Profile
Date of Birth : 31 July 1962, Orlando, Florida, USA
Birth Name : Wesley Trent Snipes
Height : 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Occupation : Actor, martial artist, film producer
Years active : 1986–present
Profession: Martial artist, Film Producer, ActorFilms produced: Blade, The Big Hit,
Disappearing…Appears in: Game of Death, ZigZag, The Art of War…Nationality:
AmericanNominated for: MTV Movie Award for Best Fight, ...
Spouse : April Dubois (1985–1990) , Nikki Park (2003–present)
Biography
Wesley Snipes (born July 31, 1962 in Orlando, Florida) is an American actor and producer. He is probably best known for his role as the eponymous vampire hunter in the Blade trilogy of movies.
Snipes grew up in The Bronx and decided early on that he wanted to be a dancer until he took some acting classes. He started the High School for the Performing Arts, but his mother divorced and they moved back to Orlando, where he graduated from Jones High School. While in Florida, Snipes did puppet theatre, mime and musical theatre in competitions and festivals. He then attended the State University of New York College at Purchase and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1985.
He did dinner theater and regional productions. An agent spotted Snipes and got him a role in Wildcats (1986). He often plays tough characters in action movies, and demonstrates considerable athletic and fighting ablity. He is interested in martial arts, including Karate, Kung Fu and Capoeira, and this interest is reflected in the fact that many of his movies make reference to Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Snipes was married from 1985 to 1990 and has a son from this marriage. His second child, another son born in 2000, a third child, a daughter born in 2001 and a fourth child, a son born in 2004, were all with his wife (who he married in 2003), Korean painter Nikki Park.
In 1991, Snipes formed the independent production company Amen Ra Films. It co-produced the first two Blade films and other titles that Snipes has starred in.
Wesley Snipes played drug kingpin Nino Brown in New Jack City, which was a contrast to his role as a New York City Detective in King of New York a year earlier. Another film whereas his character was involved in drugs was the hauntingly somber movie “Sugar Hill”.
In 2000, a security / paramilitary group called the Royal Guard Of Amen-Ra, Inc. (owned by Amen Ra Films) filed BATF papers in moves to set up a security training center next to the Tama-Re compound of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors in Georgia. The Nuwaubians claimed Snipes as one of their own, though a spokeswoman for Snipes denied any connection.
In 2005 Snipes was detained at Johannesburg International Airport for allegedly trying to pass through the airport with a fake South African passport. Snipes later told South African officials that he had applied for the South African papers not only for himself but also for his family. During the interview, it was established that Snipes did indeed have fraudulent South African documentation in his possession.
Snipes and his attorney agreed to cooperate with the South African Inspectorate of the National Immigration Branch in their investigation. Snipes was allowed to return home because he had a valid U.S. passport, but the South African authorities reduced his immigration status to undesireable as a result of the incident. To date, there is no obvious or apparent reason exactly why Snipes had entered South Africa on forged papers.
Abuse Allegations: In 2003, R&B singer Christopher Williams publicly accused Snipes of abusing actress Halle Berry during the early 1990s. Snipes and Halle Berry had been romantically involved at the time. Williams stated that: “The stuff they wrote about (me) and Halle was totally false. They said something like I busted her eardrum, and I’m tired of it. I never said it (before) but I’m so tired of people thinking I’m the guy (who did it). Wesley Snipes busted her eardrum, not me.”
Paternity Suit Allegations: In 2004, Snipes was named as the defendant in a paternity suit brought by an Indiana woman named Lanise Pettis. Pettis alleged that she had sex with Snipes in a Chicago crack house in 2000 and that Snipes had fathered a child with her.
Snipes denied the allegations and reportedly twice refused to submit to a paternity test requested by Pettis. On July 25, 2004, a Manhattan Family Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Snipes’ failure to submit to the paternity test. The judge also set bail at $250,000.
Snipes subsequently sued New York City, charging that it had no jurisdiction to arrest him as part of an Indiana paternity case. However, on January 27, 2005, Snipes’ bid to have a federal judge cancel the arrest warrant was denied.
Snipes grew up in The Bronx and decided early on that he wanted to be a dancer until he took some acting classes. He started the High School for the Performing Arts, but his mother divorced and they moved back to Orlando, where he graduated from Jones High School. While in Florida, Snipes did puppet theatre, mime and musical theatre in competitions and festivals. He then attended the State University of New York College at Purchase and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 1985.
