Name	Repo Men
Caption	Theatrical release poster
Director	Miguel Sapochnik
Producer	Scott Stuber
Screenplay
Story	Eric Garcia (novel)
Starring
Music	Marco Beltrami
Cinematography	Enrique Chediak
Editing	Richard Francis-Bruce
Studio
Distributor	Universal Pictures
Released
Runtime	111 minutes119 minutes
Country
Language	EnglishSpanish
Budget	$32 million
Gross	$18,409,891

Repo Men is a 2010 science fiction action-thriller film directed by Miguel Sapochnik, and starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. It is based on the novel Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia.

Plot

In 2025, a corporation called "The Union" has perfected the creation of bio-mechanical organs, which are available to those with money or "good credit". If a customer falls three months behind on payments, a "repo-man" is sent to reclaim the artificial organ. The process of the repossession almost always results in the death of the customer. Remy (Jude Law) and his partner Jake Freivald (Forest Whitaker) are considered the best of the Union's repo men, though this causes personal issues between Remy and his wife, Carol (Carice van Houten), causing Remy to request a transfer to sales. At his final repossession job, Remy is wounded and forced to receive an artificial heart, which his sales job can not hope to pay for, forcing him back into repo. But due to his own artificial organ he develops a psychological block which leaves him unable to perform his job, and his personal life quickly falls to pieces. He also begins to lag behind in payments on his new ticker. After botching an attack on a hideout of people who are marked for repossession he is attacked by same and beaten unconscious.

Upon awakening Remy encounters Beth (Alice Braga), who is past due on multiple organ transplants. After a failed attempt to clear her account back at the Union's headquarters, Remy destroys all evidence of his life and Beth's before the two leave to live in the outskirts, and Beth convinces Remy to document his life and experiences. As he finishes, a repo-man arrives to repossess his heart, and Remy overpowers him. Using the repo-man's vehicle, Remy sneaks back into his former workplace to obtain a pair of jamming devices that fool organ scanners used by repo men. He attempts to force Frank to clear his account, only to discover that due to his prior attempt all accounts can only be cleared back at the Union's central office. Remy and Beth attempt to flee the country at the airport, but are taken by security when it is discovered that Beth's prosthetic knee was damaged due to their earlier fight with the repo-man. After a major fight, Remy runs back into Jake, and escapes from him. The pair head to a black market doctor, where Beth's knee is replaced.

After the procedure, the two are stopped by Jake, who has tracked the pair. A bitter fight ensues, during which it is revealed that it was Jake that rigged the defibrillator unit to fail, causing Remy's heart replacement — he did this to ensure that Remy keeps his organ repossession job, so they could get promoted. The two fight, but Jake gains the upper hand, and knocks Remy unconscious with a heavy steel hook. Remy awakens and is hurried to a safe house by Beth, the occupants of which have been slain by the Union's repo-men. He resolves to destroy the corporation and clear the accounts of Beth and himself. After passing his story to his son during a brief meeting on a train, the pair travel to The Union's headquarters, hoping to remove themselves from the system. Remy and Beth are pursued throughout the building, and after an intense battle, arrive at the Pink Door, the main database for the Union. Using Beth's prosthetic eye, they are able to seal themselves inside just as Jake and Frank arrive. Once inside, they discover that the server does not have any interface, except for a scanner. Remy realizes that the only way to remove himself from the system is to repo himself. Remy and Beth cut themselves open in order to use the scanner internally, clearing their accounts.

Jake and Frank are able to enter through the use of an organ, seeing Remy trying desperately to resuscitate Beth, who has stopped breathing during the process. Jake asks Remy if she was worth all the hardship and pain that he has put himself through, which he confirms. Frank pulls a gun to kill Remy, but Jake turns on his employer, killing him with a knife. Jake then assists Remy in reviving Beth, after which he deposits two explosives inside the organ retrieval unit. The explosion destroys the Union's mainframe, wiping everyone who has an account with the corporation out of the system.

Later, Remy is on a tropical beach, enjoying his freedom with Beth and Jake. His text from earlier in the film has been published into a book, The Repossession Mambo. Remy turns to look at Jake, but sees instead the background flickering and incoherent voices. It is discovered that Remy, in fact, sustained severe brain damage when Jake hit him with the heavy hook earlier in the film. This plot twist was alluded to earlier in the film as Remy explicitly stated that he had been knocked out four times in his life. Jake, out of remorse, has paid off Remy's account and has had him placed in a neural network, allowing him to live the rest of his life in a dream. Beth is still alive but unconscious, and when questioned as to what to do with her, Jake says he will take care of her. This renders the second half of the film as simply a fantasy of Remy's. Jake finds Remy's manuscript, which he greets with a sad, stifled sigh, as his former partner is wheeled away, presumably to spend the rest of his life in his fantasy world. The film ends with Frank delivering his sales pitch.

Cast

Jude Law as Remy, a repo man.

Forest Whitaker as Jake Freivald, Remy's former partner.

Carice van Houten as Carol, Remy's wife.

Alice Braga as Beth, a singer who has multiple artificial organs.

Liev Schreiber as Frank Mercer, Remy's boss.

Chandler Canterbury as Peter, Remy's son.

RZA as T-Bone, a soul musician in debt.

John Leguizamo as Asbury, a black-market organs dealer.

Liza Lapira as Alva, a black-market surgeon.

Production

In 2003 , screenwriters Eric Garcia and Garrett Lerner began collaborating with Miguel Sapochnik on a screenplay based on a novel being written by Garcia. The novel, Repossession Mambo, was published March 31, 2009.

In June 2007, Universal Pictures cast Jude Law and Forest Whitaker into the film. Production began in September 2007. Casting for this film was done by Mindy Marin, production design by David Sandefur, art direction by Dan Yarhi, set decoration by Clive Thomasson, and costume design by Caroline Harris. Filming took place in Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario.

Fight choreography was done by Hiro Koda and Jeff Imada. Forest Whitaker has been a longtime student of Filipino Martial Arts under Dan Inosanto and it is featured heavily in the vicious blade and blunt-weapon fight scenes in film.

The score to Repo Men was composed by Marco Beltrami, who recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox.

This film was claimed to have ripped off Repo! The Genetic Opera for having shared several traits: a rogue repo man, a singer whose organs are harvested, a corrupt boss, etc.

Release

Repo Men was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on March 19, 2010, having been moved up from an original release date of April 2, 2010. The film was promoted with a seven-minute comic released on Apple.com on March 15, 2010.

The unrated DVD and Blu-Ray was released on July 27, 2010.

Reception

Critical response

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 22% of 103 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics, the film holds an overall approval rating of 14%, based on a sample of 21 reviews. The site's general consensus is that "Repo Men has an intriguing premise, as well as a likable pair of leads, but they're wasted on a rote screenplay, indifferent direction, and mind-numbing gore." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 32 based on 31 reviews.

Box office

Repo Men opened at #4 in its debut weekend in North America with $6,126,170 in 2,521 theaters, averaging $2,430 per theater. The film eventually grossed $17,805,837 worldwide—$13,794,835 in North America and $4,011,002 in other territories. In July 2010, Parade Magazine listed the film as the #7 on its list of "Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)."

References

External links

Category:2010 films Category:2010s science fiction films Category:American films Category:American science fiction action films Category:English-language films Category:Dystopian films Category:Films set in Ontario Category:Films set in the 2020s Category:Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Category:Films shot in Toronto Category:Films shot anamorphically Category:Relativity Media films Category:Universal Pictures films

Caption	at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Name	Jude Law
Birth name	David Jude Heyworth Law
Birth date	December 29, 1972
Birth place	Lewisham, London, England
Occupation	Actor, producer, director
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Sadie Frost (1997–2003); 3 children}}

David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972), known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.

