Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes
Snipes in 2018
Born
Wesley Trent Snipes

(1962-07-31) July 31, 1962 (age 62)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
EducationState University of New York at Purchase (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • martial artist
Years active1985–present
WorksFull list
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Spouses
April Dubois
​
​
(m. 1985; div. 1990)​
Nakyung Park
​
(m. 2003)​
Children6

Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, though he is best known for his action films.[2] He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his work in The Waterdance (1992) and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in the film One Night Stand (1997).

Born in Florida, Snipes had notable parts in the comedy film Major League (1989), the drama Mo' Better Blues (1990) and the crime drama King of New York (1990) before gaining prominence by playing a drug lord in the crime drama New Jack City (1991). He subsequently received more attention for the drama film Jungle Fever (1991), the sports comedy White Men Can't Jump (1992), and the action film Passenger 57 (1992). He has since starred in various genres such as the comedy film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), the thriller The Fan (1996), and the drama film Down in the Delta (1998) but mostly established himself as an action star, portraying both heroes and villains in films such as Demolition Man (1993), Rising Sun (1993), Money Train (1995), and U.S. Marshals (1998). Also in 1998, he was cast as Eric Brooks / Blade in the superhero film Blade, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, a role he went on to reprise in Blade II (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).

Snipes had smaller roles during the 2000s, and moved to direct-to-video action films before returning to the theatrical release with films such as Brooklyn's Finest (2009) and The Expendables 3 (2014). His television work includes multiple episodes in drama series H.E.L.P. (1990), action thriller crime drama series The Player (2015), and drama limited series True Story (2021) as well as the romantic drama film Disappearing Acts (2000).

He formed a production company, Amen-Ra Films, in 1991, and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television.[3][4] Snipes has been training in martial arts since the age of 12, earning a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan karate and 2nd dan black belt in Hapkido.[5] He is credited with helping popularize martial arts in Hollywood and bringing martial arts to mainstream audiences, as well as contributing to the representation of Black actors in action roles, breaking stereotypes.[6][2] In 2017, Snipes made his debut as a novelist with the urban fantasy supernatural adventure Talon of God.[7][8]

  1. ^ Gerrard, Steven; Middlemost, Renée (November 24, 2022). Gender and Action Films: Road Warriors, Bombshells and Atomic Blondes. Emerald Group. ISBN 978-1-80117-516-6.
  2. ^ a b "Wesley Snipes | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica". September 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Wesley Snipes". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Adam James (January 15, 2019). "Why Hollywood won't cast Wesley Snipes anymore". Looper. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference independent.co.uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Wesley Snipes and His Journey in Martial Arts". August 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Ambrose, Graham (June 15, 2017). "Wesley Snipes is coming to Denver to promote his book and screen "Blade II"". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Truitt, Brian (July 24, 2017). "Wesley Snipes fights evil with his pen in exciting 'Talon of God'". USA Today. Retrieved September 12, 2024.