Forest Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking, hefty 6' 2", 250 lb frame. The Texas-born teddy bear with the soft tones and chubby baby face would seemingly be a longshot for film stardom as he was also afflicted with a "lazy eye" condition called amblyopia, but sheer perseverance and a powerhouse versatility ultimately won out and instead he took advantage of his unique look to create some of Hollywood's most intriguing characters over the years. The athletically-inclined Whitaker initially found his way into college via a football scholarship. Later, however, he transferred to USC where he set his concentration on music and earned two more scholarships training as an operatic tenor. This, in turn, led to another scholarship at Berkeley with a renewed focus on acting and the performing stage.

Whitaker made his film debut at the age of 21 in the raucous comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High wherein he played, quite naturally, a footballer. He went on to play another student pigskin player in his second film Vision Quest. Gaining experience on TV as well with featured spots on such varied shows as "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Cagney & Lacey," not to mention the TV-movie Civil War epic North and South and its sequel, the movie that truly put him on the map, however, was The Color of Money. His one big scene as a naive-looking pool player who out-hustles Paul Newman's Fast Eddie Felson was pure electric. This led to more visible roles in the "A" class films Platoon, Stakeout and Good Morning, Vietnam, which culminated in his breakout lead portrayal of the tortured jazz icon Charlie "Bird" Parker in Clint Eastwood's passion project Bird, for which Whitaker won the Cannes Film Festival award for "best actor" and a Golden Globe nomination.

While his "gentle giant" characters typically display innocence, indecision and timidity along with a strong huggability factor, he has certainly not shied away from the edgier, darker corners of life as his various hitmen and other menacing streetwise types can attest. Although in only the first section of the film, he was memorable as the IRA-captured British soldier whose bizarre relationship with a mysterious femme fatale serves as the catalyst for the critically-lauded drama The Crying Game. Always a willing participant to push the envelope, he's gone on to enhance a number of lesser films. Among those was his plastic surgeon in Johnny Handsome, gay clothing designer in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter, alien hunter in Species, absentee father confronted by his estranged son in Smoke, and Mafia hitman who models himself after the samurai warrior in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, among many others. As would be expected, he's also had his share of epic-sized bombs, notoriously the L. Ron Hubbard sci-fi disaster Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000. On the TV front, he was the consulting producer and host of a revamped Rod Serling's cult series classic The Twilight Zone, which lasted a disappointing one season.

In the early 90s Whitaker widened his horizons to include producing/directing and has since developed respect name behind the camera. He started things off co-producing the violent gangster film A Rage in Harlem, in which he co-starred with Gregory Hines and Robin Givens, then made his successful directorial debut with the soulful Waiting to Exhale showcasing a legion of distaff black stars. He also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song ("Shoop Shoop"). Most recently he scored with audiences helming the fluffy romantic comedy First Daughter with Katie Holmes and Michael Keaton.

He is married to actress Keisha Whitaker and has two children with her, in addition to another child from a previous relationship. His younger brothers Kenn Whitaker and Damon Whitaker are both actors as well. Whitaker's multimedia company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, includes film, television and music production.Whitaker works closely with a number of charitable organizations. He has also given back to his community, serving as an Honorary Board Member for Penny Lane, an organization that provides assistance to abused teenagers, while committing himself to both 4-D All-Stars, a motivational mentor program for teenagers, and The Watts Cinema Project.
He directed Whitney Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" music video. Brother of Kenn Whitaker Brother of actor Damon Whitaker Was set to direct a live-action film version of Fat Albert but disagreed with Bill Cosby and has since left the production. [April 2002] Attended University of Southern California (USC) School of Theater. Is a vegetarian. He is the father of three children. He has two daughters, Sonnet and True, by his wife, Keisha Whitaker and a son Ocean Whitaker, from a previous relationship. He also has Autumn, a stepdaughter through his marriage with "Keisha". Born with an eye condition called amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye". Originally cast in the role of "Sawyer" on Lost, but opted out of the role when 20th Century Fox green lighted his film First Daughter. Brother-in-law of Jeffrey Nash, Kidada Jones, Rashida Jones and Quincy Jones III. In 2003, Whitaker became Executive Director of the Nodance Film Festival, a festival that celebrates the alternative digital film culture with an emphasis on first-time filmmakers and digital filmmaking. Originally held in Park City, Utah, Nodance has recently relaunched in Los Angeles and holds the distinction of being the world's first DVD-projected film festival.