Don Cheadle (born November 29, 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. He attended East High School in in Denver, Colorado. He first became well-known for playing the district attorney on the television series Picket Fences. Since then he has appeared in films including Rosewood, The Family Man, Out of Sight, Traffic, and the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven. These last three were directed by Steven Soderbergh, who has said that Cheadle is one of his favorite actors to work with.
In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda, a story about a Hutu hotel manager in Rwanda who sheltered hundreds of Tutsis and other refugees from murderous militias during the Rwandan genocide in mid-1994. He also starred in and was one of the producers of Crash, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Picture.
Cheadle will make his directorial debut with the adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Tishomingo Blues. He also appeared in NFL commercials promoting the Super Bowl from 2002-2005.
Cheadle has been in a relationship with actress Bridgid Coulter since the early-90s; they have two daughters, Ayana and Imani.