Everything about Don Cheadle totally explained
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle (born
November 29,
1964) is an
Academy Award-nominated and
Golden Globe Award-winning
American actor,
film producer,
philanthropist, and
author. Cheadle rose to prominence after a series of supporting roles in films such as
Out of Sight,
Traffic, and the
Ocean's Eleven series of films. In
2004, Cheadle's portrayal of
Rwandan hotel manager
Paul Rusesabagina in the film
Hotel Rwanda, gained him a nomination for an
Academy Award for Best Actor in a leading role. Cheadle also campaigns for the end of genocide in
Darfur,
Sudan, and co-authored a book concerning the issue titled
Not On Our Watch: The Mission To End Genocide In Darfur And Beyond.
Biography
Early life
Don Cheadle was born in
Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Betty, a bank manager and psychology teacher, and Donald Cheadle, a clinical
psychologist. He has a sister, Cindy, and a brother, Colin. Cheadle graduated in 1982 from
Nelson High School in
Burlington, Ontario. Cheadle went on to graduate from the
California Institute of the Arts.
Career
Cheadle acted in
Hamburger Hill in 1987. He also played the role of "Jack" in the April 1, 1988 "Jung and the Restless" episode of
Night Court. Although his character "Jack" was supposed to be 16 years old, Cheadle was already 24 at the time.
Cheadle then got his film breakthrough playing the role of 'Rocket' in the 1988 movie
Colors. He can be noticed in the opening minutes of the film when he shoots a rival gang member. In
1989, he appeared in a video for
Angela Winbush's #2 hit single "
It's The Real Thing", performing dance moves in an orange jump suit, working at a car wash. He also starred in an episode of
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, playing Will's friend Ice Tray.
Cheadle first received widespread notice for his portrayal of Mouse Alexander in the film
Devil in a Blue Dress, for which he won Best Supporting Actor awards from the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the
National Society of Film Critics, and was nominated for similar awards from the
Screen Actors Guild and the
NAACP Image Awards. His fame spread with a recurring role as the district attorney on the television series
Picket Fences. Since then he's appeared in films including
Rosewood,
The Family Man,
Boogie Nights, a cameo appearance in the film
Abby Singer,
Out of Sight,
Traffic, and
Ocean's Eleven (2001). These last three were directed by
Steven Soderbergh. In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of
Paul Rusesabagina in
Hotel Rwanda. He also starred in, and was one of the producers of
Crash, which won the 2005
Academy Award for Best Picture.
Cheadle was to make his directorial debut with the adaptation of
Elmore Leonard's
Tishomingo Blues. In a July, 2007 interview he stated, "'Tishomingo' is dead…"
Cheadle has also appeared in
NFL commercials promoting the
Super Bowl from 2002 to 2005. He so regularly appeared for the
NFL in its
Super Bowl advertising that in 2006, in a drive to have fans submit their own advertising ideas, the NFL sought his permission to reference his previous commercials to portray themselves as having no new ideas -- "he quickly signed off on the idea and found it funny." Abe Sutton (along with Etan Bednarsh), one of the finalists in this NFL contest, played on this commercial by proposing an ad where an entire team of football players are Don Cheadle.
Although he loves acting, Cheadle struggles with balancing his career with his family life. Ideally he'd want a less time-consuming career, such as writing or producing, until after his children turn 18.
Personal life
Cheadle and his longtime girlfriend, actress
Bridgid Coulter, have two daughters: Ayana Tai (born 1995) and Imani (born 1997).
According to Brett Ratner, director of the film
After the Sunset, Cheadle is an expert player of the game of
Go, and advised
Pierce Brosnan and
Salma Hayek for a scene in the film in which they play it.
According to the episode of the "National Heads-Up Poker Championship" aired on
NBC on 15 April 2007, Cheadle defeated noted poker champion
Phil Ivey in the first round of the tournament. The two met in the "Hearts & Diamonds" bracket. Cheadle, as an amateur player, was considered a significant underdog against the professional Ivey, notorious for his stone-cold "poker face". On the episode aired April 29, 2007, in the second round of the tournament, Cheadle was defeated and knocked out of the tournament by Vegas poker pro
Scott Fischman.
At the
2007 World Series of Poker, Cheadle and poker player
Annie Duke organized a charity poker tournament, "Ante Up for Africa". Many Hollywood actors are expected to play in the tournament, which will have a
$5,000 buy-in. Money finishers are encouraged to donate part of their winnings to
The International Rescue Committee or
The ENOUGH Project.
In 2008 Cheadle's family history was profiled on the
PBS series
African American Lives 2. A DNA test shows that he's
Cameroonian ancestry.
Filmography
Television series
Fame 2 episodes (1986)
L.A. Law (1986)
Hill Street Blues (1987)
The Bronx Zoo (1987)
Night Court (1988)
Hooperman (1988)
Booker (1989)
China Beach (1990)
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in episode "Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy" (1991)
Hangin' With Mr. Cooper 2 episodes (1992)
The Golden Palace (1992-1993)
Picket Fences (1993-1995)
The Simpsons in episode: "Faith Off" (2000)
The Bernie Mac Show (2002)
ER 4 episodes (2002)
MAD TV 2 episodes (2002-2003)
The Colbert Report 1 episode (2006)
The Henry Rollins Show 1 episode (2007)
Theatre
Topdog/Underdog off-Broadway performances (2001)Further Information
Get more info on 'Don Cheadle'.
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