Welcome to the Unofficial
Forest Whitaker Fan Pages
Biography
African American actor Forest Whitaker got into college on a football scholarship, but upon transferring to the University of Southern California, he majored in music – winning two more scholarships in that field. Still another scholarship, this one set up by Sir John Gielgud, came Whitaker's way when he entered the drama program at Berkeley. A seasoned stage veteran at 21, the baby-faced Whitaker appeared in his first film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in 1982, coincidentally making his debut in the role of a football player.
Four years later, Whitaker attracted critical attention in the role of the hulking young pool player who flummoxes Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) in The Color of Money (1986). He was subsequently selected by director Clint Eastwood for the prize role of jazz great Charlie "Bird" Parker in Bird (1988), which won him the Best Actor award at Cannes. In 1992, Whitaker gained true fame for his role as a captured British soldier whose prior relationship with the mysterious Dil (Jaye Davidson) catalyzes the plot of The Crying Game). The role proved to be Whitaker's true breakthrough, and he went on to work steadily throughout the rest of the decade in films of almost every possible genre. For Robert Altman's galumphing fashion epic Pret-A-Porter (1994), the actor portrayed a fashion designer who has a tryst with fellow designer Richard E. Grant; the sci-fi thriller Species (1995) featured him as an empath on the trail of an alien, while in Smoke (1995), Wayne Wang's fine adaptation of several Paul Auster stories, Whitaker portrayed an errant father confronted by his long-unseen son. He ended the century by portraying the title character in Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and began the 21st century by starring, appropriately enough, in the futuristic action film Battleship Earth (2000).
In addition to his work in front of the camera, Whitaker has also stepped behind it. In 1995, he made his feature directorial debut with Waiting to Exhale, the popular adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel of the same name. Three years later, he was at the helm of Hope Floats, another melodrama starring Sandra Bullock as a woman who moves back to her Texas hometown after discovering her husband's infidelity.
Pictures
Filmography
(from the Internet Movie Database)
Phone Booth (2002)
Panic Room, The (2002)
Feast of All Saints (2001)
Fourth Angel, The (2001)
Follow, The (2001)
Green Dragon (2001)
Battlefield Earth (2000)
Four Dogs Playing Poker (1999)
Witness Protection (1999)
Light It Up (1999)
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Body Count (1998)
Hope Floats (1998)
Phenomenon (1996)
Species (1995)
Smoke (1995)
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Lush Life (1994)
Pret-A-Porter (1994)
Blown Away (1994)
Jason's Lyric (1994)
The Enemy Within (1994)
Bank Robber (1993)
Body Snatchers (1993)
Last Light (1993)
Strapped (1993)
Consenting Adults (1992)
Article 99 (1992)
The Crying Game (1992)
Diary of a Hit Man (1991)
A Rage in Harlem (1991)
Criminal Justice (1990)
Downtown (1989)
Johnny Handsome (1989)
Bird (1988)
Hands of a Stranger (1987)
Stakeout (1987)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Bloodsport (1986)
The Color of Money (1986)
Platoon (1986)
Vision Quest (1985)
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Links
(from the Open Directory Project)
All Movie Guide: Forest Whitaker
Includes vital statistics, biography, filmography, awards, and links.
Box Office Data for Forest Whitaker
A page that summarizes box office stats for movies Forest Whitaker appeared in.
Canoe: Forest Whitaker
The Canadian Online Explorer's collection of articles on the life and career of Forest Whitaker.
Forest Whitaker TV Schedule
His TV schedule for the current month. With dates, times, channels, and movie information.
IMDb: Forest Whitaker
The Internet Movie Database includes biography, filmography, pictures, and links.
MoviePeople Database: Forest Whitaker
His profile at Hollywood.com. With vital statistics, biography, and filmography.
Mr. Showbiz: Forest Whitaker
Includes news, an interview, profile and biography, movie credits, pictures, and links.
Open Directory Project: Forest Whitaker
A comprehensive collection of sites related to the actor and his work.
PopMatters: Forest Whitaker
In this interview, Whitaker talks about his 1999 movie "Ghost Dog". Includes a movie review.
I created this page in Mai 2000 because I noticed that there wasn't a single fan site for Forest Whitaker on the entire Internet. At least I wasn't able to find one ;) Anyway: If you know of other fan sites, or if you'd like to contribute to this page, please contact me!
Last Update: October 1, 2001