He founded a theater company called Malaparte with Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Steve Zahn.

Does all his own musical work whenever he plays a musician in a movie.

Is good friends with actor Ethan Hawke, who also lists Whaley in the acknowledgments of one of his novels, Ash Wednesday.

As of 2022, he has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Field of Dreams (1989), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991) and Pulp Fiction (1994).

Good friends with actor Val Kilmer.

A staunch supporter of indie films, he hosted the MetroChannel cable TV's Metro-Angelika Film Festival (2001).

Graduate of State University of New York at Albany.

Made his acting debut on the New York stage in Tigers Wild.

Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1991" in John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 43.

Played Lee Harvey Oswald in Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald (1993) and an Oswald impostor in JFK (1991).

He is of Irish and Italian/Sicilian descent.

Plays bit parts in big movies and successful star vehicles (Pulp Fiction (1994), JFK (1991), Broken Arrow (1996), The Freshman (1990), Born on the Fourth of July (1989) and Red Dragon (2002)), and leads in mostly small and unsuccessful movies (Career Opportunities (1991), Cold Dog Soup (1990), and The Jimmy Show (2001)).

Wife Heather Whaley, graduate of Colby College, is a playwright and actress, author of "Social Notes: An Evening with Dorothy Parker".

Gained 30 pounds for role in Homage (1995).

Auditioned for the role of Link Larkin in Hairspray (1988). The role was eventually played by Michael St. Gerard.

He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Field of Dreams (1989) and Pulp Fiction (1994).

Son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley Sr.

His brother is musician/composer/actor Robert Whaley and also has two sisters.

In Little Monsters (1989) plays a character named Boy, and in Swimming with Sharks (1994) plays a character named Guy.