Don Cheadle is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. Best known for working in independent films “Boogie Nights,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “Ocean’s Eleven Friends” and “Traffic”, starring in the series “Resident Lies” and appearing in films by the Marvel movie in the image of Rowdy Rose Winner of the Golden Globe Award, nominee for an Oscar in the category "Best Actor".
Childhood and youth
Don Cheadle was born November 29, 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri. Full name is Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. As a child, he often moved with his family, graduated from high school in Denver.
In school, Don played the saxophone, was a jazz band and took part in theatrical productions. Also fond of pantomime. In his youth, he tried himself as a stand-up comedian, but quickly left this occupation.
First successes
Don Cheadle played the role of one of the soldiers in the military movie “Hamburger Height” in 1987. After that, the young actor often began working on television, appearing in small roles in popular TV shows of the time, and starred in films, often in episodes.
The first major breakthrough in Don Cheadle's filmography was the neonoire Devil in a Blue Dress. He played a minor role as the mentally unstable friend of the protagonist performed by Denzel Washington and received several awards for this work.
A year later, Cheadle performed one of the main characters in John Singleton’s historical drama Rosewood. And also in 1997, the picture was released by Paul Thomas Anderson "Boogie Nights" with Don. Thanks to these works, he received the first wave of fame and began to act much more actively.
Career heyday
In 1998, the first of five joint films by Don Cheadle and famous director Steven Soderbergh was released, the crime comedy Out of Sight. The actor later appeared in the robbery film "Ocean's Eleven" and two sequels of the picture, and also played the role of the FBI agent in Soderberg's Oscar-winning film "Traffic."
Don Cheadle starred in the historical drama Hotel Rwanda in 2004. For this work, he was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actor category, and a year later he appeared in the movie Clash, which received the Academy Award for " Best movie of the year. "
In subsequent years, the actor continued to work actively. He appeared as a guest star in the popular TV series Ambulance, and also starred in the spy thriller The Traitor and Antoine Fukua's crime drama Brooklyn Police.
In 2010, it became known that Terrence Howard would not return to the role of Rowdy Rhodes, a friend of Tony Stark, in the sequel to the Iron Man blockbuster. A few months later, the first photos of Don Cheadle appeared in the image of a famous character from the set. Later, the actor starred in the third film about Stark, and Cheadle also played in several other projects of the Marvel Cinema Universe.
From 2012 to 2016, he played the main role in the series "Resident of Lies", also acted as the producer of the project and directed several episodes. For this work, Don Cheadle received the Golden Globe in the nomination "Best Actor in a Comedy Series."
Recent projects
In 2015, the first full-length film of Don Cheadle as a director was released. The biographical drama "Kill the Trumpeter" tells about several days in the life of the famous musician Miles Davis. Cheadle himself played a major role in the project. The picture was warmly received by critics.
For 2018, the premiere of the series "Black Monday" with Cheadle in the title role is planned. Setwriters and executive producers are Seth Rogen and Evan Golebdeberg, creators of the films Pineapple Express, Super Peppers, and Interviews.
Personal life
Don Cheadle has long been in a relationship with actress Bridget Coulter, with whom he worked on the film "Rosewood." The couple has two children.
The actor is actively involved in charity work and helps organizations to combat global warming and world hunger. After filming the film "Hotel" Rwanda "became interested in the topic of genocide in Africa, wrote two books on this subject together with John Prendergast. In 2017, Don Cheadle and George Clooney received a prize from the Nobel Committee for activities to protect the people of Darfur and draw attention to the problem genocide.
In his spare time, the actor is interested in poker, sometimes even acts as the organizer of tournaments. He is friends with George Clooney, with whom he starred several times.