Whitaker has a long history of working with well-regarded film directors and actors. In his first onscreen performance of note, he had a supporting role playing a high school football player in the 1982 film version of Cameron Crowe's coming-of-age teen-retrospective "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". In 1986, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money" and Oliver Stone's "Platoon". The following year, he co-starred in the comedy "Good Morning, Vietnam" alongside Robin Williams. In 1988, Whitaker appeared in the film "Bloodsport" and had his first lead role starring as musician Charlie "Bird" Parker in Clint Eastwood's "Bird". To prepare himself for the part, he sequestered himself in a loft with only a bed, couch, and saxophone, having also conducted extensive research and taken alto sax lessons. His performance, which has been called "transcendent", earned him the Best Actor award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination.