Ten fun facts about Forest Whitaker

Fact 1
In 1982 Forest Whitaker appeared in his first film. He was 21 at the time and the film was the iconic comedy classic “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”.

Fact 2
When he was born, he was diagnosed with ptosis. This is a hereditary condition. It is because of this condition that he cannot fully open his right eye.

Fact 3
In 2002 Forest Whitaker was hired to direct the film “Fat Albert”. However, he dropped out of the project after getting into a disagreement about the direction of the film with Bill Cosby.

Fact 4
He was originally cast in the Emmy award winning television show “Lost”. He was cast in the role of Sawyer. He dropped out of the project when a film he was attempting to make got the green light to go ahead and the dates clashed.

Fact 5
To prepare for the film “The Last King of Scotland” in 2006, where he played the role of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, he spent nearly four months in Uganda.

Fact 6
He won the Academy award for his portrayal of Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland”.

Fact 7
Forest Whitaker is a staunch vegetarian. He wholeheartedly supports PETA and has been a spokesman for them.

Fact 8
During his early High School years he was a football player. However, he caught the “acting bug” and decided not to attend college on a sports scholarship. He instead attended acting school.

Fact 9
Forest Whitaker is an avid karate fan. He personally has a black belt in the sport.

Fact 10
Is married to Keisha Whitaker. He met her on the set of the movie “Blown Away”. She was an actress in the film.