Nathan Duane Whitaker Jr. (born June 23, 1959) is an American character actor.

Early life

Whitaker was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

, the oldest child of Nathan Duane Whitaker Sr. and Barbara Ella Hudson, a nurse. He has two younger sisters, both born in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

. Whitaker graduated from Monterey High School.

Career

Whitaker is probably best known for his role in Quentin Tarantino's popular 1994 film ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

'' as Maynard, the sadistic pawn shop owner. He wrote and portrayed the title role in '' Eddie Presley'' (based on his own successful stage play). Whitaker also wrote, directed and appeared in '' Together and Alone''. Other notable roles include; a racist cop in '' Tales from the Hood'', Boss Man in '' Feast'', The Sheriff in '' Trailer Park of Terror'', Luther in '' From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money'' (which he also co-wrote), Buddy in ''Dead Letters'', Winslow in ''Broke Sky'', Mickey in ''Cordoba Nights'' Dr. Bankhead in '' The Devil's Rejects'' and Road Rash in ''

Hobgoblins A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Night' ...

''. Whitaker has appeared in the feature films ''Getting Grace'', ''Give Till It Hurts'', '' A Dark Foe'', ''Night Club'', '' Halloween II'' and ''Lionhead''. On TV, Whitaker appeared on the ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'' episode "The Brush Man" and filmed a recurring role in the FX series '' The Bridge''. Whitaker has also written numerous screenplays including ''Stripteaser''. On March 31, 2010,

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, non-profit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States that represents the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. It presents festivals and retrospectives that ...

hosted a screening of ''Eddie Presley'' and "Together and Alone" at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. In 2016, "Together and Alone" was shown again through the American Cinemateque at the Spielberg Theater with Garrett Clancy's "Dead Letters". Whitaker has also taught acting classes in Los Angeles for over twenty years

Awards and nominations

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Actor's home page
1959 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors People from Abilene, Texas Male actors from Texas {{Texas-bio-stub