He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989. After starring in films directed by Andrew Niccol, Clint Eastwood and David Cronenberg, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1999 for his performance in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley. In 2000 he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for his work in the film. In 2003, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in another Minghella film, Cold Mountain.

In 2006, he was one of the top ten most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. In 2007, he received an Honorary César and he was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.

Early life

Jude Law was born in Lewisham, South London, the second child of teachers Peter Law and Margaret Heyworth. and he was educated at John Ball Primary School in Blackheath and Kidbrooke School in Kidbrooke, before attending the Alleyn's School.

Career

1980s–1990s

In 1987 Law began acting with National Youth Music Theatre. He played various roles in the Edinburgh Fringe-awarded play The Ragged Child. One of his first major stage roles was Foxtrot Darling in Philip Ridley's The Fastest Clock In The Universe. Law went on to appear as Michael in the West End production of Jean Cocteau's tragicomedy Les Parents terribles, directed by Sean Mathias. For this play he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Newcomer, and he received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer.

Following a title change to Indiscretions, the play was reworked and transferred to Broadway in 1995, where Law acted opposite Kathleen Turner, Roger Rees and Cynthia Nixon. This role earned him a Tony Award nomination and the Theatre World Award. In 1989, Law got his first television role in a movie based on the Beatrix Potter children's book, The Tailor of Gloucester. After minor roles in British television, including a two-year stint in the Granada TV soap opera Families and the leading role in the BFI /Channel 4 short The Crane, Law had his breakthrough with the British crime drama Shopping, which also featured his future wife Sadie Frost.

In 1997, he became more widely known with his role in the Oscar Wilde bio-pic Wilde. Law won the "Most Promising Newcomer" award from the Evening Standard British Film Awards for his role as Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas, the glamorous lover of Stephen Fry's Oscar Wilde. In Andrew Niccol's science fiction film Gattaca he played the role of a disabled former swimming star living in a eugenics-obsessed dystopia. In Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil he played the role of the ill-fated hustler murdered by an art dealer, played by Kevin Spacey. He also played a mob hitman in Sam Mendes's 1930s period drama Road to Perdition.

2000s

In 2001, Law starred as Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev in the film Enemy At The Gates.

Law was one of the Top Ten 2006 A-list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood, following the criteria of James Ulmer in the Ulmer Scale.

Law, an admirer of Laurence Olivier, used the actor's image in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Using computer graphics, footage of the young Olivier was merged into the film, playing Dr. Totenkopf, a mysterious scientific genius and supervillain.

He portrayed the title character in Alfie, the remake of Bill Naughton's 1966 film, playing the role originated by Michael Caine. He took on another of Caine's earlier roles in the 2007 film Sleuth adapted by Nobel Laureate in Literature Harold Pinter, while Caine played the role originated by Sir Laurence Olivier.

Law is one of three actors who took over the role of actor Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Along with Law, actors Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell portray "three separate dimensions in the film." He appeared opposite Forest Whitaker in the dark science fiction comedy Repo Men and as Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's adaption of Sherlock Holmes, alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Rachel McAdams. Law stars as a celebrity supermodel in the film Rage.

Hamlet

In May 2009, Law returned to the London stage to portray the title role in Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse West End season at Wyndham's Theatre. The BBC reported "a fine and solid performance" but included other reviews of Law's interpretation that were mixed. There was a further run of the production at Elsinore Castle in Denmark from 25–30 August 2009. In September 2009 the production transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre in New York. Again, the critics failed to agree on the merit of Law's interpretation: London's Daily Mail found only positive reviews, but The Washington Post felt that the much-anticipated performance was "highly disappointing". Nonetheless, he was nominated for the 2010 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. In January 2010 at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards ceremony he was presented with the John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance for his 2009 Hamlet.

