Don Cheadle

Actor

About Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle’s philanthropic work includes serving as a U.N. Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.  In 2007 he received the BET Humanitarian Award for the cause of the people of Darfur and Rwanda, and shares the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome with George Clooney for their work in Darfur. Most recently, Cheadle participated in the multi-part SHOWTIME series Years of Living Dangerously which tells the story of our time: climate change and the impact it is having on people right now around the world.

He attended and graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a Bachelor¹s Degree in Fine Arts. Encouraged by his college friends, he participated in a variety of auditions and landed a recurring role on the hit series Fame (1982), which led to feature film roles in Dennis Hopper’s Colors (1988) and John Irvin’s Hamburger Hill (1987). Early in his career, Cheadle was named Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). He has gone on to a variety of roles in both movies and television that have received awards and nominations for his acting roles. A talented musician who plays an array of instruments, writes music and sings, he is also an accomplished stage actor and director and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for his narration/dramatization of the Walter Mosley novel “Fear Itself”.

Last year Cheadle directed his first feature, Miles Ahead, which he also cowrote, produced and stars in the film, based on the life of legendary jazz artist, Miles Davis. Currently, he stars, executive produces and occasionally directs the acclaimed SHOWTIME comedy series House of Lies, which has earned multiple nominations for the series and Cheadle himself, including three Emmy Nominations, a Golden Globe® Award, and two Golden Globe® nominations and SAG Award nomination.