Kenn Whitaker (aka Kenneth Dwayne Whitaker) is in the media as the younger brother of Forest Whitaker, an Academy Award-winning actor. Widely known for playing characters that are mostly inspired by historical figures, Kenn’s brother Forest has spent about four decades in the entertainment industry since his debut with the role in a 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Although Kenn couldn’t make it like his brother, Kenn previously worked in a couple of movies and TV shows. Most popularly, the actor worked in a buddy comedy-drama film Life along with actors like Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.
In the article below, we will explore something more intriguing about Kenn including Kenn’s family background, siblings, and more…
Kenn Whitaker Parents
Forest Whitaker’s younger brother Kenn is the son of Forest E. Whitaker Jr. and Laura Francis. His father used to work in insurance as a salesman. And Kenn’s mother was a special education teacher. The hard-working mother even obtained her two master’s degrees raising her children side by side.
His Birth Details and Early Life
He was born on 8th June 1963, in South Central, Los Angeles, California. Only about a year before his birth, his family moved South Central from Longview, Texas, where his older brother Forest was born in.
Soon after, the Whitaker family started living in their own house in Carson, on the Compton Broder. Ever since the family members did make their move there, they, apparently, didn’t have a better environment to spend time out, especially for the youngsters because of the huge racial discrimination. His older brother Forest once recalled his adulthood as a black man in the city to The Guardian,
“Ever since I was a youth, I’ve been thrown on the ground or across cars, put on my knees – and I’m one of the lucky ones. Some of my friends have been murdered by the police.”
Talking about his education, Kenn graduated from Palisades Charter High School, in Los Angeles, California.
Details on His Ethnic Background
As per the DNA test by his award-winning brother Forest, it showed that his mother was of Akan descent, whereas, his father had Igbo ancestry. And as far as his nationality is concerned, Kenn is an American.
How Many Siblings Does Kenn Whitaker Have?
Kenn grew up with his three siblings; two brothers and a sister. His oldest sibling, a sister Deborah Whitaker was born in the mid-1950s. His older brother Forest was born on 15th July 1961. And his last sibling, younger brother Damon Whitaker joined the Whitaker family on October 21, 1970. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Damon, 51, graduated from El Camino College.
Kenn with his two brothers.Source: Getty
He was later involved in show business, making his debut with the role of Young Bird in the 1988 biographical movie Bird. The following year, Damon snagged the role of Braber in the TV series A Different World.
Kenn’s younger brother landed his first career-defining role, playing bartender on the NBC sitcom Out All Night from 1992-93. Throughout the 90s, the actor worked in numerous on-screen projects, most notably The Burning Zone, 12 Bucks, and more. He has since continuously committed to the industry and the last few projects Damon worked for were Triple Threat and Haphazard.
What does Kenn Whitaker do for a living? His movies and TV credits
Like his actor brothers, Kenn also has some acting credits under his belt. He first portrayed Bus Guard 2 in the 1997 movie, Most Wanted, sharing the screen along with Keenen Ivory Wayans and Jon Voight as well.
A year after there, Kenn had a cameo appearance as a second smoking man in HBO’s sketch comedy series Tracey Takes On‘s episode named ‘Smoking.’
The same year, the younger brother of Forest Whitaker went on to play Henchman #1 in the political satire black comedy film, Bulworth. Directed by Warren Beatty, the movie was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
Furthermore, in 1999, Kenn made a cameo appearance in the Fox series Party Of Five with lead actors Scott Wolf and Neve Campbell. The same year, Whitaker went on to bag the role of Isaac in the comedy movie Life.
Additionally, the last projects Kenn featured in are The Theory of the Leisure Class (2002) and Last Days (2001).
Are Kenn Whitaker and Forest Whitaker Twins?
Because of the striking resemblance, the Whitaker brothers have shared physically, there are some interesting questions about them like are Kenn and his older brother Forest fraternal twins? Although it has been a subject of curiosity amongst people for a long, the two are not twin brothers at all. And the fact that all Whitaker brothers were born at different times.
What is His Net Worth?
Kenn Whitaker undoubtedly has earned quite a good amount of money from his previous acting career. And the estimated amount of his net worth is $300,000 as of 2022.
On the other hand, his Academy-award-winning brother Forest’s guesstimated wealth is $30 million. His illustrious acting career has played a major role to rack such a tremendous fortune.
Does Kenn Whitaker Have a Wife?
Over the years, Kenn has remained strictly confidential when it comes to his personal life. He has never come forward with any of his relationships, neither his love life has ever been became a subject of discussion on media. So, at this moment, we can’t say anything about his marital status whether Kenn is married to a wife or not.