He did dinner theater and regional productions. An agent spotted Snipes and got him a role in Wildcats (1986). He often plays tough characters in action movies, and demonstrates considerable athletic and fighting ablity. He is interested in martial arts, including Karate, Kung Fu and Capoeira, and this interest is reflected in the fact that many of his movies make reference to Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Snipes was married from 1985 to 1990 and has a son from this marriage. His second child, another son born in 2000, a third child, a daughter born in 2001 and a fourth child, a son born in 2004, were all with his wife (who he married in 2003), Korean painter Nikki Park.
In 1991, Snipes formed the independent production company Amen Ra Films. It co-produced the first two Blade films and other titles that Snipes has starred in.
Wesley Snipes played drug kingpin Nino Brown in New Jack City, which was a contrast to his role as a New York City Detective in King of New York a year earlier. Another film whereas his character was involved in drugs was the hauntingly somber movie “Sugar Hill”.
In 2000, a security / paramilitary group called the Royal Guard Of Amen-Ra, Inc. (owned by Amen Ra Films) filed BATF papers in moves to set up a security training center next to the Tama-Re compound of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors in Georgia. The Nuwaubians claimed Snipes as one of their own, though a spokeswoman for Snipes denied any connection.
In 2005 Snipes was detained at Johannesburg International Airport for allegedly trying to pass through the airport with a fake South African passport. Snipes later told South African officials that he had applied for the South African papers not only for himself but also for his family. During the interview, it was established that Snipes did indeed have fraudulent South African documentation in his possession.
Snipes and his attorney agreed to cooperate with the South African Inspectorate of the National Immigration Branch in their investigation. Snipes was allowed to return home because he had a valid U.S. passport, but the South African authorities reduced his immigration status to undesireable as a result of the incident. To date, there is no obvious or apparent reason exactly why Snipes had entered South Africa on forged papers.
Abuse Allegations: In 2003, R&B singer Christopher Williams publicly accused Snipes of abusing actress Halle Berry during the early 1990s. Snipes and Halle Berry had been romantically involved at the time. Williams stated that: “The stuff they wrote about (me) and Halle was totally false. They said something like I busted her eardrum, and I’m tired of it. I never said it (before) but I’m so tired of people thinking I’m the guy (who did it). Wesley Snipes busted her eardrum, not me.”
Paternity Suit Allegations: In 2004, Snipes was named as the defendant in a paternity suit brought by an Indiana woman named Lanise Pettis. Pettis alleged that she had sex with Snipes in a Chicago crack house in 2000 and that Snipes had fathered a child with her.
Snipes denied the allegations and reportedly twice refused to submit to a paternity test requested by Pettis. On July 25, 2004, a Manhattan Family Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Snipes’ failure to submit to the paternity test. The judge also set bail at $250,000.
Snipes subsequently sued New York City, charging that it had no jurisdiction to arrest him as part of an Indiana paternity case. However, on January 27, 2005, Snipes’ bid to have a federal judge cancel the arrest warrant was denied.
Career
A 23-year-old 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 Gol. 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.
In 1997, he won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in New Line Cinema's One Night Stand. 1998 marked Snipes's largest commercial success with the opening of Blade, for New Line Cinema, which has grossed over $150 million worldwide. The film turned into a successful series. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY/Purchase, for his outstanding achievements in film.
Most of his latest films have been released straight-to-DVD. His latest films are The Shooter (also known as The Contractor), filmed in Bulgaria and the UK, with Charles Dance, Lena Heady, Eliza Bennett, Gallowwalker, released in 2009 and Game Of Death with Ernie Hudson, Robert Davi, Zoe Bell, Gary Daniels, directed by Giorgio Serafini.
Snipes was originally slated to play one of the four leads in Spike Lee's 2008 war film, Miracle at St. Anna but had to leave the film due to his widely-publicized tax problems, and his role eventually went to Derek Luke.
