Image of Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. He has starred in numerous action-adventures, thrillers, and dramatic feature films and is well known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy. Snipes formed a production company titled Amen-Ra Films in 1991 and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since age twelve, earning a high ranking 5th dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and 2nd dan black belt in Hapkido. He has also trained as a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu. At age 23, Snipes was discovered by an agent while performing in a competition. He made his film debut in the 1986 Goldie Hawn vehicle Wildcats. Later that year he appeared on the trendy 1980's TV show Miami Vice as a drug-dealing pimp in the episode 'Streetwise' (first aired December 5, 1986). In 1987, he appeared as Michael Jackson's nemesis in the Martin Scorsese directed music video "Bad" (he is seen in only the long version of the video) and the feature film Streets of Gold. That same year, Snipes was also considered for the role of Geordi La Forge in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Snipes' performance in the music video "Bad" caught the eye of director Spike Lee. Snipes turned down a small role in Lee's Do the Right Thing for the larger part of Willie Mays Hayes in Major League, beginning a succession of box-office hits for Snipes. Lee would later cast Snipes as the jazz saxophonist Shadow Henderson in Mo' Better Blues and as the lead in the interracial romance drama Jungle Fever. Another important role for Snipes was the powerful drug lord Nino Brown in New Jack City, which was written specifically for him by Barry Michael Cooper. Another film in which his character was involved in drugs was the somber movie Sugar Hill. Although Snipes is more known for his roles in action films like Passenger 57, Demolition Man (with Sylvester Stallone), Money Train, U.S. Marshals (a sequel of The Fugitive) and Rising Sun (with Sean Connery), he has also had success in comedies like White Men Can't Jump, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar where he played a drag queen together with Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. Snipes has also been critically acclaimed for his roles in dramas like The Waterdance and Disappearing Acts. Snipes has been married twice; first, to April Snipes from 1985-1990 with whom he has a son, Jelani Asar Snipes, born in 1988. Jelani had a cameo role in Snipes' 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. In 2003, Snipes wed painter Nakyung 'Nikki' Park, who is the mother of his four youngest children: son Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes; daughter Iset Jua-T Snipes (born July 31, 2001); son Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes (born May 26, 2004); and son Alimayu Moa-T Snipes (born March 26, 2007). Snipes spends a lot of time in Park's home country of South Korea, which he calls his "second home."  


Read bio at tmdb | Read bio at Wikipedia
Born:
Jul 31, 1962 In Orlando, Florida, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
69
First Appeared:
In the series Miami Vice 1984-09-16
Latest Project:
Movie Back on the Strip 2023-08-17
Known For
Poster of Bad 25
Poster of Zig Zag
Poster of Boiling Point
Poster of Jungle Fever
Filmography
Movie Back on the Strip Luther 'Mr. Big' 2023-08-17
Movie Coming 2 America General Izzi 2021-03-04
Series True Story Carlton 2021-11-24
Movie Dolemite Is My Name D’Urville Martin 2019-10-04
Movie The Recall The Hunter 2017-06-02
Movie Armed Response Isaac 2017-08-04
Movie Chi-Raq Sean 'Cyclops' Andrews 2015-12-04
Series The Player Mr. Johnson 2015-09-24
Movie The Expendables 3 Doc 2014-08-07
Movie The Making of The Expendables 3 Self 2014-11-25
Movie Bad 25 Himself (Archive Footage) 2012-11-22
Movie Gallowwalkers Aman 2012-10-27
Movie Game of Death Agent Marcus 2011-02-15
Movie Brooklyn's Finest Casanova 'Caz' Phillips 2010-03-04
Movie The Art of War II: Betrayal Neil Shaw 2008-08-12
Movie The Contractor James Dial 2007-07-10
Movie The Detonator Sonni Griffith 2006-04-25
Movie Hard Luck Lucky 2006-10-17
Movie The Marksman Painter 2005-11-28
Movie Chaos Lorenz / Jason York 2005-01-17
Movie 7 Seconds Jack Tuliver 2005-06-28
Movie Nightstalkers, Daywalkers, and Familiars: Inside the World of 'Blade Trinity' Self 2005-07-13
Movie Unstoppable Dean Cage 2004-10-20
Movie Blade: Trinity Eric Brooks / Blade 2004-12-08
Movie Blade II Eric Brooks / Blade 2002-03-22
Movie Ultimate Fights from the Movies Blade Trio (Blade) (archive footage) 2002-04-16
Movie Liberty Stands Still Joe 2002-01-18
Movie Zig Zag Dave Fletcher 2002-06-14
Movie Undisputed Monroe Hutchen 2002-07-17
Movie The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies Self - Interviewee 2002-06-01
Series The Bernie Mac Show Unknown 2001-11-14
Movie The Art of War Neil Shaw 2000-08-25
Movie Disappearing Acts Franklin Swift 2000-12-09
Movie Futuresport Obike Fixx 1999-09-30
Movie Play It to the Bone Wesley Snipes (Ringside Fan) 1999-12-25
Movie U.S. Marshals Mark Sheridan 1998-03-06
Movie Jackie Chan: My Story Himself 1998-07-17
Movie Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes Self 1998-08-18
Movie Down in the Delta Will Sinclair 1998-12-25
Movie Blade Eric Brooks / Blade 1998-08-21
Series The View Unknown 1997-08-11
Movie Murder at 1600 Detective Harlan Regis 1997-04-18
Movie One Night Stand Max Carlyle 1997-11-14
Movie America's Dream George Du Vaul (segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black") 1996-02-17
Movie The Fan Bobby Rayburn 1996-08-15
Movie Jackie Chan - From Stuntman to Superstar Himself 1996-08-30
Movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Noxeema Jackson 1995-09-07
Movie Waiting to Exhale James Wheeler (uncredited) 1995-12-22
Movie Money Train John 1995-11-21
Movie Sugar Hill Romello Skuggs 1994-02-25
Movie Drop Zone Pete Nessip 1994-12-08
Movie Boiling Point Jimmy Mercer 1993-04-16
Movie Demolition Man Simon Phoenix 1993-10-08
Movie Rising Sun Lt. Webster Smith 1993-07-30
Movie White Men Can't Jump Sidney Deane 1992-03-27
Movie The Waterdance Raymond Hill 1992-05-13
Movie Passenger 57 John Cutter 1992-11-06
Series The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Unknown 1992-05-25
Movie New Jack City Nino Brown 1991-03-08
Movie Jungle Fever Flipper Purify 1991-06-07
Series H.E.L.P. Off. Lou Barton 1990-03-03
Movie Mo' Better Blues Shadow Henderson (Sax) 1990-08-03
Movie King of New York Thomas Flanigan 1990-07-18
Movie Major League Willie Mays Hayes 1989-02-16
Movie Critical Condition Ambulance Driver 1987-01-16
Movie Bad Mini Max 1987-08-31
Movie Streets of Gold Roland Jenkins 1986-01-01
Movie Wildcats Trumaine 1986-02-14
Series Miami Vice Unknown 1984-09-16