Don Cheadle
Absolutely engaging and immensely talented, actor Don Cheadle rightfully earned his reputation as one of his generation's most versatile and committed performers. After years of thankless guest appearances on TV dramas and sitcoms, Cheadle gained attention with the role of the fastidious hotel manager of "The Golden Palace" (CBS, 1992-93), a spin-off from the beloved sitcom, "The Golden Girls" (CBS, 1985-1992). The chameleon-like Cheadle broke out with an acclaimed performance in Carl Franklin's crime thriller "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995) and continued the streak with remarkable work in highly-lauded films like "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Out of Sight" (1998). He officially made Hollywood's A-list as one of Danny Ocean's crack team of con men in Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's Eleven" (2001), but it was his performance as real-life hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda" (2004) that earned Cheadle the most effusive critical praise of his career. He played an integral role in the Oscar-winning ensemble drama "Crash" (2005) prior to turning in a tour de force performance in the radio DJ biopic "Talk to Me" (2007). In addition to the hugely successful sequels to "Ocean's Eleven," the actor was frequently seen in such big-budget productions as the superhero blockbuster sequel "Iron Man 2" (2010) and related films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) and "Captain America: Civil War" (2016). He later returned to television as the star of the highly-regarded cable comedy "House of Lies" (Showtime, 2012-16) and made his feature directing debut with the impressionistic biopic "Miles Ahead" (2016), in which he also starred as mercurial jazz icon Miles Davis. Cheadle's ability to virtually disappear into any role kept him at the very top of Hollywood's list of "go to" actors.