in high school, Whitaker earned a scholarship to play at California State Polytechnic University, but a back injury sidetracked his career on the gridiron, prompting him to pursue his interests in singing and acting after transferring to the University of Southern California.

His football background helped him land his first acting role of note as a high school football player in the 1982 film version of the coming-of-age movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” His performance led to roles in “The Color of Money,” “Platoon,” and “Good Morning, Vietnam.” In his first leading role, Whitaker appeared in Clint Eastwood’s production of “Bird” about jazz saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker. His performance, according to film critics, was “dazzling,” earning him the Best Actor Award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival along with a Golden Globe nomination.

In 2006, Whitaker portrayed Idi Amin in the film “The Last King of Scotland,” a performance worthy of an Oscar for Best Actor, making him the fourth Black actor in history to earn such acclaim, joining the ranks of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx. Whitaker’s star continued to shine in “The Great Debaters,” a 2007 movie starring Washington in which Whitaker was lauded for his portrayal of Dr. James Farmer, Sr.

Forest Whitaker*

Whitaker is currently starring in the EPIX series “Godfather of Harlem” and is scheduled to appear in the film “Respect” as the father of music great Aretha Franklin.

A noted humanitarian, Whitaker has been active and supportive of such organizations as Penny Lane, PETA, and Human Rights Watch. His activism, he said, has been motivated by a simple desire “to do good” in the community.

“There’s a molecule inside of you that is connected to everything – every person, every energy, every thing. You look for it, and when you find it, then you allow it to magnify and grow and be the dominating chemistry inside of you.”

*Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons