Forest Whitaker
An impressive supporting player who manages to be versatile despite his imposing looks, Whitaker attended college on a football scholarship, which helped him land his first recognizable role as an ang...
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
07/14/1961
Longview, TX |
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Martin Scorsese Hailed by U.S. Critics
January 13, 2007 6:44am ESTMartin Scorsese's elusive Oscar dream looks closer to being realized after he was named Best Director by the Broadcast Film Critics Association last night. His gangster movie The Departed also picked up the Best Film prize at the 12th annual Critics Choice Awards. Receiving his award, Scorsese joked, "I am pleased by this award and surprised. Maybe it's because this is the first picture I made with a plot." Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for her role as British monarch Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, while Forest Whitaker took the Best Actor prize for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Movie musical Dreamgirls won four awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Eddie Murphy and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson. Quirky family comedy Little Miss Sunshine did equally well, picking up four awards too. The prizes are decided by the 200-member Broadcast Film Critics group and are usually a good forecast for Academy Award wins. COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'United 93' Wins Online Film Prize
January 09, 2007 6:22am ESTSeptember 11 film United 93 has been named the Best Movie of 2006 by the Online Film Critics Society. The film, about passengers who rebelled against terrorist hijackers and crashed a jet in rural Pennsylvania, was a surprise choice for the prize. Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for her role as British monarch Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, with Forest Whitaker taking the Best Actor prize for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Martin Scorsese won the Best Director award for helming crime drama The Departed. COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Meryl Streep and Mark Wahlberg Win National Society of Film Critics Awards
January 07, 2007 6:17am ESTHelen Mirren has been named Best Actress by America's National Society of Film Critics for her role in The Queen, with Forest Whitaker taking the Best Actor prize for his turn in The Last King of Scotland. Mark Wahlberg won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in crime drama The Departed, with Meryl Streep as Best Supporting Actress prize for two roles, as a formidable fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada and as a singer in A Prairie Home Companion. Spanish-language film Pan's Labyrinth, telling the story of a mother and daughter who come to live in an enchanted forest at the end of Spanish fascism, won the Best Picture prize at the 41st annual awards. Paul Greengrass took home the Best Director award for helming United 93, a film about passengers who rebelled against hijackers on the jet that crashed in rural Pennsylvania during the September 11 terrorist attacks. COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'Departed' Takes Top Honors from Southeastern Critics
December 22, 2006 8:01am ESTThe Departed has landed three honors from the Southeastern Film Critics Association, including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese. The star-studded movie also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay for William Monahan in the 15th annual poll, voted for by 47 film critics in the nine states making up the southeastern region of the country. Elsewhere, Forest Whitaker was named Best Actor for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, while Helen Mirren collected Best Actress for The Queen. Al Gore's climate-change documentary An Inconvenient Truth won Best Documentary. Jackie Earle Haley was named Best Supporting Actor for Little Children, and Jennifer Hudson was named Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls. Best Original Screenplay went to Little Miss Sunshine, and Cars picked up Best Animated Film. Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up and Sing won the Wyatt Award for the movie that best captures the spirit of the American south. COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'The Departed' Tops Las Vegas Film Society Awards
December 20, 2006 10:50am ESTMartin Scorsese's star-studded gangster movie The Departed has landed three honors from the Las Vegas Film Society, including Best Picture. The Departed also picked up a Best Director accolade for Scorsese and a Best Film Editing nod for Thelma Schoonmaker. Elsewhere, Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for her turn in The Queen, while Best Actor went to Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. Peter O'Toole was honoured with the William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award. The Las Vegas Film Society is made up of 12 local critics who work for various print, radio, TV and Internet publications. The full list of winners is: Best Picture--The Departed Best Actor--Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland Best Actress--Helen Mirren in The Queen Best Supporting Actor--Djimon Hounsou in Blood Diamond