Forest Steven Whitaker III (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird, Platoon, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and Lee Daniels' The Butler, for his work in independent films and for his recurring role as LAPD Internal Affairs Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the Emmy Award-winning television series The Shield.