Forest Whitaker

Forest has worked for a long time with the most famous directors and actors. His film debut took place in 1982. He played a football player in Amy Heckerling's youth comedy "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Penn in the lead roles. In 1986 he appeared in Martin Scorsese's film "The Color of Money" (along with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman) and in Oliver Stone's war drama "Platoon". A year later he appeared with Robin Williams in Barry Levinson's comedy "Good Morning, Vietnam".

In 1988 Forest played the lead role of saxophonist Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood's film "Bird". To get into it, he locked himself in an attic where there were only a bed, a sofa, and a saxophone, on which he simultaneously took lessons. Thanks to his brilliant performance in the film, he received the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. Throughout the 1990s, Forest continued to collaborate with famous directors. Neil Jordan invited him to play the role of Jody in the 1992 film "The Crying Game". Todd McCarthy of Variety described his performance in it as "stunning" and "very emotional".

In 1999 Forest appeared in the role of the samurai Ghost Dog in Jim Jarmusch's drama "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai". As when preparing for the filming of "Bird", Forest immersed himself in the character of his persona, studied Eastern philosophy, and meditated a lot. In one interview, Jarmusch admitted that he created the character specifically for Whitaker. And in a review by the New York Times, it was noted that "it is hard to imagine another actor who could play a cold-blooded, ruthless killer with such warmth and humanity".