Best Supporting Actress--Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls Best Director--Martin Scorsese for The Departed Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)--Jason Reitman for Thank You for Smoking Best Cinematography--Emmanuel Lubezki for Children of Men Best Film Editing--Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed Best Score--Thomas Newman for The Good German Best Song--“Ordinary Miracle” by David Stewart and Glen Ballard; “Charlotte's Web” by Sarah McLachlan Best Family Film--Charlotte's Web Best Documentary--An Inconvenient Truth Best Animated Film--Monster House Best Foreign Film--Pan's Labyrinth Best Costume Design--Marie Antoinette Best Art Direction--Marie Antoinette Best Visual Effects--X-Men: The Last Stand Best Youth in Film--Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine Best DVD (Packaging, Design and Content)--Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Warner Home Entertainment) William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award--Peter O'Toole COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'Dreamgirls' Breaks Records at Black Reel Nominations
December 19, 2006 5:06am ESTMovie musical Dreamgirls has set a new record at the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) Black Reel Awards by becoming the first film to land more than 10 nominations in the event's 11-year history. The hit film scored nods for Best Film, Best Actress (Beyonce Knowles), Best Actor (Jamie Foxx), Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy) and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson), among its impressive haul. Hudson earned a total of four nominations--the most in one year for any single artist in the Black Reel Awards' history. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor also made history, becoming the first artist to compete against himself in the Best Supporting Actor category, earning nominations for his performances in Kinky Boots and Children of Men. Other notable nominations went to Will Smith (Best Actor for The Pursuit of Happyness) and Forest Whitaker (Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland). The winners will be announced on Feb. 7. COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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Bookmakers Give 'The Departed' & 'Dreamgirls' the Golden Globe Edge
December 15, 2006 3:15am ESTThe Departed is all set to claim gold at the Golden Globe Awards next year after being declared a 4-5 odds favorite by the Internet's top bookmakers. Sportsbook.com, the world's largest online sports book and casino, is the first to offer odds on all the major film categories, which were announced yesterday. And they list The Departed (Best Picture--Drama), Dreamgirls (Best Picture--Comedy/Musical), Forest Whitaker (Best Actor--Drama), Will Ferrell (Best Actor--Comedy/Musical), Meryl Streep (Best Actress--Comedy/Musical) and Helen Mirren (Best Actress--Drama) as the favorites in their respective categories. The Departed director Martin Scorsese is also a favorite to land his second Best Director honor with odds at evens. The 64th Golden Globe Awards take place in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'Babel' Towers over Rivals in Golden Globe Nominations
December 14, 2006 6:23am ESTEnsemble drama Babel leads the nominations at next year's Golden Globe Awards, boasting seven nods including Best Dramatic Picture and an acting accolade for star Brad Pitt. The film, spanning several countries telling four interrelated stories, sees Pitt praised in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. He'll battle it out alongside Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) and Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), as well as The Departed co-stars Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. The mob thriller earned a total of six nominations today. Babel's Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza also received supporting acting nods, along with Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal, Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada and Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls. But it's Leonardo DiCaprio who looks most likely to convert an acting nomination into a trophy after being named twice in the Best Actor category. His performances in The Departed and Blood Diamond are up against Peter O'Toole's in Venus, Will Smith's in The Pursuit of Happyness and Forest Whitaker's portrayal of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood is another star with a double reason to celebrate--Flags of Our Fathers competes against his other war film Letters from Iwo Jima in the Best Director category. Meanwhile, Helen Mirren stands to win three awards at the star-studded Hollywood ceremony next month. Her role as monarch-in-crisis Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen pits her against another veteran British actress, Judi Dench, for Notes on a Scandal. Penelope Cruz is also a strong contender for Best Actress in Volver, as well Maggie Gyllenhaal (Sherrybaby) and Kate Winslet in the suburban drama Little Children. Mirren's other nods are for small-screen work--her roles in Prime Suspect: The Final Act and period piece Elizabeth I could see her pick up a Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Both