by Dawn R. Cole

Created on: April 16, 2008   Last Updated: May 01, 2008

Hollywood Actor Biography: Don Cheadle - Person of Courage

Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Mo., on November 29, 1964. He got his start in the TV series "Fame," his first movie role in 1988 in the film "Colors," but the movie "Devil in a Blue Dress," co-staring Denzel Washington, was his "big break" into the major motion picture realm.

Cheadle has acted in more than two-dozen movies including:

"Boogie Nights"
"Out of Sight"
"Traffic"
"Hotel Rwanda"
"Ocean's Eleven" (and both sequels)
"Crash" (Won Best Picture Oscar in 2005)

Cheadle's life mission changed in 2004, after his Academy Award nominated portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." Filmed in Africa, the movie brought worldwide attention to the more than 1,000 Tutsis lives that were saved from extermination at the hands of the Hutus by a hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina, during the Rwandan genocide. Cheadle and Rusesabagina developed a friendship during that time and Cheadle was deeply moved and upset by his experiences. He wanted to help make a difference in the lives of the people in the Sudan region that were in the midst of similar racial conflicts.

After learning of the horrors and atrocities occurring in Darfur, Cheadle made the choice to step away from Hollywood and became one of the first celebrities to advocate on behalf of the more than 200,000 people who had been killed and the over 2.5 million that had been displaced since 2003.

Cheadle took action by enlisting the aid of fellow actors, musicians, and holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, a Nobel Laureate and the author of "Night," an autobiographical novel based on his true-life experience with genocide, to launch "Live in Darfur." It consisted of a series of performances and events to bring attention to the plight of those suffering in Darfur and push the U.S. government's hand in taking decisive action.

Cheadle went on to co-write the book, "Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond," with John Prendergast, a noted human rights activist. Cheadle teamed up with his "Ocean's Eleven" co-star and friend, George Clooney, also an activist, and produced the documentary, "Darfur Now," in hopes of showing the world the desperate situation of those living in the deplorable conditions of the displaced person's camps. (The camps were the only means of protection the rural villagers had from the raping and slaughtering of the government-sanctioned mercenaries.)

Don Cheadle's efforts have brought worldwide attention to the issue and motivated human rights organizations, governments, corporations, and individuals to join in his quest to help the innocent victims in Darfur. He has put his life into this cause and is truly a person of courage.

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