Meet Wesley Trent Snipes, who is popularly known as Wesley Snipes. He is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. He has appeared in many famous movies like New Jack City, Demolition Man, and Blade.
He also starred in the TV show The Player. Snipes has his own production company called Amen-Ra Films and another company called Black Dot Media. He has been practicing martial arts since he was 12 years old and has black belts in Shotokan Karate and Hapkido.
Snipes was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his work in The Waterdance and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in One Night Stand. Let’s read his Wikipedia Bio, Net Worth and Full Biography below.
Wesley Snipes Biography
Wesley Snipes was born on July 31, 1962, in Orlando, Florida. He attended Jones High School and then went to State University of New York at Purchase where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Snipes is an actor, producer, and martial artist who has been working in the entertainment industry since 1985. He has appeared in many movies and TV shows and has also produced some of them. Snipes has been married twice and has five children.
Age | Date of Birth
Wesley Snipes was born on July 31, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, USA. He is 60 years old.
Nationality | Ethnicity
Wesley Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, USA and is African-American. ((britannica.com)) He has confirmed that he is of African descent ((ethnicelebs.com)) and has revealed during a chat with Nigerian politician and businessman Ben Bruce that his ancestors were from Anambra State in Nigeria. ((dnbstories.com))
Parents | Family
Wesley Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida. His mother, Marian, worked as a teacher’s assistant, and his father, Wesley Rudolph Snipes, was an aircraft engineer. Snipes spent most of his childhood in the Bronx, New York.
Wesley Snipes, a famous actor, and his brother started a security company called the Royal Guard of Amen-Ra in the late 1990s. The company provided VIPs with trained bodyguards.
Amen-Ra is also the name of his film company. In 2000, the business was investigated for alleged ties to the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors.
Snipes intended to buy 200 acres of land near their Tama-Re compound in Georgia for his business academy, but ultimately established their company in Florida, Antigua, and Africa. In 2005, Snipes negotiated to fight Joe Rogan on Ultimate Fighting Match, but the deal fell through.
Education Background
Wesley Snipes attended the High School of Performing Arts in New York but had to move back to Florida before graduating. He later graduated from Jones High School in Orlando.
Snipes returned to New York to attend the State University of New York at Purchase and also went to Southwestern College in California.
Net Worth
Wesley Snipes’ net worth is about $10 million in 2023, ((therichest.com)) as the result of his successful career in an actor, producing, and business, along with his various endorsements and investments.
Source of Income
Acting: As an actor, Wesley Snipes has earned millions of dollars from his roles in movies and TV shows. He has appeared in over 70 films throughout his career.
Film producing: Wesley Snipes has produced several movies, including Blade: Trinity and Gallowwalker, which have earned him a significant amount of money.
Endorsements: Wesley Snipes has also earned a substantial amount of money from his various endorsements. He has endorsed brands such as Ray-Ban and Nike.
Business ventures: Wesley Snipes has also invested in various business ventures, including a film production company called Amen Ra Films, which he co-founded.
Acting Career
Wesley Snipes is an American actor who was discovered at a competition when he was 23 years old. He made his debut in the movie Wildcats and later appeared in the TV show Miami Vice.
He also appeared in Michael Jackson’s “Bad” music video and was considered for a role in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Snipes turned down a role in Do the Right Thing to take a bigger part in Major League, which led to a string of box office hits.
He played the lead role in Blade, which grossed over $150 million worldwide and spawned a franchise. Snipes has also appeared in action movies like Demolition Man and Comedies like White Men Can’t Jump.
He won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the 54th Venice Film Festival for his role in One Night Stand. Snipes has faced legal issues related to taxes and disputes over movie salaries, but he has continued to act in films like Brooklyn’s Finest and The Expendables 3.
Children | Wife
Wesley Snipes has been married twice. He was first married to April Snipes, and they have a son named Jelani. He was also in a second marriage with a painter named Nakyung “Nikki” Park, and they have four children together.
Religion
Snipes was raised as a Christian but converted to Islam in 1978. However, he left Islam in 1988. He once said that being a Muslim made him more aware of African people’s accomplishments, and it gave him self-worth and dignity.
During the September 11 attacks, Snipes’ apartment in New York City was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. Thankfully, he was on the West Coast at the time and was not harmed.
Private Life
Wesley Snipes started learning martial arts when he was 12 years old. He has achieved a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan karate and a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido.
He has also trained in other martial arts like Capoeira, kung fu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Kickboxing. While in New York, he was trained in fighting by his friend Brooke Ellis.
Controversies
In 2006, Wesley Snipes was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and filing false and fraudulent tax refund claims, as well as six counts of willfully failing to file federal income tax returns.
He was accused of using a tax protester theory to get fraudulent refunds and of sending fictitious bills to the IRS. Snipes claimed to be a “non-resident alien” of the United States in response to the charges.
Snipes was found guilty on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns and acquitted on other charges. He was sentenced to three years in prison, and he served his sentence from 2010 to 2013.
The United States Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in 2011. In 2018, the United States Tax Court ruled against Snipes in a case regarding approximately $23.5 million in Federal tax liabilities for tax year 2001 and years 2003 through 2006.
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