Whitaker filed docs Thursday in Los Angeles to call it quits. The two got married in 1996 and have 3 adult daughters together. It's currently unknown what led to the split.

Whitaker cites irreconcilable differences in his divorce petition. There are no minor children, so no custody issues. He's also asking the court to terminate any spousal support ... but this is done a lot when there's already an overriding property agreement in place.

Forest and Keisha met on the set of "Blown Away" in 1994 and started dating shortly after ... they had their wedding in Jamaica.

In an interview with Ebony a few years ago, Keisha said of Forest, “I had seen him in ‘A Rage in Harlem,'" and “Right away, I thought Forest had a gentle soul and a nice spirit.”