Other projects

Advertising

Law is the face of the male perfume of Dior, Dior Homme Sport. Since 2005, he has represented Dunhill as an "apparel ambassador" in Asia. In 2008, he became the international face of Dunhill and appears in the worldwide advertising campaigns.

In 2002, he directed a Respect for Animals anti-fur cinema commercial. The commercial, titled "Fur and Against", used music composed by Gary Kemp, and included appearances by Law, Chrissie Hynde, Moby, George Michael, Danny Goffey, Rhys Ifans, Sadie Frost, Helena Christensen, Sir Paul McCartney, Mel C, and Stella McCartney.

Realtime Movie

In spring 2007 Jude Law shot the Jason Martin-directed short film "Realtime Movie Trailer" at Borough Market, South London. Instead of promoting a film, this "trailer", which appeared among regular trailers in selected cinemas across London starting 19 November 2007, advertised a live event, Realtime Movie, by Polish artist Paweł Althamer. Hundreds turned up for this–unfilmed–re-enactment in real time of the sequence of events shown in "Realtime Movie Trailer" by the same actors, including Althamer as a Polish laborer, held at Borough Market on 30 November 2007. The performance was commissioned by Tate Modern as part of its "The World as a Stage" exhibition which explored the boundaries between arts and reality.

Charity activities

In 2004, Law launched a campaign to raise £2.5 million towards the Young Vic Theatre's £12.5 million redevelopment project. He is currently Chair of the Young Vic committee and has said that he is proud to help make the Young Vic "a nurturing bed" for young directors. In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams in the "Soccer Aid" celebrity football match to benefit UNICEF.

In 2006, he starred in an anthology of Samuel Beckett readings and performances directed by director Anthony Minghella. With the Beckett Gala Evening at the Reading Town Hall, more than £22,000 was donated for the Macmillan Cancer Support. Also in 2006, Frost and Law directed a Shakespeare play in a South African orphanage. He travelled to Durban with Frost and their children in order to help children who have lost their parents to AIDS. In July 2007, as patron of the charity, he helped kick off the month-long tour of the AIDS-themed musical Thula Sizwe by The Young Zulu Warriors. Also in 2007, he encouraged the Friends of the Earth/The Big Ask campaign, asking British Government to take action against climate change.

Law does charity work for organizations such as Make Poverty History, the Rhys Daniels Trust, and the WAVE Trauma Centre. He supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Pride of Britain Awards.

He is the chair of the Music For Tomorrow Foundation to help rebuild Katrina-devastated New Orleans.

Jude Law is an ambassador of HRH The Prince of Wales' Children and the Arts Foundation. He supports Breast Cancer Care, and in December 2008 he supported the Willow Foundation with a small canvas for their campaign Stars on Canvas. In April 2009 he supported the charity Education Africa with the gift of a mask he had painted and signed himself. The campaign was launched on eBay by Education Africa.

Stars including Dame Judi Dench and Jude Law have helped save St Stephen's Church in Hampstead. The celebrities supported the campaign, which raised £4.5 million to refurbish the Victorian church in north London. The building reopened in March 2009 as an arts and community centre.

Peace activities

In July 2007, Jude Law and Jeremy Gilley were in Afghanistan over a period of 10 days to document peace commitments and activities there for an upcoming film and for marking the UN International Day of Peace. Accompanied by UNICEF Representative Catherine Mbengue, they travelled and filmed in treacherous areas of eastern Afghanistan with a film crew, interviewing children, government ministers, community leaders and UN officials. They also filmed at schools and visited various UNICEF-supported programmes inside and outside the capital Kabul. The efforts of Peace One Day are coordinated in celebration of the annual International Day of Peace, on 21 September. The film, named The Day After Peace, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. On 21 September 2008, the film was shown at a gala screening at the Royal Albert Hall.

