HOLLYWOOD — Forest Whitaker will again be honored Monday when he receives the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one day before the DVD release of “The Last King of Scotland,” for which he won a best actor Oscar.
Kiefer Sutherland, Angela Bassett and Peter Rice, president of Fox Searchlight Pictures, which distributed the film, are scheduled to join Whitaker in speaking in a late-morning ceremony in front of the Kodak Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards.
In addition to the Oscar, Whitaker also received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild best actor awards earlier this year for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
Born July 15, 1961, in Longview, Texas and raised in Carson, Whitaker was a star defensive tackle at Palisades High School, receiving a football scholarship from Cal Poly Pomona. However, a back injury ended his football career and he transferred to USC to study drama.
Whitaker’s first significant film role was in 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” portraying a football star. He went on to appear in “The Color of Money,” “Platoon” and “Good Morning, Vietnam.” He received a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role as jazz musician Charlie Parker in the 1988 film “Bird.”
Whitaker’s other credits include “The Crying Game,” “Panic Room,” “Phone Booth,” with Sutherland, “Pret-a-Porter,” and “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.” His next film, “Vantage Point,” a drama about an attempted presidential assassination as seen from five different perspectives, is due out Oct. 5.
On television, Whitaker is a cast member of the FX police drama, “The Shield,” appeared in a multi-episode arc of “ER” in 2006 and hosted the UPN revival of “The Twilight Zone” in the 2002-2003 season.
Whitaker also directed the films “Waiting to Exhale,” which starred Bassett, “Hope Floats” and “First Daughter.”
Originally reported By NBC4 LA – 4/16/07
This article first appeared online here.
Forest Whitacker is an alum of The College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences.
