“I think I didn't know whether I wanted to keep acting deep into my career. I kept trying to see if I would be able to do it well enough to make that part of my destiny or part of what I was supposed to do.”

American actor, filmmaker, and activist

Forest Whitaker is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. He is known for a career on screen and behind the camera, and for receiving major honors including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and the Honorary Palme d'Or. Whitaker has worked across acting and filmmaking while also being active in public causes. His name is associated with performances that brought him wide recognition, as well as with awards from both American and international institutions.