Don Cheadle Biography (2)

Reign Over Me - More Posters & Photos »

Don Cheadle has consistently turned in powerful performances on the stage and screen. First recognized by the Los Angeles Film Critics as Best Supporting Actor for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in Devil In a Blue Dress, Cheadle has gone to star in such features as the Academy Award-winning Traffic, Ocean's Eleven and Out Of Sight. His other movie credits include Boogie Nights, Volcano, Rosewood, Swordfish, Mission To Mars, Bulworth and director Brett Ratner's Family Man. He will next be seen in Ocean's Twelve and Hotel Rwanda. In addition, Cheadle has embraced independent features, such as Allison Anders' Things Behind The Sun which aired on Showtime and earned him an Emmy nomination. He also starred in the all digital movie, Manic, by Director Jordan Melamed, and more recently, The United States Of Leland for Kevin Spacey's Trigger Street Productions.

For television, well-known for his two-year stint on David E. Kelly's critically-acclaimed series, Picket Fences, Cheadle won the Golden Globe for his remarkable portrayal of ‘Sammy Davis Jr.' in HBO's The Rat Pack, a performance that also earned him an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor. That same year he was nominated for an Emmy as Best Actor in HBO's A Lesson For Dying.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Cheadle attended California Institute of the Arts where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. With the encouragement of college friends, Cheadle auditioned for numerous roles and eventually landed a recurring role on the hit series, Fame. This lead to feature film roles in Colors, directed by Dennis Hopper, the John Irvin directed Hamburger Hill and Meteor Man, directed by Robert Townsend.

Cheadle will next be directing his first feature film, Tishomingo Blues. Production is set to begin this fall.

Buy more detailed movie star biographies in the Movie Star Bookstore.