Don Cheadle

American actorTemplate:SHORTDESC:American actor[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]

Template:Use American English
Template:Use mdy dates

**Donald Frank Cheadle Jr.** (Template:IPAc-en; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor, author, director, producer and writer. Following early roles in *Hamburger Hill* (1987), and as the gangster "Rocket" in the film *Colors* (1988), Cheadle built his career in the 1990s with roles in *Devil in a Blue Dress* (1995), *Rosewood* (1997) and *Boogie Nights* (1997). His collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh resulted in the films *Out of Sight* (1998), *Traffic* (2000) and *The Ocean's Trilogy* (2001–2007).

Cheadle was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role as Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in the historical genocide drama film *Hotel Rwanda* (2004). From 2012 to 2016, he starred as Marty Kaan on the Showtime comedy series *House of Lies*; he won a Golden Globe Award in 2013 for the role. Since 2019, Cheadle has starred as Maurice Monroe in the Showtime series *Black Monday*, a role which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2019.

Cheadle extended his global recognition with his role as the superhero War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing Terrence Howard. He appeared in *Iron Man 2* (2010), *Iron Man 3* (2013), *Avengers: Age of Ultron* (2015), *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018), *Captain Marvel* (2019), and *Avengers: Endgame* (2019).

## Early life

Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bettye Cheadle (née North), a teacher, and Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist. He has a sister, Cindy, and a brother, Colin. His family moved from city to city throughout his childhood. He attended Hartley Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1970 to 1974. Cheadle graduated in 1982 from East High School in Denver, Colorado. During high school, he played saxophone in the jazz band, sang in the choirs and was active in the theater department, performing in musicals, plays, and mime shows under the direction of Catherine Davis.

Cheadle went on to attend the California Institute of the Arts graduating with a BFA in Theater in 1986.

## Film and television work

Cheadle became eligible for his Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card when he appeared as a burger joint employee in the 1985 comedy *Moving Violations*. In 1987, he received a small role in season 7, episode 19 of *Hill Street Blues*, where he played a teenager with learning difficulties. This was followed by an appearance in *Hamburger Hill* the same year; Cheadle secured the role of Jack in the April 1, 1988, "Jung and the Restless" episode of *Night Court*. Although his character was 16 years old, Cheadle was 23 at the time.

Cheadle then played the role of Rocket in the 1988 movie *Colors*. In 1989, he appeared in a video for Angela Winbush's No. 2 hit single "It's the Real Thing", performing dance moves in an orange jumpsuit, working at a car wash. In 1990, he appeared in an episode of *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* titled "Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy", playing Will Smith's friend and Hilary's first love interest, Ice Tray. In 1992, he played a supporting role in *The Golden Girls* spin-off *The Golden Palace*. Cheadle subsequently played district attorney John Littleton on three seasons of *Picket Fences*.

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. Following soon thereafter was his performance in the title role of the 1996 HBO TV movie *Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault*. He also starred in the 1997 film *Volcano*, directed by Mick Jackson.Don Cheadle also starred in Rush Hour 2 (2001), with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker..

Cheadle's television credits include Emmy-nominated performances in the movies *The Rat Pack*, *A Lesson Before Dying*, *Things Behind the Sun* and in a guest appearance on *ER*. The last of these spanned four episodes during the show's ninth season, in which he portrayed Paul Nathan, a medical student struggling to cope with Parkinson's disease. He has made appearances in films including *Rosewood*, *The Family Man*, *Boogie Nights*, *Out of Sight*, *Traffic*, and *Ocean's Eleven*. These last three were directed by Steven Soderbergh. He made a cameo appearance in the film *Abby Singer*. In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in the film *Hotel Rwanda*. He also starred in and co-produced *Crash*, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance in *Crash*, Cheadle was nominated for the BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Supporting Actor. He played the main character in the movie *Traitor*.

In March 2007, Cheadle starred with comedian Adam Sandler in Mike Binder's *Reign Over Me*, a comedy-drama about a man who has slipped away from reality after the death of his wife and three daughters in 9/11. The film was a box office flop, earning a domestic gross of $22.2 million. Cheadle later starred in the 2009 DreamWorks Pictures film *Hotel for Dogs*. Cheadle was to make his directorial debut with the adaptation of Elmore Leonard's *Tishomingo Blues*, but in July 2007 he stated, "'Tishomingo' is dead..."

