Actor, Director, and Producer

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few decades, chances are better than good that you've seen one or more movies or television performances by actor, producer, and director, Forest Whitaker. He is well-known for his performances in films such as Oliver Stone's "Platoon" and "The Last King of Scotland." Whitaker has produced a body of work that is a force to be reckoned with, and his list of costars over the years reads like a who's who of Hollywood A-listers.

Although he grew up in California, Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas, to an insurance salesman and special education teacher. Like many of today's stars, he got his initial start in acting by starring in a high school play, in which he played the lead. He graduated high school in 1979 and received a football scholarship to play for Cal Poly Pomona. A back injury forced him to change his major to music, and he toured overseas with the school's singing group. While studying, he also became more interested in drama and changed his major again. He was accepted into both the Drama Conservatory and Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California. He graduated in 1982 from USC. Always the constant student, Whitaker is still pursuing his education by working toward a degree in Studies in Peace and Reconciliation at New York University.

Whitaker's first big break came when he was cast to play the role of a high-school football player in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in 1982 alongside Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, and Sean Penn. His other early films include "The Color of Money" with Tom Cruise and Paul Newman, and "Good Morning, Vietnam" with Robin Williams. He also starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme in 1988's "Bloodsport." That same year, he was selected to star as musician Charlie Parker in "Bird," a film directed by Clint Eastwood that won Whitaker a Golden Globe nod as well as a Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.
Throughout the Nineties, Whitaker worked with several well-known directors on a variety of films, including "Downtown" in 1990 with Penelope Ann Miller and Anthony Edwards. "The Crying Game" in 1992 was a collaborative effort with Neil Jordan that cast Whitaker as a captive soldier; a performance that won accolades for its emotional wartime portrayal.

Although it obviously wasn't a career-ending move, Whitaker appeared in "Battlefield Earth" in 2000-a movie based on the L. Ron Hubbard book of the same name, and a movie that is widely regarded as one of the worst ever made. Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor at that year's Razzie Awards, only to be beaten out by a costar.

Mr. Metropoulos, Actor: Lifted. Evan Metropoulos is an actor and producer, known for Lifted (2010), .com for Murder (2002) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993).