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Don Cheadle is not very tall, broad shoulderd or loud. Yet this diminutive actor with the deep stare commands attentiion wherever he goes. He has lived the live of a hunderd year old in his fourty-four years succeeding in everything he decides to do.

Don Cheadle was born on the 29th of November 1964 in Kansan city. His parents, Donald a
child psycologist and Betty, a teacher also 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.

He lives with Bridgid Coulter who 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 "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 memoriable than those of his more famous co-stars George Clooney and Matt Damon.

He was nominated for an Oscar for his remarkable acting in the movie "Hotel Rwanda". In the movie he becomes the person Paul Rusesabagina who as a hotel manager harbored refuges in the hotel durng the 1990's genocide in Rwanda.

Acting in the movie "Hotel Rwanda" made Don Cheadle realize what terrible horror people lived through in the Rwandian genocide. It made him become an activist to raise awareness of the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Don Cheadle starred and produced the thought provoking movie "Crash". It was rewarded with the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005. He then went on to direst the movie "Tishomingo Blues" written by Elmore Leonard.

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.

They hoped though 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.

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.

Learn more about this author, Marina Shemesh.
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