Don Cheadle Biography

Don Cheadle is an American actor of African descent who has received various awards, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After appearing in Hamburger Hill in 1987 and in Colors as the gangster “Rocket” in 1988, he built his career in the 1990s with appearances in Devil in a Blue Dress, Rebound: The Legend of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault, Rosewood, Boogie Nights, and Bulworth.

Don Cheadle Education

Cheadle studied at Hartley Elementary School in Lincoln from 1970 to 1974. Next, he joined East High School in Denver where he graduated in 1982. While there, he played saxophone in the jazz band, sang in choirs, and was actively involved in the theater department where he performed in musicals, plays, and mime shows. After finishing high school, he joined the California Institute of the Arts, where he graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor Of Fine Arts degree in Theatre.

Don Cheadle Career

Cheadle has received various awards, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Further, he has received nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and 11 Primetime Emmy Awards. His nominations for  Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony made him one of the black people to receive a nomination for the EGOT awards.

After appearing in Hamburger Hill in 1987 and in Colors as the gangster “Rocket” in 1988, he built his career in the 1990s with appearances in Devil in a Blue Dress, Rebound: The Legend of Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault, Rosewood, Boogie Nights, and Bulworth. He collaborated with Steven Soderbergh in the films, Out of Sight, Traffic, The Ocean’s Trilogy, and No Sudden Move.

In 2004, he received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. In 2005, he co-produced Crash. Cheadle gained further recognition for appearing as James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine in the MCU, starting with Iron Man 2 in 2010. He attained a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in 2021.

TV Shows

Cheadle’s work in TV includes roles in Night Court, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Booker, Picket Fences, The Bernie Mac Show, ER, and House Of Lies. For his role as Marty Kaan in House of Lies, he received a Golden Globe Award in 2013 and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards. He starred in Black Monday from 2019 to 2021.

In 2016, Cheadle attained his first Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the soundtrack Miles Ahead. For narrating the audiobook Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis, he received his second Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. Additionally, he attained a Tony Award for Best Musical for producing the musical, A Strange Loop.

Activism

Cheadle has pushed for the end of the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. He alongside John Prendergast co-authored a book titled Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond which tackles the issue. In collaboration with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, he helped co-found the organization, Not on Our Watch Project, which concentrates global attention and resources to halt and avert mass monstrosities.

In 2007, Cheadle received the BET Humanitarian Award of the Year for his humanitarian work for the people of Darfur and Rwanda. He and Annie Duke, a poker player, planned a yearly charity poker tournament dubbed Ante Up for Africa at the 2007 World Series of Poker.

On December 13, 2007, Cheadle and George Clooney, an actor, received the Summit Peace Award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome for their work to halt the genocide and alleviate the misery of the people of Darfur.

Cheadle has worked with the United Nations on climate change issues. Alongside Harrison Ford, he made a documentary series titled Years of Living Dangerously. The documentary provided hands-on reports about people who have been affected by climate change and how they are trying to find solutions to the concerns.

In 2010, the U.N. Environment Program named him a Goodwill Ambassador. That same year, he along with Prendergast published a second book, The Enough Moment: Fighting to End Africa’s Worst Human Rights Crimes. During his appearance on Saturday Night Live in 2019, he wore a shirt that said “protect trans kids.” He serves  Citizens’ Climate Lobby on its advisory board.

Don Cheadle Age

Cheadle was born on November 29, 1964, in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.A. He is 59 years old as of 2023. Cheadle celebrates his birthday every November 29th annually.

Don Cheadle Height

Cheadle stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 7¾ inches

Don Cheadle Family

Cheadle was born to Bettye North and Donald Frank Cheadle Sr. Bettye, his mother, worked as a teacher while Donald, his father, worked as a clinical psychologist. Aside from Cheadle, they had a daughter named Cindy and a brother named Colin. While growing up, his family moved from city to city.

In 2008, Cheadle’s family history was described on PBS’s African American Lives 2. The DNA test disclosed that he is of Cameroonian descent. On the other hand, another DNA test disclosed that among his African ancestry, one-third comes from the Senegal-Liberia region, just over one-quarter comes from the Congo-Angola area, and the remainder comes from western Nigeria and Benin.

Don Cheadle Wife

Cheadle married Brigid Coulter in early 2020. They had been dating for more than 2 and a half decades before their marriage. The pair has two children. Brigid is an actress who costarred with him in Rosewood.

