Don Cheadle

Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (born November 29, 1964) is an American actor known for his extensive work across film and television. Throughout his career, he has earned numerous accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, two Grammy Awards, and a Tony Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and 11 Primetime Emmy Awards. Cheadle is also among a small group of performers to receive nominations across all four EGOT categories.

Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Bettye Cheadle, a teacher, and Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist. His family moved frequently during his childhood, and he attended Hartley Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska, before graduating from East High School in Denver, Colorado, in 1982. During high school, he played saxophone in the jazz band, sang in choirs, and acted in plays and musicals. He subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater in 1986.

While attending college, Cheadle performed in various theatrical productions. He obtained his Screen Actors Guild card appearing in the 1985 comedy Moving Violations, followed by television guest appearances on Hill Street Blues, Night Court, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His early feature film roles included Hamburger Hill (1987) and Colors (1988). On television, he went on to star as hotel manager Roland Wilson in The Golden Palace and played district attorney John Littleton on three seasons of Picket Fences.

Cheadle achieved widespread notice for his portrayal of Mouse Alexander in the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress, winning Best Supporting Actor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. In 1997, he appeared in Rosewood, Volcano, and Boogie Nights. His performance in Out of Sight (1998) marked his first collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh, with whom he later worked on Traffic (2000), The Ocean's Trilogy (2001–2007), and No Sudden Move (2021). Cheadle also won a Golden Globe Award for portraying Sammy Davis Jr. in the 1998 television movie The Rat Pack.

In 2004, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. He also starred in and co-produced Crash (2005), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned him BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild nominations. His later film projects included Reign Over Me (2007), Traitor, and Hotel for Dogs (2009). Cheadle spent a decade writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2016 Miles Davis biographical film Miles Ahead, winning a Grammy Award for its soundtrack.

Beginning with Iron Man 2 in 2010, Cheadle joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe portraying James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine, reprising the role across multiple films and television series, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). On television, Cheadle starred as Marty Kaan in House of Lies (2012–2016), winning a Golden Globe Award in 2013, and as Maurice Monroe in Black Monday (2019–2021), earning Emmy nominations for both series.

Cheadle's recent work includes roles in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021), Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, and Unstoppable (2024). In April 2026, he made his Broadway debut in a revival of David Auburn's play Proof. Outside of acting, Cheadle is a prominent humanitarian who co-founded the Not on Our Watch Project, authored two books on human rights issues, served as a U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador, and won a 2022 Tony Award as a producer for the musical A Strange Loop.