Don Cheadle: biography and filmography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Don Cheadle is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He is best known for his work in the independent films Boogie Nights, Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's Eleven and Traffic, the title role in the television series House of Lies, and appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Rowdy Rose.. Golden Globe Award Winner, Oscar nominee for 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 moved frequently with his family, graduating from high school in Denver State.

During his school years, Don played the saxophone, was in a jazz band and took part in theatrical productions. He was also fond of pantomime. In his youth, he tried himself as a stand-up comedian, but quickly left this kind of activity.

Firstsuccess

In 1987, Don Cheadle played the role of one of the soldiers in the war film "Hamburger Hill". After that, the young actor began to work frequently on television, appearing in small roles in popular TV series of the time, and acted in films, often in episodes.

The first major breakthrough in the filmography of Don Cheadle was the neo-noir "The Devil in a Blue Dress". He played the supporting role of Denzel Washington's mentally unstable friend of the protagonist and received several awards for this work.

A year later, Cheadle played one of the main characters in John Singleton's historical drama Rosewood. And also in 1997, the picture of Paul Thomas Anderson "Boogie Nights" with Don appeared on the screens. Thanks to these works, he received the first wave of fame and began to act much more actively.

Career blossoming

In 1998, the first of five collaborations between Don Cheadle and famed director Steven Soderbergh, the crime comedy Out of Sight, was released. Later, the actor appeared in the heist film Ocean's Eleven and two sequels of the film, and also played the role of an FBI agent in Soderbergh's Oscar-winning film "Traffic".

In 2004, Don Cheadle starred in the historical drama "Hotel Rwanda". For this work, he was nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Actor". A year later, he appeared in the film"Crash", which won the Academy Award for Best Film of the Year.

In subsequent years, the actor continued to work actively. He appeared as a guest star in the hit series ER, and also starred in the spy thriller Traitor and Antoine Fuqua's crime drama Brooklyn Cop.

In 2010 it became known that Terrence Howard would not return to the role of Rhodey Rhodes, Tony Stark's friend, in the blockbuster sequel Iron Man. A few months later, the first photos of Don Cheadle appeared in the image of the famous character from the set. Later, the actor starred in the third Stark film, and Cheadle also played in several other projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From 2012 to 2016, he starred in the series "Resident of Lies", also acted as a producer of the project and directed several episodes. For this work, Don Cheadle received the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

Recent Projects

In 2015, Don Cheadle's first feature film as a director was released. To Kill the Trumpeter is a biographical drama about a few days in the life of famed musician Miles Davis. Cheadle himself played the lead role in the project. The picture was warmly received by critics.

The premiere of the series "Black Monday" is scheduled for 2018 withChidlom in the title role. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldeberg, the creators of Pineapple Express, The Super Peppers and The Interview, are writing and executive producing.

Private life

Don Cheadle has been in a relationship with actress Bridget Coulter for a long time, with whom he worked together on the film "Rosewood". The couple have two children.

The actor is actively involved in charity work, helping organizations to combat global warming and world hunger. After filming the film "Hotel Rwanda", he became interested in the topic of genocide in Africa, wrote two books on this topic together with John Prendergast. In 2017, Don Cheadle and George Clooney received a prize from the Nobel Committee for their work in protecting the inhabitants of Darfur and drawing attention to the problem genocide.

In his free time, the actor is fond of poker, sometimes even acts as a tournament organizer. He is friends with George Clooney, with whom he starred together several times.