films will compete for Best TV Mini-Series alongside the star-studded adaptation of Charles Dickens' complicated crime masterpiece Bleak House, Broken Trail and Mrs. Harris. There were no surprises in the most popular TV categories with 24, Big Love, Lost, Heroes, and hospital drama Grey's Anatomy all in with a chance to win the Best Drama Prize, and Desperate Housewives, Entourage, The Office, Ugly Betty and Weeds battling it out for the Best Comedy or Musical. Last month it was revealed Hollywood legend Warren Beatty is to be honored with the 64th Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards. It will be Beatty's sixth Globe. The awards are given out annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and are a key indicator of which movies will compete for the Academy Awards, the film industry's top honors. Click "next" for full list of nominations. COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved. Best Motion Picture – Drama Babel Anonymous Content Production/Una Producción De ZetaFilm/Central Film Production; ParamountPictures/Paramount Vantage Bobby Bold Films; The Weinstein Company The Departed Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures Little Children New Line Cinema; New Line Cinema The Queen A GranadaProduction; Miramax Films Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama Penélope Cruz Volver Judi Dench Notes On A Scandal Maggie Gyllenhaal Sherrybaby Helen Mirren The Queen Kate Winslet Little Children Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama Leonardo Dicaprio Blood Diamond Leonardo Dicaprio The Departed Peter O’toole Venus Will Smith The Pursuit Of Happyness Forest Whitaker The Last King Of Scotland Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical Borat: Cultural Learnings Of AmericaFor Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan One America;Twentieth Century Fox The Devil Wears Prada Twentieth Century Fox; Twentieth Century Fox Dreamgirls Dreamworks Pictures/Paramount Pictures; DreamworksPictures/Paramount Pictures Little Miss Sunshine Big Beach/Bonafide Productions; Fox Searchlight Pictures Thank You For Smoking Room 9 Entertainment/David O. Sacks Production/ContentFilm; Fox Searchlight Pictures Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture –Comedy Or Musical Annette Bening Running With Scissors Toni Collette Little Miss Sunshine Beyoncé Knowles Dreamgirls Meryl Streep The Devil Wears Prada Renee Zellweger Miss Potter Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – ComedyOr Musical Sacha Baron Cohen Borat: Cultural Learnings Of AmericaFor Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan Johnny Depp Pirates Of The Caribbean:Dead Man’s Chest Aaron Eckhart Thank You For Smoking Chiwetel Ejiofor Kinky Boots Will Ferrell Stranger Than Fiction Best Animated Feature Film Cars Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studio; Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Happy Feet Kingdom Pictures, Llc; Warner Bros. Pictures/VillageRoadshow Pictures Monster House ColumbiaPictures; Sony Pictures Releasing Best Foreign Language Film Apocalypto (USA) Touchstone Pictures/Icon Productions; Buena Vista Pictures Distribution Letters From Iwo Jima(USA/Japan) Warner Bros. Pictures/Dreamworks Pictures; Warner Bros.Pictures The Lives Of Others (Germany) Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion; Sony PicturesClassics Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico) Estudios Picasso/Tequila Gang/Esperanto; Picturehouse Volver (Spain) El Deseo; Sony Pictures Classics Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In AMotion Picture Adriana Barraza Babel Cate Blanchett Notes On A Scandal Emily Blunt The Devil Wears Prada Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls Rinko Kikuchi Babel Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In AMotion Picture Ben Affleck Hollywoodland Eddie Murphy Dreamgirls Jack Nicholson The Departed Brad Pitt Babel Mark Wahlberg The Departed Best Director – Motion Picture Clint Eastwood Flags Of Our Fathers Clint Eastwood Letters From Iwo Jima Stephen Frears The Queen Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu Babel Martin Scorsese The Departed Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Guillermo Arriaga Babel Todd Field & Tom Perrotta Little Children Patrick Marber Notes On A Scandal William Monahan The Departed Peter Morgan The Queen Best Original Score – Motion Picture Alexandre Desplat The Painted Veil Clint Mansell The Fountain Gustavo Santaolalla Babel Carlo Siliotto Nomad Hans Zimmer The Da Vinci Code Best Original Song – Motion Picture “A Father’s Way” — The Pursuit Of Happyness Music By: Seal And Christopher Bruce Lyrics By: Seal “Listen” — Dreamgirls Music & Lyrics By: Henry Krieger, Anne Preven, ScottCutler And Beyoncé Knowles “Never Gonna Break My Faith” — Bobby Music & Lyrics By: Bryan Adams, Eliot Kennedy AndAndrea Remanda “The Song Of The Heart” — Happy Feet Music & Lyrics By: Prince Rogers Nelson “Try Not To Remember” — Home Of The Brave Music & Lyrics By:Sheryl Crow Best Television Series – Drama 24 (Fox) Imagine Television And 20th Century Fox Television I.A.W.Real Time Prods. Big Love (HBO) Anima Sola And Playtone Prods. I.A.W. HBO Entertainment Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Touchstone Television Heroes (NBC) Nbc Universal Television