Nathan Duane Whitaker Jr. (born June 23, 1959) is an American character actor.

Early life

Whitaker was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

, the oldest child of Nathan Duane Whitaker Sr. and Barbara Ella Hudson, a nurse. He has two younger sisters, both born in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

. Whitaker graduated from Monterey High School.

Career

Whitaker is probably best known for his role in Quentin Tarantino's popular 1994 film ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

'' as Maynard, the sadistic pawn shop owner. He wrote and portrayed the title role in ''

Eddie Presley ''Eddie Presley'' is a 1992 dramedy film directed by Jeff Burr and featuring Duane Whitaker in the title role. It is based on a one man show Whitaker had written and performed in Los Angeles. Whitaker plays Eddie Presley, a former successful own ...

'' (based on his own successful stage play). Whitaker also wrote, directed and appeared in ''Together and Alone''. Other notable roles include; a racist cop in ''

Tales from the Hood ''Tales from the Hood'' is a 1995 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Rusty Cundieff and executive-produced by Spike Lee. The film presents four short urban-themed horror stories based on problem concepts that affect the African-Am ...

'', Boss Man in ''

Feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

'' , The Sheriff in ''

Trailer Park of Terror ''Trailer Park of Terror'' is a 2008 American horror film directed by Steven Goldmann and written by Timothy Dolan. It stars Nichole Hiltz, Matthew Del Negro, Trace Adkins, Myk Watford and Jeanette Brox. Plot summary Based on the Imperiu ...

'', Luther in '' From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money'' (which he also co-wrote), Buddy in ''Dead Letters'', Winslow in ''Broke Sky'', Mickey in ''Cordoba Nights'' Dr. Bankhead in ''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie, and is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to his 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses''. The film is center ...

'' and Road Rash in ''

Hobgoblins A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nigh ...

''. Whitaker has appeared in the feature films ''Getting Grace'', ''Give Till It Hurts'', ''

A Dark Foe ''A Dark Foe'' is a 2020 American independent crime-thriller film directed by Maria Gabriela Cardenas and starring her father Oscar Cardenas, Kenzie Dalton, Graham Greene and Selma Blair. Plot Cast * Oscar Cardenas as Tony Cruz * Kenzie ...

'', ''Night Club'', '' Halloween II'' and ''Lionhead''. On TV, Whitaker appeared on the ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'' episode "The Brush Man" and filmed a recurring role in the FX series '' The Bridge''. Whitaker has also written numerous screenplays including ''Stripteaser''. On March 31, 2010,

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, nonprofit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. The Cinematheque was created in 1981 as ...

hosted a screening of ''Eddie Presley'' and "Together and Alone" at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2016 "Together and Alone" was shown again through the American Cinemateque at the Spielberg Theater with Garrett Clancy's "Dead Letters". Whitaker has also taught acting classes in Los Angeles for over twenty years

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Actor's home page
1959 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors People from Abilene, Texas Male actors from Texas {{Texas-bio-stub