by Marina Shemesh

Created on: June 09, 2008   Last Updated: December 29, 2009

Don Cheadle is not very tall, broad shoulderd or loud mouthed. Yet this slender actor with the deep stare commands attentiion wherever he goes. Everything he does turns out to be successful.

Don Cheadle was born on the 29th of November 1964 in Kansan city. His parents, are Donald, a child psycologist and Betty, a teacher. The couple have two other children called Colin and Cindy.The family moved around a lot . In 1982 Don graduated from the East High School in Denver, Colorado. He than attended CalArts and earned his B.A. degree in Fine Arts.

His partner is Bridgid Coulter who is an actress herself. She played his wife in the movie "Rosewood". The couple have two daughters.

Don Cheadle got his first break when he played a hotel clerk in the shortlived  series"The Golden Palace". He was also in the television series "Fame" and then worked in his first movie "Moving Violations" in 1985.

He received the Best Supporting Actor reward by playing the charater Mouse Alexander in the movie "Devil in a Blue Dress" from the Los Angeles Film Critics.

Don Cheadle slowly started to get recognition across the world by starring in the movies "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve". He only had a small role in these movies but his acting was much more memorable than those of his more famous co-stars George Clooney and Matt Damon.

In "Hotel Rwanda" he played the role of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina, who harbored refuges in the hotel during the 1990's genocide in Rwanda. Don Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for his remarkable acting in this movie.Acting in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" made Don Cheadle realize what terrible horror people lived through in the Rwandian genocide. It inspired him become an activist to raise awareness of the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In January 2007 Don Cheadle travelled with members of the U.S. Congress to the Sudan area. They visited refugee camps and talked to survivors. He said that the trip had changed him so much that it was hard to come back "to my comfortable life and take stock in all he privilages...and do nothing."

His trip inspired Don Cheadle to write the book 'Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond" with human rights activist John Prendergest. In the book they realize that it is a daunting task to try and bring an end to genocide yet hope that their book  will draw attention to the refugees in the Darfur region. The United Nations estimated that 200 000 people had been killed and 2,5 million had been displaced.

It was not enough to be a mere actor and activist, Don Cheadle tried his hand at producing and directing movies and succeeded. He starred and produced the thought provoking movie "Crash". It was rewarded with the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005. He then went on to direct the movie "Tishomingo Blues" written by Elmore Leonard.

Other movies that Don Cheadle have played in since are "Talk to Me", "Ocean's Thirteen" and the documentary "Darfur Now" from 2007. The movies "Traitor", "Hotel for Dogs" and "Toussaint" are either in post- or pre- production.

Actor, producer, director, author and humanitarian. Whatever project Don Cheadle decides to take on, is done well and professionally. It seems that we will see less of his acting since he finds it hard to balance it with a family life.It that means that we have to wait until his youngest turn eighteen, so be it. Don Cheadle has already proven himself with his writing and producing. He is not the kind of man that waits for a phone call, he makes them.

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