Forest Whitaker Parents: Meet Forest Steven Jr. And Laura Francis Smith
Forest Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. This article will provide you with exclusive details of who Forest Whitaker’s parents are.
Who is Forest Whitaker?
Forest Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961, in Longview, Texas, United States of America. He attended Palisades Charter High School, where he played on the football team and sang in the choir, graduating in 1979. He entered California State Polytechnic University, Pomona a football scholarship, but a back injury made him change his major to music.
He toured England with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers in 1980. While still at Cal Poly, he briefly changed his major to drama. He later transferred to the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor and was subsequently accepted into the university’s Drama Conservatory.
Forest Whitaker graduated from USC with a BFA in acting in 1982 and then took a course at Drama Studio London at its now-defunct California branch. He was pursuing a degree in “The Core of Conflict: Studies in Peace and Reconciliation” at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in 2004.
In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the Wong Kar-wai-directed The Follow, one of five short films produced by BMW that year to promote its cars. He co-starred in Joel Schumacher’s 2002 thriller Phone Booth with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. His performance as the film’s “bad guy” was described as “a subtle chemistry of aggression and empathy”.
Whitaker’s 2006 portrayal of Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland earned him positive reviews by critics as well as multiple awards and honours. To portray the dictator, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage featuring Amin, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin’s friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin’s East African accent. His performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him the fourth black actor in history to do so, joining the ranks of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.
Who are Forest Whitaker’s parents?
Forest Whitaker was born to Forest Steven Jr, his father, and Laura Francis Smith, his mother. Forest Whitaker’s mother, Laura Francis Smith was a special education teacher who put herself through college and earned two master’s degrees while raising her children.
Forest Whitaker’s father, Forest E. Whitaker Jr also had a great career as an insurance salesman. On questions surrounding their real toots, a DNA test has shown that his mother had Akan ancestry, while his father was of Igbo descent.
Who is Forest Whitaker’s wife?
Forest Whitaker is a married and responsible man who tied the knot in 1996. He is married to an actress Keisha Nash whom he met on the set of Blown Away. As a couple, they had four children: two daughters together Sonnet and True, and his son Ocean Alexander, and her daughter Autumn from their previous relationships.
In December 2018, Whitaker filed for divorce from Nash, citing irreconcilable differences. Sadly, Keisha Nash was confirmed dead in December 2023.
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