Despite being engaging, articulate and immensely talented, actor Don Cheadle spent several years making thankless guest appearances on TV dramas ("Hill Street Blues", "China Beach") and sitcoms ("Night Court", "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") before landing a berth as the fastidious hotel manager of "The Golden Palace" (1992-93), the CBS sitcom spin-off from the successful "Golden Girls.” Largely chameleon-like throughout his career, Cheadle broke out with a critically acclaimed performance in Carl Franklin’s crime thriller, “Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995). He began garnering larger and more