Don Cheadle biography

Synopsis

Actor. Born Donald Frank Cheadle, Jr. on November 29, 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri, as the middle child in a family of three children. Cheadle was turned on to acting at an early age; while attending elementary school in Denver, Colorado, he played Templeton the Rat in a stage adaptation of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. "I remember carrying my script around and studying it like I do now," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I don't know why but I was serious about acting even then."

Cheadle entered the California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, in 1982. At CalArts, Cheadle received a rigorous education in classic theatre, and by the time he graduated he quickly found work in television. He appeared in episodes of shows such as Fame, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues, while also taking the time to do stage performances.

Cheadle began a recurring role as District Attorney John Littleton in the television series Picket Fences (1992 - 96). The role brought him notice in Hollywood, but it was a more complex detective role that brought him to greater acclaim; his riveting portrayal of trigger-happy Mouse Alexander in the film Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) catapulted Cheadle to critical success. Based on the novel by Walter Mosely, and also starring Denzel Washington, the film explored the heart of the Los Angeles black community in the 1940s. Cheadle won awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild and N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards.

Cheadle continued to make appearances on TV throughout the 90s, earning Emmy nominations for the HBO film A Lesson Before Dying (1993) and the Showtime movie Things Behind the Sun (2001). He also made critically acclaimed appearances in films such as Boogie Nights (1997) and Traffic (2000).

In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in the film Hotel Rwanda (2004), a film about the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He also starred in, and co-produced the movie Crash (2005), which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture, and earned Cheadle a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2010, he is set to appear in Iron Man 2.

Cheadle currently resides in Santa Monica, California, with actress Bridgid Coulter and their two daughters.

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