Don Cheadle Net Worth

Cheadle has an estimated net worth ranging between $10 Million – $40 Million which he has earned through being an actor.

Don Cheadle Ethnicity

In 2008, Cheadle’s family history was described on PBS’s African American Lives 2. The DNA test disclosed that he is of Cameroonian descent. On the other hand, another DNA test disclosed that among his African ancestry, one-third comes from the Senegal-Liberia region, just over one-quarter comes from the Congo-Angola area, and the remainder comes from western Nigeria and Benin.

 Don Cheadle Captain Planet

Cheadle played Captain Planet in Funny or Die’s parody, Don Cheadle Is Captain Planet. Captain Planet is an Earth-loving superhero who turns people into trees in a warped streak of revenge starting with villains, normal civilians, and ultimately the whole world. For the film, he was painted blue which at first he was against, and considered leaving the show until someone else convinced him otherwise.

Charlie McDonnell Don Cheadle

In 2020, Cheadle starred in Don’t Look Deeper which was written by Charlie McDonnell. He plays the role of Martin, a father figure and teacher of Aisha, for 14 episodes.

Kevin Hart Don Cheadle

Hart received backlash for exclaiming “damn!” when he asked Cheadle about his age on his Peacock show. Fans came to Cheadle’s defence saying that Hart reacted badly to the question he asked. Cheadle defended Hart and said that they joke with each other regularly even at each other’s expense. Hart also took it to his Instagram account and said that they had been friends for more than 2 decades and that they had a good friendship.

Don Cheadle Meme

The interview has since then been a meme across various social media platforms including TikTok.

Don Cheadle War Machine

Cheadle took over the role of James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine from Terrence Howard in 2010 when he appeared in Iron Man. Since then, he has recurred the role of James roles in Iron Man 3 where he played the Iron Patriot, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and What If…? In 2023, he reprised his role in Disney+’s Secret Invasion and is set to reprise his role in Armor Wars.

James is a U.S. Air Force officer and best friend of Tony Stark. Skilled in piloting and tactics, he helps STrk in his heroic efforts and ultimately obtains his own suit of Iron Man armor and takes on the pseudonym War Machine.

Don Cheadle Avengers

Cheadle starred as James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, and Avengers: Endgame. He joined the Avengers when they fought against Ultron. Also, he fought with them when Thanos invaded Earth.

Don Cheadle Iron Man

In 2010, Cheadle took over the role of James Rhodes / War Machine from Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2. He recurred the role in Iron Man 3 in 2013.

Don Cheadle Rush Hour

In 2001, Cheadle starred in the role of Kenny, in Rush Hour 2. Kenny is an old friend of James Carter who owns a Chinese restaurant in Crenshaw. He is adept in martial arts and has mastered the ‘Twisting Tiger’ technique. Fluent in Cantonese, he is married to a Chinese woman and James Carter. He owns a Chinese restaurant in Crenshaw that sells Chinese Soul Food.

Don Cheadle Fresh Prince

In 1990, Cheadle starred in the role of Ice Tray in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Tray is Will’s crazy and fun friend from Philadelphia. Vivian and Philip invited him to cheer up Will. Also, he’s Hilary’s first love interest.

Tim Meadows Don Cheadle

Cheadle and Meadows look alike but are not related. Many have confused them for each other in various works such as Mean Girls where they thought Meadows was Cheadle.

Don Cheadle Ocean’s Eleven

In 2001, Cheadle starred in the role of Basher Tarr in the film, Ocean’s Eleven. Basher is an ammunition expert and the criminal recruited to cause a power blackout so that Danny and Linus can get down the elevator shaft.

Don Cheadle Miles Davis

Cheadle wrote and produced Miles Ahead in 2016 after working on the film for 10 years. The film revolves around the life of jazz musician, Miles Davis. Additionally, he directed and appeared in the film playing Miles Davis. For his role, he learned to play the trumpet.

Don Cheadle Instagram

Cheadle has an active Instagram account that has over 924K followers. CLICK HERE to view his account.

Don Cheadle Movies and TV Shows

Cheadle has acted in a number of films and TV shows during his career such as

• Roadside Prophets
• Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead
• Mission to Mars
• The United States of Leland
• King Leopold’s Ghost
• The Assassination of Richard Nixon
• No Sudden Move
• Space Jam: A New Legacy
• The Golden Palace
• The Rat Pack
• Drunk History
• Agent Elvis
• Secret Invasion