On 30 August 2008, Law and Gilley returned to Afghanistan to help keep a momentum around Peace Day. They met President Hamid Karzai, top NATO and UN officials, and members of the aid community. They also screened the new documentary about the efforts in support of peace. The documentary features activities that took place throughout Afghanistan in 2007. It also highlights support from UNICEF and the WHO for the peaceful immunization of 1.4 million children against polio in insecure areas.

Personal life

Law's parents live in France, where they run their own drama school and theatre. His sister Natasha is a well-regarded illustrator and artist, living in London.

Law met Sadie Frost while working on the film Shopping. They married on 2 September 1997 and divorced on 29 October 2003. He is the father of a stepson, Finlay Munro (born 20 September 1990), and three biological children with Frost: son Rafferty (born 6 October 1996), daughter Iris (born 25 October 2000) and son Rudy (born 10 September 2002).

While making the film Alfie in late 2003, Law and co-star Sienna Miller began a relationship, becoming engaged on Christmas Day 2004. Miller and Law separated in November 2006.

On 29 July 2009, it was announced that Law would become a father for the fourth time following a brief relationship with New Zealand model Samantha Burke in 2008. Burke gave birth to a daughter, Sophia, on 22 September 2009 in New York.

In December 2009, it was reported that Law and Miller had rekindled their relationship after starring in separate shows on Broadway in New York City in the Fall of 2009. They spent Christmas 2009 in Barbados, along with three of Law's children.

Law has been a Tottenham Hotspur supporter since his childhood.

Filmography

Soundtrack

"Ah, Leave Me Not to Pine", (The Pirates of Penzance), performed in Wilde, (1997)

"Tu Vuo' Fa L'Americano", performed in The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Matt Damon, Fiorello and The Guy Barker International Quintet, (1999)

"Avenues and Alleyways", the 1973 Tony Christie song, performed with other crew members in Love, Honour and Obey, (2000)

"Rock On", the David Essex song, performed in Love, Honour and Obey, (2000)

"Opening song", performed in NBC's Saturday Night Live, with Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Ashlee Simpson, (2004)

Theatre

Theatre awards and nominations

Laurence Olivier Award 1994 Nominated Laurence Olivier Award as Best Newcomer in a Play for: Les Parents terribles (1994)

Ian Charleson Award 1994 Won Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer for: Les Parents terribles (1994)

Tony Award 1995 Nominated Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play for: Indiscretions (1995) 2010 Nominated Tony Award as Best Leading Actor in a Play for: Hamlet (2010)

Theatre World Award 1995 Won Theatre World Award for: Indiscretions (1995)

References

External links

Filmography Jude Law at the British Film Institute (BFI). Accessed 25 May 2008.

Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:British film actors Category:British film directors Category:British film producers Category:British stage actors Category:British television actors Category:British voice actors Category:César Award winners Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:English film actors Category:English film directors Category:English film producers Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Actors from London Category:People from London Category:People from Lewisham Category:1972 births Category:Living people

Caption	Forest Whitaker, March 2007
Birth name	Forest Steven Whitaker
Birth date	July 15, 1961
Birth place	Longview, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, producer, director
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Keisha Nash (1996–present)

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and . However, for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television series, The Shield, Whitaker merely had to draw on his childhood years growing up in South Central Los Angeles, California.

Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker has also won a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA. He became the fourth black man to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, joining the ranks of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.

Early life

Whitaker was born in Longview, Texas, and his family moved to South Central Los Angeles when he was four. His father, Forest Whitaker, Jr., was an insurance salesman and the son of novelist Forest Whitaker, Sr. His mother, Laura Francis (née Smith), was a special education teacher who put herself through college and earned two Masters degrees while raising her children. Whitaker has two younger brothers, Kenn and Damon, and an older sister, Deborah.

As a teenager, Whitaker commuted from Carson to wealthy Palisades High School on LA's West Side.

Whitaker then attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) on a football scholarship, but due to a debilitating back injury, he changed his major to music (voice). He toured England with the Cal Poly Chamber Singers in 1980. While still at Cal Poly, he briefly changed his major to drama. He was accepted to the Music Conservatory at the University of Southern California to study opera as a tenor, and subsequently was accepted into the University's Drama Conservatory.