Cheadle 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 get fans to 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 every player on a football team is Don Cheadle.

In 2009, Cheadle and *Boondocks* creator Aaron McGruder worked on a potential comedy show on NBC. The "project revolve[d] around mismatched brothers who reunite to open a private security company." Cheadle and McGruder were slated to serve as executive producers, while McGruder was expected to write the script.

Also in 2009, Cheadle performed in *The People Speak*, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's *A People's History of the United States*.

In 2010, Cheadle assumed the role of War Machine / James Rhodes in *Iron Man 2* (2010), replacing Terrence Howard. Cheadle reprised this role in *Iron Man 3* (2013), *Avengers: Age of Ultron* (2015), *Captain America: Civil War* (2016), *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018), and *Avengers: Endgame* (2019).

From 2012 to 2016, Cheadle starred in the Showtime TV series *House of Lies*. In 2013, he won the Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on the show.

Cheadle spent ten years writing and producing the film *Miles Ahead* (2016) based on the life of jazz musician Miles Davis. Cheadle also directed and starred in the film. Locations for the movie were found in Cincinnati.

In 2018, Cheadle guest-starred in the first-season finale of *DuckTales*, providing Donald Duck's new voice box.

## Activism

Cheadle has campaigned to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Cheadle and John Prendergast co-authored a book about this issue entitled *Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond*. With George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, David Pressman and Jerry Weintraub, Cheadle co-founded the Not On Our Watch Project, an organization focusing global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities. Cheadle was awarded the BET Humanitarian award of the year in 2007 for his humanitarian work for the people of Darfur and Rwanda.

At the 2007 World Series of Poker, Cheadle and poker player Annie Duke organized an annual charity poker tournament, Ante Up for Africa.

On December 13, 2007, Cheadle and fellow actor George Clooney were presented with the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome for their work to stop the genocide and relieve the suffering of the people of Darfur.

Cheadle has worked with the United Nations on climate change concerns. He and Harrison Ford created a documentary event series entitled *Years of Living Dangerously* that provided first-hand reports on those affected by, and seeking solutions to climate change. He is also on the Advisory Board of Citizens' Climate Lobby.

In 2010, Cheadle was named U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador. Also in 2010, he and Prendergast published their second book: *The Enough Moment: Fighting to End Africa's Worst Human Rights Crimes*.

On his 2019 *Saturday Night Live* appearance, he wore a T-shirt saying 'protect trans kids'.

## Personal life

 File:Don Cheadle 2007.jpg
In 2008, Cheadle's family history was profiled on the PBS series *African American Lives 2*. A DNA test revealed that Cheadle is of Cameroonian descent. Another DNA test revealed that among his African ancestry, one-third comes from the region from Senegal to Liberia, just over one-quarter comes from the Congo-Angola region, and the rest comes from western Nigeria and Benin.

Cheadle has two children with his long-term partner, actress and *Rosewood* co-star Bridgid Coulter.

