Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, film producer and director born on July 15, 1961. His performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film “The Last King of Scotland” earned him multiple awards including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award.
Some interesting facts about Forest Whitaker that you might not know
He is the fourth African-American to win the Oscar for best actor, after Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx. But you probably already knew all these facts about this great actor, below we will tell you some curious things about Forest Withaker that you probably didn’t know.
1. Forest was born while his mother was in college and earned two Master’s degrees while raising his children (Forest has younger brothers and an older sister).
2. Whitaker attended Palisades High School, where he was a defensive lineman on the soccer team.
The team’s quarterback was Jay Schroeder, a future NFL player.
3. Whitaker attended California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, on a soccer scholarship but had to drop out due to injury.
4. He was accepted to the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor at the Conservatory of Drama.
5. He also won a scholarship to the Drama Studio London in Berkeley, California.
6. Whitaker made his screen debut in the 1982 film “That Exciting Course,” alongside Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn and Phoebe Cates.
7. In 1986 he appeared in the Martin Scorsese-directed film “The Color of Money” and in OliverStone’s “Platoon”.
The following year, she acted alongside Robin Williams in the comedy “Good Morning”, Vietnam.
8. In 1988 he got the leading role in “Bird”, directed by Clint Eastwood, where he played the musician Charlie Parker. Whitaker prepared for the role by locking himself in a loft with only a bed, a couch and a saxophone, as well as doing extensive research and taking saxophone lessons.
His performance earned him the Best Actor award at the Cannes International Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.
9. In 1996, Forest married actress Keisha Nash with whom he has two daughters named Sonnet and True. He has a son named Ocean from a previous relationship and a stepdaughter named Autumn from a previous relationship with Keisha.
10. He was tapped to write and direct a live-action film adapting the Bill Cosby cartoon series The Fat Albert, but differences between them caused Forest to drop out of the production.
11. He was the inspiration for rapper Brother Ali’s song Forest Whitaker, from his debut album, Shadows on the Sun. Apparently, the song is so named because of the great resemblance between the actor and the rapper, even though Ali is an albino.
12. He suffers from palpebral ptosis (blepharoptosis) in his left eye. Whitaker has stated that it is hereditary and that he has considered surgery to correct the problem, not for aesthetic reasons but because it affects his vision.