Career

Film work

Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and fellow actors. In his first onscreen role of note, he played a football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His performance, which has been called "transcendent," and a Golden Globe nomination. Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s. He starred in the 1990 film Downtown with Anthony Edwards and Penelope Ann Miller. Neil Jordan cast him in the pivotal role of "Jody" in his 1992 film, The Crying Game. Todd McCarthy, of Variety, described Whitaker's performance as "big-hearted," "hugely emotional," and "simply terrific." In 1994, he was a member of the cast that won the first ever National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble for Robert Altman's film, Prêt-à-Porter. He gave a "characteristically emotional performance" in Wayne Wang and Paul Auster's 1995 film, Smoke.

Whitaker played a serene, pigeon-raising, bushido-following, mob hit man in , a 1999 film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Many consider this to have been a "definitive role" for Whitaker.

Whitaker next appeared in what has been called one of the "worst films ever made," the 2000 production of Battlefield Earth, based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard. The film was widely criticized as a notorious commercial and critical disaster. However, Whitaker's performance was lauded by the film's director, Roger Christian, who commented that, "Everybody's going to be very surprised" by Whitaker, who "found this huge voice and laugh." Battlefield Earth "won" seven Razzie Awards; Whitaker was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to his co-star, Barry Pepper.

In 2001, Whitaker had a small, uncredited role in the Wong Kar-wai-directed The Follow, one of five short films produced by BMW that year to promote its cars. He co-starred in Joel Schumacher's 2002 thriller, Phone Booth, with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. His performance as the film's "bad guy" was described as "a subtle chemistry of aggression and empathy." To portray the dictator, Whitaker gained 50 pounds, learned to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research. He read books about Amin, watched news and documentary footage, and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims; he also learned Swahili and mastered Amin's East African accent. For that same role, he was also recognized with a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, and accolades from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Board of Review, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association among others.

In 2007, Whitaker played Dr. James Farmer Sr. in The Great Debaters, for which he received an nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2008, Whitaker appeared in three films, first as a business man known only as Happiness, who likes butterflies, in the film The Air I Breathe. He also portrayed a rogue police captain in Street Kings, and a heroic tourist in Vantage Point.

Television work

After completing several films in the early 1980s, Whitaker gained additional roles in multiple television shows. On the series, Diff'rent Strokes, he played a bully in the 1985 episode "Bully for Arnold". That same year, Whitaker also played the part of a comic book salesman in the Amazing Stories episode "Gather Ye Acorns". Throughout the 1990s, Whitaker mainly had roles in television films, including Criminal Justice, The Enemy Within, and Witness Protection.

From 2002 to 2003, Whitaker was the host and narrator of 44 new episodes of the Rod Serling classic, The Twilight Zone, which lasted one season on UPN. After working in several film roles, he returned to television in 2006 when he joined the cast of FX's police serial The Shield, as Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh, who was determined to prove that the lead character, Vic Mackey, is a dirty cop. He received rave reviews for his performance — Variety called it a "crackling-good guest stint" — and he reprised the role in the show's 2007 season.

In the fall of 2006, Whitaker started a multi-episode story arc on ER as Curtis Ames, a man who comes into the ER with a cough, but quickly faces the long-term consequences of a paralyzing stroke; he then takes out his anger on Doctors Luka Kovač and Abby Lockhart. Whitaker received a 2007 Emmy Award nomination for his performance on the series. Also in 2006, Whitaker appeared in T.I.'s music video "Live in the Sky" alongside Jamie Foxx.

Producing and directing

Whitaker branched out into producing and directing in the 1990s. He co-produced and co-starred in A Rage in Harlem in 1991. He made his directorial debut with a grim film about inner-city gun violence, Strapped, for HBO in 1993. In 1995, he directed his first feature, Waiting to Exhale, which was based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Roger Ebert observed that the tone of the film resembled Whitaker's own acting style: "measured, serene, confident." Whitaker also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".

