Don Cheadle's Breakout TV Role Was In This Canceled Betty White Spin-Off Series

These days, almost everyone knows the name Don Cheadle. He's become a household name over the years by always bringing his absolute best whether the movie is a big budget crowd-pleasing blockbuster like "Iron Man 3" or a heavy historical drama like "Hotel Rwanda," with some truly incredible performances in his filmography. While he's mostly known for his dramatic roles, he also has serious comedic chops, displaying his ability to get hilariously weird in things like the Funny or Die "Captain Planet with Don Cheadle" viral web series. Before he was showing off in superhero movies or even making us all laugh as the weirdest take on a classic cartoon this side of the 1987 "Masters of the Universe" flick, however, Don Cheadle got his breakout role on an ill-fated "The Golden Girls" spin-off called "The Golden Palace." 

Though "The Golden Girls" was such a big hit that it seemed like anything related would do well, "The Golden Palace" sadly just didn't have the same staying power as its progenitor. That was largely because one of the Golden Girls, Dorothy (Bea Arthur), was absent from "The Golden Palace," but with Don Cheadle, three Golden Girls, and Cheech Marin, the show should have at least stood a chance. 

"The Golden Palace" follows Sophia (Estelle Getty), Rose (Betty White) and Blanche (Rue McClanahan) after Dorothy gets married at the end of "The Golden Girls" and they decide to buy a Miami hotel, The Golden Palace. Unfortunately, the hotel isn't doing too well, having only two employees left: the hotel's chef, Chuy (Marin), and manager, Roland, played by Cheadle. Cheadle is great as Roland, helping to ground the antics of the girls in reality a bit, playing straight man to their silliness (as Dorothy frequently did in the original series). Roland has to try and keep the hotel operating with only the girls and Chuy as staff, which is a monumental task, but in the end neither the hotel nor the series could stay afloat. 

These days, all of the women who portrayed the Golden Girls have sadly gone on to that Golden Palace in the sky and Cheadle has moved onto significantly more successful projects, but it's still fun to look back at the place where his career essentially began. Just think — if it weren't for "The Golden Palace," we may never have gotten to see Cheadle's version of Rhodey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or appreciate his incredible dramatic talent. "The Golden Palace" may only have lasted a single season, but its legacy is surprisingly large and long-lasting even if it's only as Cheadle's launchpad.