Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director who will play the role of Saw Gerrera in the upcoming television series Andor. He will play a veteran fighter who is familiar as a paranoid leader of the Partisans terrorist cell in Rogue One. Saw Gerrera is also a rebel leader who raised Jyn Erso after she was separated from her father. 

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Born on July 15, 1961, in Texas, USA, Whitaker completed a Bachelor’s degree in acting in 1982. He received a postgraduate degree from the Drama Studio London later. Whitaker began his acting career with 1982 film Tag: The Assassination Game and earned huge recognition with his second release, Fast Times at Ridgemont High in the same year. 

He has since then acted in films like The Color of Money, Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam and Downtown. Forest Whitaker made his first directorial debut with Strapped in 1993. His performance as Cecil Gaines in the 2013 film The Butler earned him the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. 

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Forest Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash in 1996. The couple has two daughters, Sonnet and True. Apart from his achievement in films, he also received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 and from California State University, Dominguez Hills on May 16, 2015.

Apart from his film career, he is also a philanthropist. In 2011, he served as the UNESCO Goodwill ambassador and is the CEO of a non-profit organization Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI). Whitaker also co-founded the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

He received various awards and nominations including the Academy Award in a Leading Role in 2007, Cannes Best Actor Award, Honorary Palme d’ Or, BET Award for Best Actor and many more.