Forest Whitaker with his brothers, Kenn and Damon Whitaker.Photo:Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Chris Polk/FilmMagic
Forest Whitakerhas two brothers: Kenn and Damon Whitaker.
While theOscar-winning actorshares a strong resemblance to his siblings, the trio (who also have an older sister, Deborah) similarly all have careers in the entertainment industry — despite their father’s wishes.
“My father wanted me to go to West Point — that was a high calling to him — and couldn’t believe I wanted to study acting or music,” Foresttold theLos Angeles Timesin 2013.
Although Forest went to college on a football scholarship, an injury led him to abandon sports and pursue singing and acting. He graduated from the University of Southern California’s theater program,New York Magazinereported, and launched his acting career with 1982’sFast Times at Ridgemont High.
Forest’s career has since ranged from Oscar-winning performances in 2006’sThe Last King of Scotland,to franchise hits includingRogue One: A Star Wars StoryandBlack Panther. He has also worked on television series likeThe ShieldandCriminal Minds,and has directed films such asWaiting to Exhale.
Forest’s younger brothers, Kenn and Damon, have also experienced success in Hollywood — which Forest attributes to their “artists’ souls.”
“I was very idealistic when I was younger; I read poetry books, I didn’t care about working or making money. I would rather sleep on the couch than do something I didn’t believe in,” WhitakertoldPastemagazine. “I think that it was in our blood in some way, too, because my brothers all have artists’ souls.”
Here is everything there is to know about Forest Whitaker’s two brothers, Kenn and Damon Whitaker.
Kenn Whitaker
Forest Whitaker and Kenn Whitaker attend the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Getty
Though Forest and Kenn are often mistaken for twins, the brothers are actually two years apart. Kenn was born on June 8, 1963 — one month before big brother Forest turned 2 — in Longview, Texas. The family relocated to California when Forest and Kenn were just toddlers.
“My parents moved from Texas to South Central when I was 4, just before the 1965 Watts Riots,” Forest toldThe Guardianabout their childhood. “My parents started doing better, moving upward, and we moved to this little house in Carson, on the Compton border, when I was 11. And that’s when a lot of the gang issues started up.”
Kenn’s big break came in 1993 when he performed the song “I Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (which he also wrote) on the soundtrack for the HBO filmStrapped, which Forest directed. He followed that up with roles in movies likeMost WantedandBulworth, as well as appearances on the television shows such asParty of FiveandTracey Takes On…
One of Kenn’s biggest roles came in the 1999 movieLife, in which he appeared oppositeEddie MurphyandMartin Lawrence. He also had a part in the filmThe Theory of the Leisure Class, but appears to not have worked since the early 2000s.
Damon Whitaker
Forest Whitaker and Damon Whitaker during HBO’s screening of ‘Strapped’.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
“I was raised in the arts, so my family has always been writing and painting and acting and singing,” Damonsaid at the premiere ofOne Warm Night. “It’s just natural for us. I’ve been acting since I was in kindergarten.”
Though Damon says his first on-screen role came when he appeared in a school safety film in elementary school, his big break came in 1988 when he worked alongside Forest in the biopicBird, which told the life story of jazz musician Charlie “Bird” Parker.
That wasn’t the only time Damon and Forest worked together; they both appeared inMr. Holland’s OpusandGhost Dog: The Way of the Samuraias the younger and older versions of the same character. Forest also directed Damon in 2004’sFirst Daughter.
Damon continued acting over the years, but also segued into producing and writing.
“I do develop and produce; I’ve been doing it for a while,” he said at the premiere ofOne Warm Night. “I am a writer as well, so I’ve been doing a lot of writing.”
His most recent project is the 2022 television seriesStrangely Tranquil, in which he writes and acts.
source: people.com
