Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City but moved throughout his childhood. He attended CalArts and earned his BA in Fine Arts. He auditioned for many roles, and won a part on the television series Fame. He was then cast in the John Irvin film Hamburger Hill. He first became recognized in Devil in a Blue Dress, which won him the Best Supporting Actor Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics. Cheadle is a highly respected actor who has won many awards and continues to act on both television movies and features, as well as in theater productions. He lives in Los Angeles, California.


Brother of Colin Cheadle and Cindy Cheadle. Graduated from East High School in Denver, Colorado. Drives a hybrid car, Toyota Prius. Has a half-brother named Andrew Kilbourne. He and Bridgid Coulter have two daughters (born in 1995 and 1997). Plays the saxophone In July 2005, he officially toured the Hotel des Milles Collines in Kigali, Rwanda on which the film Hotel Rwanda (2004) is based. Hotel Rwanda (2004) is ranked #90 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time, the most recent entry on the list. Appeared in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV) as Sammy Davis Jr., who along with the other Rat Pack members, appeared in the original _Ocean's 11_(1960)_. Cheadle then appeared in the remake, Ocean's Eleven (2001). Replaced Terrence Howard in the role of Col. James Rhodes for Iron Man 2 (2010). Howard, who played Rhodes in Iron Man (2008), had a falling out with Marvel Studios, because of a salary dispute.