Cheadle, Don (1964- )

US actor. Known for his quiet charisma and subtle performances, he became a popular character actor during the 1990s. He first drew wide acclaim for his role opposite Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his leading role in the war drama Hotel Rwanda (2004) and received wide praise for his starring and producing roles in Paul Haggis's racially-charged Academy Award-winning drama Crash (2005).

He has often collaborated with director Steven Soderbergh, as in Out of Sight (1998), Traffic (2000), and Ocean's Eleven (2001).

Other film roles include a porn star in the gritty drama Boogie Nights (1997), a victim of racial violence in the historical drama Rosewood (1997), a gang leader in the edgy political comedy Bulworth (1998), and a struggling mechanic in the crime drama The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004).

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Colorado and Nebraska. He developed an interest in acting and jazz music from a young age. After graduating from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia with a bachelor's degree in fine arts, he made his film debut in Moving Violations (1985).

Television roles include a hotel manager in The Golden Palace (1992) and a district attorney in Picket Fences (1993-95). He won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of Sammy Davis, Jr, in the television biopic The Rat Pack (1998) and an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of a school teacher who counsels a man on death row in A Lesson Before Dying (1999). He has guest starred on a variety of TV series, such as Hill Street Blues and Night Court.