Please Rewind Talent Wall

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle has built a career around range, precision and an ability to sharpen an ensemble without overwhelming it. Born in Kansas City on November 29, 1964, he studied theater at the California Institute of the Arts and worked across film and television before earning wider attention in the 1990s. One of his early film roles was Rocket in Colors, the 1988 crime drama represented on Please Rewind. By 1997, he was part of the sprawling cast of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, fitting naturally into a film driven by intersecting personalities and shifting fortunes. Between those appearances, his performance as Mouse Alexander in Devil in a Blue Dress brought awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. Cheadle later became a key player in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series. As Basher Tarr in Ocean’s Eleven, he joined an ensemble that included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García and Julia Roberts. He returned for Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, bringing his own energy to three films built on chemistry, timing and the pleasure of watching accomplished performers bounce off one another. His career has also moved comfortably between serious drama, television, large-scale franchise filmmaking and work behind the camera. Cheadle received an Academy Award nomination for playing Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. He starred in and co-produced Crash, and later won a Golden Globe for House of Lies. Beginning with Iron Man 2, he took over the role of James “Rhodey” Rhodes, also known as War Machine, and continued playing the character across multiple Marvel films and television series. Miles Ahead brought several parts of his career together: Cheadle wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film about Miles Davis. It is a fitting example of an actor whose work has never stayed in a single lane, whether he is anchoring a drama, adding texture to an ensemble or taking greater creative control behind the camera.