A Lesson Before Dying

Don Cheadle is one of the finest actors of our time...period! He has played a variety of roles any actor would be proud of. From light comedy in The Golden Palace and recurring TV drama roles to great films such as A Lesson Before Dying, Hotel Rawanda and Crash. While some of his roles were strictly race oriented, such as these aforementioned films, he has played roles that a person with any racial or ethnic background could have played. Don Cheadle's masterful performances in all of his roles makes him a great actor and there is no denying this. Yes, of course, I see him as an African American, but most of his roles cross the racial divide. This again shows you the magnitude of his talent. I also find that many actors when playing very dramatic roles as in the three movies I mentioned, tend to be OVER-dramatic. Cheadle controls this beautifully and his emotions are strong, yet remain in check. Another attribute is the fact that he looks like the "guy next door." Not overly good looking with a chiseled face, but a nice, sincere, deep common man look that allows him to play so many roles. He is built beautifully as he shows his bare rear end in this film and also has been seen topless in some films and TV. I have seen almost all of his work and can not tell you how highly I think of his performances. He has got to be one of the best actors I have ever seen and rave about him constantly. He has never disappointed me. My only disappointment was that they didn't give co-Acadamy Awards for Best Actor to Fox for Ray and Cheadle for Hotel Rawanda. I am sure Cheadle will see that award someday very soon....