## Filmography

*Main article: List of Don Cheadle performances*

## References

Williams, Kam (January 12, 2009). "Don Cheadle: The Hotel for Dogs Interview". KamWilliams.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190821201031/http://www.kamwilliams.com/2009/01/don-cheadle-hotel-for-dogs-interview.html. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
2. ↑ "UPI Almanac for Friday, Nov. 29, 2019", United Press International (November 29, 2019). Retrieved on January 11, 2020. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. "…actor Don Cheadle in 1964 (age 55)"
3. ↑ "Today's random fact: Cheadle was here" (in en), *JournalStar.com*.
4. ↑ "How Did You Get Your SAG-AFTRA Card?" *TV Guide*, January 13, 2014. p. 10.
5. ↑ Johnson, Kevin C.. "Angela Winbush tells of career struggles, cancer battle in 'Unsung'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/angela-winbush-tells-of-career-struggles-cancer-battle-in-unsung/article\_0e363b2f-81d3-52bd-af35-e916b93208a6.html. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
6. ↑ "It's Evening in America". *Vanity Fair*. May 2012. p. 155.
7. ↑ "Don Cheadle joins 'Iron Man 2'". Azcentral.com. October 14, 2008. http://www.azcentral.com/ent/movies/articles/2008/10/14/20081014cheadle.html. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
8. ↑ "Don Cheadle Joins Hotel for Dogs". Movieweb.com. http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEDZSGFF0tRZIE. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
9. ↑ "Don Cheadle Talks to Us". Comingsoon.net. July 6, 2007. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=21703. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
10. ↑ Thomaselli, Rich (November 2, 2006). "Advertising Age". Adage.com. http://adage.com/article?article\_id=112930. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Cheadle, McGruder Team For New Series". Blogs.bet.com. October 28, 2009. http://blogs.bet.com/entertainment/staytuned/cheadle-mcgruder-team-for-new-series. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
12. ↑ "Don Cheadle, 'Boondocks' creator Aaron McGruder team on NBC comedy; Brad Pitt takes a tumble; and more: The Morning After". Cleveland.com. October 26, 2009. http://www.cleveland.com/people/index.ssf/2009/10/don\_cheadle\_boondocks\_creator.html. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
13. ↑ "Credits". The People Speak. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100713025528/http://www.thepeoplespeak.com/pages/credits/. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
14. ↑ Thompson, Arienne (December 12, 2013). "Don Cheadle mellow, 'barely awake' after Globes news". *USA Today*. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213094317/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/12/12/don-cheadle-mellow-barely-awake-after-globes-news/3999859/. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
15. ↑ "Don Cheadle Wins Golden Globe For Best Comedy Actor". January 13, 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/13/don-cheadle-golden-globes\_n\_2468326.html. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
16. ↑ Schilling, Dave (April 2, 2016). "'It has to be hot. It has to be creative': Don Cheadle on his 10-year quest to play Miles Davis", *The Guardian*. Retrieved on May 17, 2016.
17. ↑ "Don Cheadle starts filming 'Miles Ahead' Monday". http://www.cincinnati.com/story/tvandmediablog/2014/07/03/don-cheadle-miles-davis-miles-ahead-ewan-mcgregor-cincinnati-movies-jaguar/12153927/. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
18. ↑ Coggan, Devan (July 20, 2018). "Don Cheadle to voice Donald Duck on 'DuckTales'" (in en). https://ew.com/comic-con/2018/07/20/don-cheadle-donald-duck-ducktales/.
19. ↑ "BET AWARDS '07: HUMANITARIAN AWARD". http://www.bet.com/video/betawards/2007/acceptance/don-cheadle-acceptance-speech-beta-2007.html. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
20. ↑ "Ante Up for Africa". *anteupforafrica.org*. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080217225749/http://www.anteupforafrica.org/2008.html. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
21. ↑ "2010 WSOP Schedule". http://www.wsop.com/tournaments. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
22. ↑ "Clooney and Cheadle Honored by Nobel Prize Winners" (in en). https://people.com/celebrity/clooney-and-cheadle-honored-by-nobel-prize-winners/.
23. ↑ Don Cheadle and Harrison Ford explore climate change in *Years of Living Life Dangerously*, dailynews.com; accessed June 22, 2015.
24. ↑ "About CCL – Citizens' Climate Lobby" (in en-US). http://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/#advisoryboard. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
25. ↑ Template:Cite book
26. ↑ "Don Cheadle Makes Powerful Political Statement as 'SNL' Host" (in en-US). https://www.etonline.com/don-cheadle-makes-powerful-political-statement-as-saturday-night-live-host-119855.
27. ↑ "African American Lives 2 Profiles: Don Cheadle". PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/aalives/profiles/cheadle.html. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
28. ↑ Gates, Jr., Henry L. (2009). "*In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past*". https://books.google.be/books?id=0cralRa6tlYC&pg=PA359#v=onepage&q=don%20cheadle%20benin.
29. ↑ "Bridgid Coulter". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0183499/.

## External links

Template:Commons category

* Template:IMDb name
* Template:Iobdb name

Template:Navboxes

Template:Authority control