Who is Kenn Whitaker?

Kenneth Dwayne Whitaker was born on 8 June 1963, in Longview, Texas, USA, and is an actor, but perhaps best known for being a younger brother of actor Forest Whitaker. He appeared in several films during the 1990s, and even occasionally worked alongside his brother – Forest rose to fame with numerous high profile films, including “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, “Black Panther”, and “The Great Debaters”.

The Net Worth of Kenn Whitaker

As of mid-2020, Kenn Whitaker’s net worth is estimated to be over $100,000, earned through success in his various endeavors.

While he’s only had a few acting credentials, this has helped in building his wealth and he likely has other career paths he pursued; however, his other endeavors have not been publicly disclosed.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

While Kenn was born in Longview, their family later moved to Carson, California. He grew up alongside three siblings, two of whom were boys including the eldest, Forest. His mother worked as a teacher of special education students, while his father sold insurance. The family had Akan ancestry from Ghana and Igbo ancestry from Nigeria. He became interested in the acting field following his older brother developing an interest in it during college.

Over time, as he saw his brother enjoying his work, he also pursued acting projects, and made his first appearance in 1997, with a minor role in the film “Most Wanted”, which starred Jon Voight and Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was also credited for the screenplay. The film follows the story of a former marine who is accused of an assassination and must serve under a top-secret squad to save himself from death row. The film received mostly negative reviews.

Continued Acting Work and Mistaken Identity

A year later, Kenn was cast in “Bulworth”, a film that starred Don Cheadle and Halle Berry, and follows the life of a California Senator vying for re-election, while trying to avoid an assassin who’s been hired to kill him.

These are two different actors?! There’s two of them?! I’ve been living a lie ?? #ForestWhitaker #KennWhitaker

— JB (@JadeBabb) October 3, 2018

The film was intended as political satire and was successful critically, getting an Academy Award nomination, while having mostly positive reviews, but it didn’t earn well at the box office. His last project was 1999’s “Life”, which starred Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy – he had a minor role in the film, which told the story of two friends who were wrongly convicted and sent to prison to serve for life.

After the film, he opted out of acting as he wasn’t getting any significant roles. Since then, his career endeavors have been unknown.

In 2018, a lot of attention came Forest and Kenn’s way, after a Twitter user posted a photo comparing the two. The news quickly spread of how Forest had a twin brother, or how Kenn looked exactly like Forest. However, it was a hoax, and the two photos were just different looks that Forest had during his career. An older photo later surfaced which showcased the fact that they didn’t look much alike at all.

Brother – Forest Whitaker

Forest initially intended to play professional American Football, and was attending California State Polytechnic University under a football scholarship.

He also participated with the school choir, and after a serious injury, he opted out of the football program. and changed his major to music. He then changed to drama, and was offered a music scholarship at the University of Southern California, where he later shifted to their Drama Conservatory, completing his degree in 1992. He then furthered his studies, moving to London in a bid to take a post-graduate acting course.

One of his earliest roles was actually in 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, which brought a lot of attention his way for his portrayal of a high school football player and supporting character. Over the years, he developed a strong bond between numerous high profile directors and actors.

In the late 1980s, he worked on “The Color of Money” by Martin Scorsese, and then had a lead role in the film “Bird”, directed by Clint Eastwood. He was known for his character work, getting deeply involved with his characters, learning their ins and outs. In 1988, he won a Best Actor award from the Cannes Film Festival.

The Success of Forest Whitaker

As the 1990s to 2000s progressed, Forest found himself gaining more high profile work, and developing working relationships with a myriad of directors. Some of his most notable projects during the time included “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai”, “Arrival”, “The Butler”, “Platoon”, and “The Crying Game”.

One of his most successful roles was 2006’s “The Last King of Scotland”, in which he portrayed the Uganda dictator, Idi Amin in the historical film inspired by the novel of the same name written by Giles Foden. It tells the story of a doctor from Scotland who becomes the personal physician of Forest’s character. The film takes a lot of information from the historical facts of Idi Amin’s rule. He won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for the role.

Aside from critically acclaimed hits, he has also been a part of numerous blockbusters.

He played the role of Saw Gerrera in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, which gave insight into an event during the original “Star Wars” on how the rebellion acquired the plans for the Death Star. He also recently worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, “Black Panther” which gained critical acclaim, leading to numerous nominations in the Academy Awards.

Personal Life

It is not known whether Kenn has married and started a family but it is likely. He has been quiet since moving away from the acting profession, and has not shared any information publicly. Even during the issue of him being Forest’s lookalike, it didn’t prompt him to make any public appearance at all.