Snipes made a comeback performance in Brooklyn's Finest as Caz, a supporting character. He also had to turn down the part of 'Hale Caesar' in The Expendables due to not being allowed to leave the United States without the court's approval.[citation needed] He was also offered the role of Nick Curran in Basic Instinct, but turned it down due to commitments on another film.[citation needed] He is currently being talked to by Sylvester Stallone about a part in a sequel to The Expendables
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.
In 1997, he won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in New Line Cinema's One Night Stand. 1998 marked Snipes's largest commercial success with the opening of Blade, for New Line Cinema, which has grossed over $150 million worldwide. The film turned into a successful series. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY/Purchase, for his outstanding achievements in film.
Most of his latest films have been released straight-to-DVD. His latest films are The Shooter (also known as The Contractor), filmed in Bulgaria and the UK, with Charles Dance, Lena Heady, Eliza Bennett, Gallowwalker, released in 2009 and Game Of Death with Ernie Hudson, Robert Davi, Zoe Bell, Gary Daniels, directed by Giorgio Serafini.
Snipes was originally slated to play one of the four leads in Spike Lee's 2008 war film, Miracle at St. Anna but had to leave the film due to his widely-publicized tax problems, and his role eventually went to Derek Luke.
Snipes made a comeback performance in Brooklyn's Finest as Caz, a supporting character. He also had to turn down the part of 'Hale Caesar' in The Expendables due to not being allowed to leave the United States without the court's approval.[citation needed] He was also offered the role of Nick Curran in Basic Instinct, but turned it down due to commitments on another film.[citation needed] He is currently being talked to by Sylvester Stallone about a part in a sequel to The Expendables
Movies List
Wildcats (1986)
Streets of Gold (1986)
Vietnam War Story II (1988)
Major League (1989)
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
King of New York (1990)
New Jack City (1991)
New Jack City (1991)
Jungle Fever (1991)
The Waterdance (1992)
White Men Can't Jump (1992)
Passenger 57 (1992)
Passenger 57 (1992)
Boiling Point (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Demolition Man (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Demolition Man (1993)
Sugar Hill (1994)
Drop Zone (1994)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Money Train (1995)
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
Money Train (1995)
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
The Fan (1996)
America's Dream (1997)
Murder at 1600 (1997)
One Night Stand (1997)
U.S. Marshals (1998)
Blade (1998)
Futuresport (1998)
Futuresport (1998)
Down in the Delta (1998)
The Black And The White (1999)
The Art of War (2000)
Disappearing Acts (2000)
Liberty Stands Still (2002)
Blade II (2002)
ZigZag (2002)
Undisputed (2002)
Blade II (2002)
ZigZag (2002)
Undisputed (2002)
Unstoppable (2004)
Blade: Trinity (2004)
7 Seconds (2005)
The Marksman (2005)
Hard Luck (2006)
Chaos (2006)
The Detonator (2006)
The Contractor (2007)
The Art of War II: Betrayal (2008)
Brooklyn's Finest (2010)
Game of Death (2010)
Gallowwalker (2010)
Gallowwalker (2010)
Awards
Image Awards
Image Award 1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series America`s Dream (1996) Won
Image Award 1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series America`s Dream (1996) Won
Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Award 1993 Best Supporting Male The Waterdance (1992) Nominated
MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Award 1999 Best Fight Blade (1998) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1994 Best Villain Demolition Man (1993) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1993 Best On-Screen Duo
White Men Can`t Jump (1992) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1993 Best Kiss
White Men Can`t Jump (1992) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1992 Best Villain
New Jack City (1991) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1999 Best Fight Blade (1998) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1994 Best Villain Demolition Man (1993) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1993 Best On-Screen Duo
White Men Can`t Jump (1992) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1993 Best Kiss
White Men Can`t Jump (1992) Nominated
MTV Movie Award 1992 Best Villain
New Jack City (1991) Nominated
Black Reel Awards
Black Reel 2003 Theatrical - Best Actor Undisputed (2002) Nominated
Black Reel 2001 Network/Cable - Best Actor
Disappearing Acts (2000) Nominated
Black Reel 2003 Theatrical - Best Actor Undisputed (2002) Nominated
Black Reel 2001 Network/Cable - Best Actor
Disappearing Acts (2000) Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Blockbuster Entertainment Award 1999
Favorite Duo - Action/Adventure U.S. Marshals (1998) Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Award 1999 Favorite Actor - Horror Blade (1998) Won
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