Studios I.A.W. Tailwind Prods. Lost (ABC) Touchstone Television Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series –Drama Patricia Arquette Medium Edie Falco The Sopranos Evangeline Lilly Lost Ellen Pompeo Grey’s Anatomy Kyra Sedgwick The Closer Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama Patrick Dempsey Grey’s Anatomy Michael C. Hall Dexter Hugh Laurie House Bill Paxton Big Love Kiefer Sutherland 24 Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical DesperateHousewives (ABC) Touchstone Television Entourage (HBO) Leverage And Closest To The Hole Prods. I.A.W. HboEntertainment The Office (NBC) Deedle Dee Prods. WithReveille I.A.W. Nbc Universal Television Studio Ugly Betty (ABC) Touchstone Television Weeds (Showtime) Showtime I.A.W. Lionsgate Television And Tilted Prods., Inc. Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series –ComedyOr Musical Marcia Cross Desperate Housewives AmericaFerrera Ugly Betty Felicity Huffman Desperate Housewives Julia Louis-Dreyfus The New Adventures Of Old Christine Mary-Louise Parker Weeds Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – ComedyOr Musical Alec Baldwin 30 Rock Zach Braff Scrubs Steve Carrell The Office Jason Lee My Name Is Earl Tony Shalhoub Monk Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television Bleak House (PBS) Bbc And Wgbh BostonProd. I.A.W. Deep Indigo Broken Trail (AMC) Butchers Run Films And Once Upon A Time Films I.A.W. SonyPictures Television Elizabeth I (HBO) Company Pictures And Channel 4 I.A.W. Hbo Films Mrs. Harris (HBO) Killer Films, Number 9 Films And John Wells Prod. I.A.W. HboFilms Prime Suspect: The Final Act (PBS) GranadaAnd Wgbh-Boston Prod. Best Performance By An Actress In A Mini-Series Or MotionPicture Made For Television Gillian Anderson Bleak House Annette Bening Mrs. Harris Helen Mirren Elizabeth I Helen Mirren Prime Suspect: The Final Act Sophie Okonedo Tsunami, The Aftermath Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or MotionPicture Made For Television André Braugher Thief Robert Duvall Broken Trail Michael Ealy Sleeper Cell: American Terror Chiwetel Ejiofor Tsunami, The Aftermath Ben Kingsley Mrs. Harris Bill Nighy Gideon’s Daughter Matthew Perry The Ron Clark Story Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In ASeries, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television Emily Blunt Gideon’s Daughter Toni Collette Tsunami, The Aftermath Katherine Heigl Grey’s Anatomy Sarah Paulson Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip Elizabeth Perkins Weeds Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In ASeries, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television Thomas Haden Church Broken Trail Jeremy Irons Elizabeth I Justin Kirk Weeds Masi Oka Heroes Jeremy Piven Entourage
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'United 93' Claims Second Best Film Prize in a Day
December 12, 2006 6:00am ESTSeptember 11th drama United 93 has hurtled into the Oscar race after picking up two Best Film prizes in a day. Hours after claiming the top honor from the Washington, D.C., Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), the stirring film was voted 2006's Best Picture by the New York Film Critics Circle. It took the movie writers five attempts to break a three-way deadlock between United 93, The Queen and The Last King of Scotland. Forest Whitaker, Helen Mirren and Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson continued their push for Academy Awards, claiming New York's Best Actor (The Last King of Scotland), Best Actress (The Queen) and Best Supporting Actress (Dreamgirls), respectively. Jackie Earle Haley, a new name in the race for Oscar gold, picked up the Circle's Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Little Children. The full list of winners is as follows: Best Picture: United 93 Best Actor: Forest Whitaker--The Last King of Scotland Best Actress: Helen Mirren--The Queen Best Director: Martin Scorsese--The Departed Best Foreign Film: Army of Shadows Best Screenplay: Peter Morgan--The Queen Best Supporting Actor: Jackie Earle Haley--Little Children Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson--Dreamgirls Best Cinematographer: Guillermo Navarro--Pan's Labyrinth Best Non-Fiction Film: Deliver Us from Evil Best First Film: Ryan Fleck--Half Nelson Best Animated Film: Happy Feet COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
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'The King' & 'The Queen' Reign at Washington Awards
December 11, 2006 11:11am ESTForest Whitaker's portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland and Helen Mirren's turn as The Queen have earned the two stars top honors from the fifth annual Washington, D.C., Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA). The capital's top critics have also named 9/11 drama United 93 as the Best Film at their fifth annual awards. And Martin Scorsese has been honored with the Best Director prize for his hit film The Departed. The Washington critics also honored Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performance of the Year) and Blood Diamond's Djimon Hounsou (Best Supporting Actor). Happy Feet claimed the critics' Animated Feature prize and Pan's Labyrinth was named Best Foreign Language Film. COPYRIGHT 2006 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
