![Don Cheadle](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w100h132crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/419/164419352_f79c74.jpg)
Don Cheadle
Born 11/29/1964
(59 years old)
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Biography
Since being named the Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in "Devil in a Blue Dress," DON CHEADLE has consistently turned in powerful performances on the stage and screen.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Cheadle later relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado before he finally settled in Los Angeles. He attended the prestigious California Institute of the Arts ("CAL ARTS") in Valencia, California, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. With the encouragement of his college friends, Cheadle auditioned for a variety of and television roles while attending school and landed a recurring role on the hit series "Fame." This lead to feature film roles in "Colors," directed by Dennis Hopper, and the John Irvin-directed "Hamburger Hill," opposite Dylan McDermott.
A talented musician who plays saxophone, writes music and sings, Don Cheadle is also an accomplished director with the stage productions of "Cincinnati Man" at the Attic Theater, the critically-acclaimed "The Trip" at Friends and Artists Theater in Hollywood and "Three, True, One' at The Electric Lodge in Venice, California on an already impressive resume.
Cheadle starred television show, "House of Lies," which aired January 2012 for Showtime. His feature film "The Guard," premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics. Cheadle produced "The Guard" and stars in it opposite Brendan Gleeson. Don had been seen in Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 2," and "Iron Man 3" as "James 'Rhodey' Rhodes" opposite Robert Downey, Jr., and in "Brooklyn's Finest," an ensemble crime thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-starring Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke. He starred in a movie based on the life of jazz legend Miles Davis.
Cheadle's philanthropic work includes serving as a UN Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. He co-authored with John Prendergast The Enough Moment and Not on Our Watch, which reveals the steps being taken by engaged citizens, famous and unknown, here and abroad, to combat genocide, rape, and child soldierdom in Africa. Cheadle also produced the documentary film "Darfur Now," an examination of the genocide in Sudan's western region of Darfur.
In 2008, Cheadle starred opposite Guy Pearce in Overture Films' "Traitor," an international thriller which he also produced. Additional film credits include: "Talk to Me," a film directed by Kasi Lemmons and co-starring Chiwetel Ejiofor,; the 2006 Oscar-winning Best Picture, "Crash," which Cheadle also produced; "Hotel Rwanda," for which his performance garnered Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Broadcast Film Critics Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actor; "Ocean's Eleven," "Ocean's Twelve" and "Ocean's Thirteen," directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney; Mike Binder's "Reign Over Me" with Adam Sandler; the Academy Award-winning film "Traffic" and the George Clooney/Jennifer Lopez-starrer "Out of Sight," both also directed by Soderbergh; Paul Thomas Anderson's critically acclaimed "Boogie Nights" with Julianne Moore and Mark Wahlberg; "Bulworth," directed by and starring Warren Beatty; "Swordfish" co-starring John Travolta and Halle Berry; "Mission to Mars" with Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise; John Singleton's "Rosewood," for which Cheadle earned an NAACP Image Award nomination; "Family Man," directed by Brett Ratner and starring Nicolas Cage; and the independent features "Manic" and "Things Behind the Sun." Cheadle was recently honored by both the CineVegas Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival and received ShoWest's Male Star of the Year award.
Cheadle is also well-recognized for his television work. He received a Golden Globe Award for his remarkable portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. in HBO's "The Rat Pack," a performance that was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy. That same year, he received an Emmy nomination for his starring role in HBO's adaptation of the critically-acclaimed, best selling novel "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest J. Gaines, in which Cheadle starred opposite Cicely Tyson and Mekhi Phifer. He also starred for HBO in "Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault," directed by Eriq La Salle.
Well known for his two-year stint in the role of 'District Attorney John Littleton' on David E. Kelley's critically-acclaimed series "Picket Fences," Cheadle's other series credits include a guest starring role on "ER" (a performance that earned him yet another Emmy nomination) and a series regular role on "The Golden Palace." He was also part of the stellar cast of the thrilling live CBS television broadcast of "Fail Safe" in which he starred opposite George Clooney, James Cromwell, Brain Dennehy, Richard Dreyfuss and Harvey Keitel.
An accomplished stage actor, Cheadle originated the role of "Booth" in Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Top Dog Underdog" at New York's Public Theatre under the direction of George C. Wolfe. His other stage credits include "Leon, Lena and Lenz" at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis; "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Liquid Skin" at the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis; "Cymbeline" at The New York Shakespeare Festival; "'Tis a Pity She's a Whore" at Chicago's Goodman Theater; and Athol Fugard's South African play "Blood Knot" at The Complex Theater in Hollywood.
In addition to his many acting honors, Cheadle was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for his narration/dramatization of the Walter Mosley novel Fear Itself.
Paramount Pictures
Actor
Documentaries | |
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2024 |
Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics - narrator |
2018 |
Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us' (series) |
Legends and Pioneers (E01) |
|
2017 |
Christian Audigier the Vif - a.f. |
2014 |
Years of Living Dangerously (series) |
2012 |
La Source |
2010 |
A Man's Story |
Conflict and Chaos: Brooklyn's Finest |
|
In Search of Ted Demme |
|
2009 |
A Home for Everyone: The Making of 'Hotel for Dogs' |
The People Speak |
|
2008 |
Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene - narrator |
2007 |
Darfur Now |
2006 |
King Leopold's Ghost |
2005 |
Before, During and 'After the Sunset' |
Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope (concert) |
|
2003 |
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives |
2001 |
The Making of 'Swordfish' (TV movie) |
2000 |
Inside Traffic: The Making of 'Traffic' (TV movie) |
1999 |
Independent Lens (series) |
1987 |
Biography (series) |
Music videos | |
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2017 |
Kendrick Lamar: DNA. |
Logic - 1-800-273-8255 ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid |
Short | |
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2014 |
RUN |
2012 |
Captain Planet 2 |
Captain Planet 3 |
|
Captain Planet 4 |
|
Movie: The Movie |
|
2011 |
Captain Planet |
Sacks West |
|
2002 |
The Hire: Ticker |
1986 |
Punk |
1984 |
3 Days |
Producer
Movies | |
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2015 |
Miles Ahead |
2008 |
Traitor |
2004 |
Crash |
Documentaries | |
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2007 |
Darfur Now |
Director
Movies | |
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2015 |
Miles Ahead |
Series | |
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2024 |
The Big Cigar |
The Cuban (E02) |
|
Panther/Producer (E01) |
|
2016 |
House of Lies |
Johari Window (S05E06) |
|
Game Theory (S05E02) |
|
2015 |
House of Lies |
The Urge to Save Humanity Is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule (S04E05) |
|
2014 |
House of Lies |
Associates (S03E04) |
Performer
Screenwriter
Movies | |
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2015 |
Miles Ahead |