Wesley Trent Snipes was born on July 31, 1962, in Orlando Florida. He and his three sisters were raised by his mother and grandmother in the South Bronx. He attended the High School For The Performing Arts in NYC.
From a young age, Wesley Snipes studied martial arts, initially as a way to protect his small stature. At the age of 12, he scored his first role in an off-broadway production, and decided that performing would be his path.
Snipes first role was in Wildcats, starring Goldie Hawn in 1986, but his big break came after he was spotted by Spike Lee in Michael Jackson’s Bad music video. He was cast in Mo’ Better Blues opposite Denzel Washington in 1990.
Just one year later, Snipes took on the lead in another of Lee’s films, Jungle Fever. The same year, he played the stylish crime lord, Nino Brown in New Jack City, which became one of his most iconic roles.
Snipes had a massively successful career in the 90s, appearing in a number of movies including White Men Can’t Jump, Passenger 57, Waiting To Exhale, and Blade. A significant amount of the movies that he has acted in have utilized his martial arts skills.
In addition to acting, Snipes and Ray Norman co-wrote a novel titled Talo of God in 2017. The novel was an action thriller that highlighted both faith and science. He has also produced several movies.
Snipes ran into some legal trouble in 2006 when he was charged with tax evasion for failing to pay 2.7 million in taxes or file any returns from 1999-2001. He was sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison for his crimes in 2010 and was released in 2013.
While the majority of his success comes from his earlier career, Snipes has appeared in quite a few recent films, including Dolemite Is My Name, Cut Throat City, and Coming 2 America.
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Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine.
