Wesley Snipes was one of the first black actors to play goodies in American action films. Although he tried to play dramatic roles, everyone remembered him more as a vampire hunter. Wesley Snipes' professional growth has remained at the level of a strong action movie. At the same time, he was among the ten most popular actors of the late 90s, having received numerous film awards for the role of a strong black guy who owns martial arts.
Childhood and youth
Snipes was born July 31, 1962 in the city of Orlando, which is located in the state of Florida. His mother, an assistant physician, and his father, an aircraft engineer, divorced when he was two years old. And Wesley's mother decided to move to New York, in the Bronx, where her relatives lived. He grew up in a criminal area, widely known in the world for the same action movies, in which he later starred. In the southern Bronx then poor Hispanics and blacks lived, among whom there were many criminals and drug dealers. At the age of seven, he began to engage in martial arts, which further contributed to the growth of Wesley Snipes as an actor. It was a free section at the Youth Christian Organization, the Wesley family was poor and could not pay for training. He understood early that he was attracted to the profession of an actor. Snipes entered the Higher School of Fine Arts, where he studied vocal, dance and stage speech. However, he had to graduate from college in Florida, where his family returned. While studying, Wesley Snipes moonlighted in the Struttin Street Stuff troupe, which entertained passers-by with its performances.
Carier start
After graduating from college, he returned to New York, where he received a bachelor of arts degree from State University. While still at university, he participated in theatrical productions and in the shooting of commercials, which gave rise to Wesley Snipes' professional growth. As a novice actor, he often had to travel around the city to participate in numerous auditions. And once he was lucky, he was selected on the samples of the film "Wild Cats" with Goldie Hawn in the title role. So Snipes made his film debut. In the same (1986) year, he appeared in several theatrical and television productions, starred in the soap opera "All My Children" and several low-budget films.
First successes
Break into the big movie Snipes helped participate in the filming of Michael Jackson's famous video clip "Bad" (1987), directed by Michael Scorsese. In a small role, he managed to show incredible plasticity and coordination, which impressed the famous director Spike Lee. And Snipes was invited to one of the central roles in the film “The Blues of My Street”, where he played a saxophonist. Later, Lee shot it in his other film, "Tropical Fever." A film about complex interracial relationships, Snipes plays a black architect in love with a white woman. He begins to act a lot in the most diverse roles. So, he played an employee of the anti-drug department, a criminal, a basketball player. Wesley Snipes' professional growth was noticed, and he began to be given roles in increasingly expensive films along with famous actors.
At the peak of popularity
In 1991, Wesley received his first film awards for his role in the drama "Dance on the Water", festivals in Houston and Independent Cinema. He first starred in the high-budget thriller film Passenger 57, where he was able to truly demonstrate his skills in martial arts. The excellent physical form of Wesley Snipes, whose height and weight allowed him to demonstrate spectacular tricks, became a pass into the world of expensive fighters.
In 1993, he starred with Sean Connery and Harvey Keitel in the movie Rising Sun, which also starred the most famous Asian villain, Carrie Hiroyuki Tagawa. In subsequent years, Snipes starred in films together with the most famous Hollywood actors - Robert dm Niro, Sylvester Stalone, Nastasya Kinsky. In 1997, Wesley received the Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor in the film "One Night's Visit." In 1998, he starred in his main film - "Blade" (about the half-vampire who avenges the death of his mother). After that, Wesley became a real superstar, got his star on the "Walk of Fame" in Hollywood.
Wesley Snipes' triumphant career as an actor ended there. He starred a lot, but he never achieved such success again.
Interesting Facts
Wesley Snipes's brilliant biography was somewhat spoiled by tax fraud, for which he was sentenced to 3 years in prison in 2010. He spent most of his time in Pennsylvania State Prison until he received early release for exemplary conduct. In recent years, Wesley became interested in capoeira - Brazilian martial arts, he has a second dan in Hapkido (Korean martial arts), 5 dan in Shotokan karate, high danes in many other karate schools. His favorite book is The Art of War by the Chinese warlord Sun Tzu, which he often quotes. He also starred in the two-part film of the same name.
The actor was married twice with five children. Many are interested in the real growth of Wesley Snipes. He himself declared the figure 175 cm, but some sources write that his height is 178 cm.