Whitaker continued his directing career with the 1998 romantic comedy, Hope Floats, starring Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick, Jr. He directed Katie Holmes in the romantic comedy, First Daughter in 2004; he had co-starred with Holmes in Phone Booth in 2002. Whitaker served as an executive producer on First Daughter. He had previously gained experience as the executive producer of several made-for-television movies, most notably the 2002 Emmy-award winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy. He produced these projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career. He was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, where he received the American Riviera Award.

Previously, in 2005, the Deauville (France) Festival of American Film paid tribute to him. Whitaker was the recipient of the 2,335th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 16, 2007. He received an Honorary Degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2009 at the 82nd Commencement Ceremony.

Personal life

in Paris, 2010.]]

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash, whom he met on the set of Blown Away.

Whitaker, who is a vegetarian, He is also a supporter and public advocate for Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for escaped child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country's civil war. In politics, Whitaker supported and spoke on behalf of Senator Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. On April 6, 2009, Whitaker was given a chieftancy title in Imo State, Nigeria. Whitaker, who was named a chief among the Igbo community of Nkwerre, was given the title Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre, which means A Brother in a Foreign Land.Whitaker has a cousin, Terry, who attends Southern Nazarene University.

Whitaker's left eye ptosis has been called "intriguing" by some critics and "gives him a sleepy, contemplative look." Whitaker has explained that the condition is hereditary and that he has considered having surgery to correct it, not for cosmetic reasons but because it affects his vision.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Actor |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1982 | | Gowdy's Bodyguard | |- | 1982 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | Charles Jefferson | |- | 1985 | Vision Quest | Balldozer | |- | 1985 | North and South | Cuffey | |- | 1986 | | Amos | |- | 1986 | North and South, Book II | Cuffey | |- | 1986 | Platoon | Big Harold | |- | 1987 | Stakeout | Jack Pismo | |- | 1987 | Good Morning, Vietnam | Edward Garlick | |- | 1988 | Bird | Charlie 'Bird' Parker | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor |- | 1988 | Bloodsport | Rawlins | |- | 1989 | Johnny Handsome | Dr. Steven Fisher | |- | 1990 | Downtown | Dennis Curren | |- | 1991 | Diary of a Hitman | Dekker | |- | 1991 | | Jackson | |- | 1992 | Article 99 | Dr. Sid Handleman | |- | 1992 | | Jody | |- | 1992 | Consenting Adults | David Duttonville | |- | 1993 | Bank Robber | Officer Battle | |- | 1993 | Body Snatchers | Major Collins | |- | 1994 | Blown Away | Anthony Franklin | |- | 1994 | Prêt-à-Porter | Cy Bianco | NBR Award for Best Cast |- | 1994 | Jason's Lyric | Maddog | |- | 1995 | Species | Dan Smithson, Empath | |- | 1995 | Smoke | Cyrus Cole | |- | 1996 | Phenomenon | Nate Pope | |- | 1998 | Body Count | Crane | |- | 1999 | | Ghost Dog | |- | 1999 | Light It Up | Officer Dante Jackson | |- | 2000 | Battlefield Earth | Ker |Nominated - Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor |- | 2000 | Four Dogs Playing Poker | Mr. Ellington | |- | 2001 | | Agent Jules Bernard | |- | 2001 | | The Employer | uncredited |- | 2001 | Green Dragon | Addie | |- | 2002 | Panic Room | Burnham | |- | 2002 | Phone Booth | Captain Ed Ramey | Theatrical release was delayed due to the Beltway sniper attacks in October 2002.

