Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle is an American actor, film producer, philanthropist, and author. Cheadle rose to prominence after playing supporting roles in films such as Out of Sight, Traffic, and the Ocean's Eleven series of films. In 2004, Cheadle's portrayal of Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in the film Hotel Rwanda gained him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a leading role. Cheadle also campaigns for the end of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and co-authored a book concerning the issue titled Not On Our Watch: The Mission To End Genocide In Darfur And Beyond.

Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Betty, a bank manager and psychology teacher, and Donald Cheadle, a clinical psychologist. He has a sister, Cindy, and a brother, Colin. Cheadle graduated in 1982 from East High School in Denver, Colorado. He went on to graduate from the California Institute of the Arts.

Cheadle acted in Hamburger Hill in 1987. He also played the role of "Jack" in the April 1, 1988 "Jung and the Restless" episode of Night Court. Although his character "Jack" was supposed to be 16 years old, Cheadle was 24 at the time.

He then played the role of 'Rocket' in the 1988 movie Colors. In 1989, he appeared in a video for Angela Winbush's #2 hit single "It's the Real Thing", performing dance moves in an orange jump suit, working at a car wash. In 1990, he appeared in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air titled "Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy", playing Will Smith's friend Ice Tray. In 1992, he received a supporting role in The Golden Girls spin-off The Golden Palace. Although the show was highly publicized, it was cancelled after one season. Cheadle subsequently played district attorney John Littleton on two seasons of Picket Fences.

Cheadle first received widespread notice for his portrayal of Mouse Alexander in the film Devil in a Blue Dress, for which he won Best Supporting Actor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, and was nominated for similar awards from the Screen Actors Guild and the NAACP Image Awards. Following soon thereafter was his performance in the title role of the 1996 HBO TV movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault. A legend among American street basketball players, Manigault is considered by many to be the best streetball player that never reached the NBA as a professional.

Cheadle's fame spread with a recurring role as the district attorney on the television series Picket Fences. Cheadle's other television credits include Emmy-nominated performances in the movies The Rat Pack, A Lesson Before Dying, Things Behind the Sun and in a guest appearance on ER. He has made appearances in films including Rosewood, The Family Man, Boogie Nights, a cameo appearance in the film Abby Singer, Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven (2001). These last three were directed by Steven Soderbergh. In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. He also starred in, and was one of the producers of Crash, which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture. Cheadle himself was nominated for Best Supporting Actor BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance in Crash. He also played the main character in the movie Traitor.

In 2010, Don Cheadle will assume the role of James Rhodes in the film Iron Man 2, replacing Terrence Howard his Crash co-star.