Denzel Dominique Whitaker (born June 15, 1990) is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he acted in the films '' Training Day'' (2001) and '' The Ant Bully'' (2006) before portraying James Farmer Jr. in ''

The Great Debaters ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''American Legacy'' ...

'' (2007), earning an NAACP Image Award for his work in the film. His other film work includes '' My Soul to Take'' (2010), '' Abduction'' (2011) and '' Black Panther'' (2018). On television, Whitaker was a cast member on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's ''

All That ''All That'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Brian Robbins and Michael Tollin, Mike Tollin. The series originally aired on Nickelodeon from April 16, 1994, to October 22, 2005, lasting ten seasons, and was produced by ...

'' between 2004 to 2005. He has appeared in recurring roles on '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2009) and ''

The Purge ''The Purge'' is an American anthology media franchise centered on a series of dystopian action horror films distributed by Universal Pictures and produced by Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes, which are written and in some cases also ...

'' (2019), in addition to guest roles on various series.

Early life

Whitaker was born on June 15, 1990 in Torrance, California, the son of Younalanda and Dale Whitaker. He went to

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is a public high school in Rolling Hills Estates, California, United States. History The school was formed in 1991 when Miraleste High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Rolling Hills High School were merge ...

, but while acting as a teenager he would receive and conduct schoolwork via

email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" mean ...

correspondence. He was named after actor Denzel Washington. Whitaker disputed this fact on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'' while promoting the movie ''

,'' only to learn later from his father that, in fact, Washington was his namesake. Washington would later serve as an acting mentor for Whitaker on ''The Great Debaters''.

Career

Whitaker made his acting debut in the 2001 film '' Training Day'' as Dimitri. He was a regular cast member during the tenth and final season of the

sketch-comedy series ''

''. He portrayed James Farmer Jr. in ''

'' (2007). Whitaker's acting in this film was well received, with one reviewer praising his "sweetness and vulnerability" and another describing him as a standout among the younger actors in the film. For his performance as James, Whitaker won the 2008 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, and received a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

nomination. Whitaker played Sheldon in the

Disney Channel Original Movie Many television films have been produced for Disney Channel, an American family-oriented basic cable channel and former premium television channel since its launch on April 18, 1983. Until October 1997, films were released under the banner na ...

'' Dadnapped'' (2009). Whitaker was a blind teenager named Jerome in

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

's '' My Soul to Take'' (2010). In 2011, he performed in two feature films, portraying Gilly in thriller '' Abduction'' and appearing in sports drama ''

Warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have be ...

''. Whitaker appeared as Eddie in thriller '' Submerged'' (2016) and was a young Zuri in the 2018 superhero film '' Black Panther''. He portrayed Andre, an aspiring musician, in the 2020 film '' Cut Throat City'', directed by rapper RZA. His television work includes '' ER'', ''

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award three times and was al ...

'', '' The War at Home'', '' Rizzoli & Isles'' and '' Blue Bloods''. Whitaker also appeared in

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

's '' Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans''. As a voice actor, Whitaker provided the voice of Albert in '' The Ant Bully'' (2006) and portrayed Kyle in preschool series '' Handy Manny''. In the third season of ''The Boondocks'', Whitaker gave voice to Sgt. Gutte, and on ''Black Dynamite: The Animated Series'' he played Donald the Accountant. He has also worked as an assistant voice director for the 2010 film '' Freaknik: The Musical''. Whitaker has directed films and music videos as well.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Denzel 1990 births Living people 21st-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors Actors from Torrance, California African-American male actors American male television actors American male voice actors American voice directors 21st-century African-American people