Biography
Wesley Snipes as Blade
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 at the High School for the Performing Arts, but his mother divorced and they moved back to Orlando. However things did not go well for Wesley. As an actor, his charm was very popular with the ladies, and that did not stick well with the guys. It is said that one weekend while at a party, Snipes had relations with one of the top football players girlfriend. Upon discovering the information the following week at school, the boyfriend was livid and challenged Snipes to a fight. The match did not last long as Snipes was beaten pretty severely and given a mild concussion. Wesley would eventually graduate 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 also played a tough guy role in the Michael Jackson music video "Bad" released in September of 1987. 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. 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. He married Korean painter Nakyung "Nikki" Park in 2003. They have two children.
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, (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 undesirable 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." *
Trivia
Wesley Snipes' dark complexion was poked fun at in The Rick James Sketch on Chappelle's Show. While Charlie Murphy discussed how James teased him for his complexion, he said: "See, this is long before Wesley Snipes. Back then...we was the blackest niggas on the planet according to Rick James."
Selected filmography
Wildcats (1986)
Major League (1989)
King of New York (1990)
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
New Jack City (1991)
Jungle Fever (1991)
White Men Can't Jump (1992)
Passenger 57 (1992)
Demolition Man (1993)
Drop Zone (1994)
Sugar Hill (1994)
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Money Train (1995)
Waiting to Exhale (1995)
The Fan (1996)
Murder at 1600 (1997)
One Night Stand (1997)
Blade (1998)
U.S. Marshals (1998)
The Art of War (2000)
Disappearing Acts (2000)
Liberty Stands Still (2002)
Blade II (2002)
Undisputed (2002)
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Unstoppable (2004)
The Marksman (2004)
7 Seconds (2005)
Selected Television
Michael Jackson's "Bad" video (September 1987)
