Forest Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961 in Longview, Texas. He is an actor, director, and producer having been in multiple movies and even directed Whitney Houston's "Shoop Shoop" music video. His father was an insurance salesman, and his mother was a special-education teacher, they moved to Los Angeles when he was still a baby.
Originally planning a musical career he made his movie debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he followed this movie with notable ones including Good Morning Vietnam, The Color of Money and Platoon. In the present time he has been married to Keisha Simone Nash since May 4, 1996. They have two children together, he also had a son from a previous relationship.
His performance in The Crying Game was particularly stunning as he basically stole the movie away. With a flawless British accent and a genuine humaness to his character he treats his serious situation with lightness concealing his real fear.
The following is a list of the movies that he has appeared in, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database:
"Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) TV Series .... Picard
Fourth Angel, The (2001) .... Agent Jules Bernard
Intimate Portrait: Lela Rochon (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Panic Room, The (2001) .... Burnham
Phone Booth (2001) .... Capt. Ramey
Green Dragon (2001) .... Addie
American Storytellers (2000) .... Himself
Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows (2000) .... Himself
Battlefield Earth (2000) .... Ker
... aka Battlefield Earth: A Saga for the Year 3000 (2000) (USA: complete title)
Four Dogs Playing Poker (1999) .... Mr. Ellington
Witness Protection (1999) (TV) .... Steven Beck
Light It Up (1999) .... Officer Dante Jackson
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) .... Ghost Dog
... aka Ghost Dog - Der Weg des Samurai (2000) (Germany)
... aka Ghost Dog, la voie du samouraï (1999) (France)
... aka Weg des Samurai, Der (2000) (Germany)
Body Count (1998) .... Crane
27th NAACP Image Awards (1996) (TV) .... Himself
Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault (1996) (TV) .... Mr. Rucker
... aka Rebound (1996) (TV)
Phenomenon (1996) .... Nate Pope
Species (1995) .... Dan Smithson
Smoke (1995) .... Cyrus Cole
... aka Smoke - Raucher unter sich (1995) (Germany)
Jason's Lyric (1994) .... Maddog
Prêt-à-Porter (1994) .... Cy Bianco
... aka Ready to Wear (1994)
Blown Away (1994) .... Anthony Franklin
Enemy Within, The (1994) (TV) .... Colonel MacKenzie 'Mac' Casey
Bank Robber (1993) .... Officer Battle
Lush Life (1993) (TV) .... Buddy Chester
Last Light (1993) (TV) .... Fred Whitmore
Body Snatchers (1993) .... Major Collins
Article 99 (1992) .... Dr. Sid Handleman
Consenting Adults (1992) .... David Duttonville
Crying Game, The (1992) .... Jody
Rage in Harlem, A (1991) .... Jackson
Diary of a Hit Man (1991) .... Dekker
Criminal Justice (1990) (TV) .... Jessie Williams
Downtown (1990) .... Dennis Curren
Johnny Handsome (1989) .... Dr. Steven Fisher
Bloodsport (1988) .... Rawlins
Bird (1988) .... Charlie "Bird" Parker
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) .... Edward Garlick
Stakeout (1987) .... Jack Pismo
Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV) .... Sergeant Delaney
Platoon (1986) .... Big Harold
Color of Money, The (1986) .... Amos
"North and South II" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Cuffey
Grand Baby, The (1985) (TV)
"North and South" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Cuffey
Vision Quest (1985) .... Balldozer
... aka Crazy for You (1985)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) .... Charles Jefferson
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982) .... Gowdy's Bodyguard
... aka Everybody Gets It in the End (1982) (USA)
... aka Kiss Me, Kill Me (1982)
... aka T.A.G.: The Assassination Game (1982)