}}

External links

Forest Whitaker lighting a candle for Rwanda

Category:1961 births Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California Category:Actors from Texas Category:African American film actors Category:African American film directors Category:African American television actors Category:American people of Igbo descent Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American karateka Category:American television actors Category:American vegetarians Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English-language film directors Category:Living people Category:People from Longview, Texas Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:University of Southern California alumni

Caption	Braga at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Birthname	Alice Braga Moraes
Birth date	April 15, 1983
Birth place	São Paulo, Brazil
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1998–present

Alice Braga Moraes (born April 15, 1983) is a Brazilian actress. She has appeared in several films in her native Brazil, most notably as Angélica in 2002's highly acclaimed City of God and as Karina in 2005's Lower City. She has also starred in the Hollywood blockbusters I Am Legend (2007), Repo Men and Predators (both 2010).

Early life

Alice Braga Moraes was born in São Paulo, Brazil. Her exposure to the world of acting came at an early age. Both her mother, Ana Braga, and aunt, Sônia Braga, are actresses, and Braga often accompanied them to film sets. She began her career by appearing in school plays and commercials. Her first commercial was for yoghurt when she was eight years old. As a teenager she began pursuing roles in television and movies. She speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Career

In 1998, Braga debuted in a Portuguese-language short called Trampolim, then returned to her schooling. Her big break came in 2002, when she was cast as Angélica in the critically acclaimed film, City of God, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize. She took more time off, and attended university while appearing in a pair of well-regarded South American films—2005’s Lower City and 2006’s Only God Knows—and also played a role in the popular Brazilian television program Carandiru, Outras Historias. Braga made her English-language debut in 2006 with a starring role with Brendan Fraser, Mos Def, and Catalina Sandino Moreno in Journey to the End of Night, which premiered at the 5th Annual Tribeca Film Festival and eventually went straight to video in North America. In 2007, Braga was cast in the Will Smith blockbuster I Am Legend, and the drama Crossing Over (which stars Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd). She also appeared in the 2008 David Mamet film Redbelt alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor. Braga portrayed Beth in the science-fiction film Repo Men. She starred as Isabelle in Antal Nimrod's Predators, which was shot and produced by Troublemaker Studios and Robert Rodriguez.

Filmography

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- bgcolor="#B0C4DE" align="center" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | 1998 || Trampolim || Cláudia || |- | 2002 || City of God || Angélica || Nominated: Cinema Brazil Grand Prize - Best Supporting Actress |- | rowspan="2" | 2005 || Lower City || Karina || Verona Love Screens Film Festival - Best ActressSão Paulo Association of Art Critics Awards - Best ActressRio de Janeiro International Film Festival - Best ActressPrêmio Contigo Cinema - Best ActressCinema Brazil Grand Prize - Best Actress |- | Carandiru, Outras Histórias || Vânia || TV series |- | rowspan="3" | 2006 || Only God Knows || Dolores || |- | Journey to the End of the Night || Monique || |- | Drained || Waitress || Nominated: Cinema Brazil Grand Prize - Best Supporting Actress |- | rowspan="3" | 2007 || The Milky Way || Júlia || |- | Rummikub || Filha paulista || Short |- | I Am Legend || Anna Montez || |- | rowspan="2" | 2008 || Redbelt || Sondra Terry || |- | Blindness || Woman with the dark glasses || Nominated: Cinema Brazil Grand Prize - Best Supporting ActressNominated: Black Reel Awards - Best Supporting Actress |- | rowspan="2" | 2009 || Crossing Over || Mireya Sanchez || |- | Cabeça a Prêmio || || |- | rowspan="2" | 2010 || Repo Men || Beth || |- | Predators || Isabelle || |- | rowspan="2" | 2011 || The Rite || || Post-production |- |On the Road ||Terry|| Post-Production |}

References

External links

Interview with Alice Braga, star of 'Lower City' by Peter Fraser, Close-Up Film

Alice Braga at Yahoo! Movies

Category:1983 births Category:Brazilian film actors Category:Living people Category:People from São Paulo (city) Category:Brazilian expatriates in the United States