Don Cheadle Biography (3)
He received an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe award for his remarkable portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. in HBO's The Rat Pack. He also earned an Emmy nomination for his role in HBO's A Lesson Before Dying, alongside Cicely Tyson and Mekhi Phifer. He was also seen in Warren Beatty's Bulworth, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination, and Out of Sight, the Steven Soderbergh-directed adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel, alongside George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez and Ving Rhames.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Cheadle later relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado and eventually settled in Los Angeles. He attended the prestigious CalArts 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 film and television roles while attending school and landed a recurring role on the hit series Fame.
Cheadle was then cast in the feature film Hamburger Hill, in the role of Washburn, opposite Dylan McDermott and directed by John Irvin. His additional film credits include Boogie Nights, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Volcano, opposite Tommy Lee Jones, the John Singleton-directed Rosewood, for which he also received an NAACP Image Award nomination, Colors, and Meteor Man, directed by Robert Townsend.
His stage credits include roles in The Grapes of Wrath and Liquid Skin at The Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis, Cymbeline at The New York Shakespeare Festival, ‘Tis 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.
Well-known for his two-year stint in the role of district attorney John Littleton on the critically acclaimed series Picket Fences, Cheadle's other television credits include a starring role in HBO's Rebound: The Legend of Earl ‘The Goat' Manigault, directed by Eriq LaSalle; a series regular role on The Golden Palace and a recurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
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 and the critically acclaimed The Trip at Friends and Artists Theater in Hollywood.
In addition, Cheadle is also currently focused on writing a screenplay as well as trying to find a home for his most current stage production entitled Groomed. The play made its Los Angeles debut at last year's New Works Festival at the Mark Taper Forum.
Cheadle resides in Los Angeles and is currently preparing to direct a movie for Jersey Films.
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