by Skylar Taylor

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

Don Cheadle was born in Kansas City MO but moved throughout his childhood. Cheadle is the son of a child psychologist and a teacher. One of his brothers works in the Denver Mayors office. He has a sister that works as a teacher in Washington. Cheadle also has a half-brother. Cheadle and his wife actress Bridgid Coulter have two daughters born in 1995 and 1997. Cheadle and his wife can be seen in the film "Rosewood" which touches on the 1923 murders carried out against an African American Community in Florida. Cheadle worked briefly as a stand-up comic and plays the saxophone.

Don Cheadle is well known for his many film roles, in a career that spans from his breakthrough role in the television series "Fame" to his roles in major films today. The most important role for Cheadle both professionally and personally would be "Hotel Rwanda". This film brought national attention to the early 1990s Rwandan genocide. Cheadle has gone on to be an activist raising awareness to the mid-2000s genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In January 2005, he traveled to Sudan with five members of Congress to see refugee camps and to meet survivors of the genocide. Upon his return, he reported on his experience for ABC News Nightline. Cheadle, who has received numerous awards for his performance as inn keeper Paul Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda", has devoted much of his time since making the movie to raising this country's awareness of the genocidal massacre in Rwanda, where a million people died in just 100 days in 1994,and the continued current crisis in Sudan. Cheadle narrated the feature and interviewed refugees and members of a Congressional delegation that recently visited the country. Cheadle has been criticized by Rwandan president Paul Kagame for not portraying his country's 1994 genocide accurately.

Cheadle along with fellow actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon created the "Not on my watch" organization to not only address the issues in Darfur but to also provide aide and raise awareness to the travesties taking place all over the globe. Cheadle has been a long honored film star but now he is becoming an honored activist as well. He was nominated by the NAACP for an image award and recently was honored by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Recently, he has been calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games this summer. Cheadle has taken his star power and is using it for the good of mankind. We should take from his example and find our causes to support and fight for to the end. It takes a great man to step beyond himself and take the hand of his fellow man, making a difference and leaving an indelible mark upon the world.

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