USC School of Dramatic Arts alumnus Forest Whitaker is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer and director who earned an Oscar for his leading role in the film The Last King of Scotland. He can be seen as Bumpy Johnson in the television series Godfather of Harlem, starred in the films Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Respect, Jingle Jangle and A Fall from Grace. He also had roles in the films Labryinth, Rogue One, Black Panther, Arrival, Southpaw, Where the Wild Things Are and Dope. As a producer, his films include Roxanne Roxanne, Repentance, Fruitvale Station, Sorry to Bother You, among others. He played Erie Smith in the Broadway revival of Hughie. 

Whitaker was the recipient of the School’s Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists.