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Forest Whitaker, Oscar winner for his work in "The Last King of Scotland" arrives at the annual Vanity Fair Oscar party at Morton's in West Hollywood, Calif., Feb. 25, 2007.
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In "The Last King of Scotland" actor Forest Whitaker plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He won a Golden Globe, a SAG award and, finally, the Academy Award.
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Forest Whitaker made an impressive transformation. In addition to wearing makeup, he also had to gain a significant amount of weight to play Idi Amin.
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Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker congratulate each other backstage at the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Mirren won for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "The Queen," and Whitaker for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for "The Last King of Scotland."
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Forest Whitaker posed with his wife, Keisha, at the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. The couple has four children: Ocean, Autumn, Sonnet, and True
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Forest Whitaker celebrates backstage at the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, holding his award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role for his work in "The Last King of Scotland."
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Forest Whitaker poses with the award he won for best actor in a drama for his work in "The Last King of Scotland" at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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Forest Whitaker, shown here at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, was born in eastern Texas but grew up in Los Angeles. He earned a college scholarship for football, but was sidelined by a back injury. That eventually led to his movie career.
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Forest Whitaker spoke at the National Film Theatre as part of The Times BFI London Film Festival. Whitaker is no stranger to the British. He played a British soldier in the film "The Crying Game."