WESLEY SNIPES (Monroe Hutchen) has distinguished himself as one of the most talented and respected leading men in the entertainment industry. Evidenced by his numerous starring roles in action-adventures and thrillers, as well as comedic and dramatic feature films, starring opposite such noted actors as Robert De Niro and Sean Connery.
Snipes has also successfully ventured into the creative aspects of filmmaking while steadily building his resume with a cache of box office hits. In 1991, he formed his own independent production company, Amen Ra Films, Inc., and its subsidiary Black Dot Media Inc. to develop projects for film and television.
In recent years, Snipes’ creative slate has included a wide spectrum of projects for both film and television. Released in the summer of 2000 by Warner Bros., “The Art of War” was a Filmline International production directed by Christian Duguay (“Joan of Arc”). Snipes served as one of the executive producers together with Elie Samaha and Dan Halsted in addition to starring in the lead role as the top-secret U.N. operative who is framed for the murder of a Chinese ambassador.
His most recent vehicle, “Disappearing Acts,” was written by Terry McMillan and aired on HBO. This feature was directed by Gina Prince Bythewood and co-starred Sanna Lathan. 1998 was an especially rewarding year for Snipes with the successful opening of the year’s cult hit “Blade” for New Line Cinema, which grossed over $150 million worldwide. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY/Purchase for his outstanding achievements in film.
Snipes also produced “The Big Hit” for TriStar Pictures, which starred Mark Wahlberg and was executive produced by John Woo and Terrance Chang, and the critically acclaimed Miramax feature, “Down in the Delta,” which marked the directorial debut for Dr. Maya Angelou. This unforgettable story of discovery starred the multi award-winning actress Alfre Woodard and garnered several awards including a Christopher Prism and nominations in multiple categories for the Acapulco Black Film Festival, as well as a NAACP Image Award for Best Motion Picture.
Additionally, television projects distinguished Snipes as a creative force with the feature presentation “Futuresport” for ABC, in which he co-starred with Dean Cain and Vanessa L. Williams. Snipes also produced TNT’s “The First Tribute to the Martial Arts Masters of the 20th Century,” which showcased some of the greatest innovators of the martial arts.
Born in Orlando, Florida, Snipes moved to the South Bronx as an infant and went on to attend the High School of Performing Arts. Much to his dismay, his mother decided to move the family back to Orlando, where he completed high school and teamed up with friends to form Struttin’ Street Stuff, a traveling puppet troupe that performed in public parks and schools. In 1980, Snipes returned to New York to attend SUNY/Purchase, where he was “prepared to be a well-trained actor for the classical American stage.” He subsequently landed roles on Broadway in such productions as “Boys of Winter,” “Execution of Justice,” and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s “Death” and “The King’s Horsemen.”
In 1985, while working the audition circuit in New York in between installing public telephones, Snipes auditioned for a role in the Warner Brothers’ Comedy “Wildcats,” starring Goldie Hawn. The distinct impression he made on the casting agent earned him a role in the film.
In 1987, Snipes appeared as Michael Jackson’s rival gang leader in the Martin Scorsese directed music video “Bad,” and his feature “Streets of Gold,” which brought him to the attention of director Spike Lee. He auditioned for and was offered a small role in “Do the Right Thing,” but turned it down for the larger part of Willie Mays Hayes in “Major League,” opposite Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen. This began what would become a succession of box office hits for Snipes, while also securing his position as a leading man in Hollywood. Lee would later cast Snipes as the confident and skilled jazz saxophonist Shadow Henderson in “Mo Better Blues,” and as the lead in the interracial romance/drama “Jungle Fever.”
Arguably, Snipes’ most recognizable film role is the brilliant drug lord Nino Brown in “New Jack City,” which was written specifically for him by writer Barry Michael Cooper, who recalled Snipes’work in the “Bad” video.
As the star of “New Jack City,” “Jungle Fever,” “White Men Can’t Jump” and the critically acclaimed feature “The Waterdance,” Wesley Snipes continued to showcase his broad range as a dramatic and comedic performer, while his role in the action/adventure “Passenger 57” featured his martial arts expertise. He has showcased his effortless style in such films as “Rising Sun,” in which he portrayed an intense LAPD special detective working to solve a murder opposite Sean Connery; “Demolition Man,” opposite Sylvester Stallone as the diabolical Simon Phoenix, and re-teamed with “New Jack City” scribe Barry Michael Cooper for the dramatic feature “Sugar Hill.”
In 1994, Snipes completed the extreme sky-diving action picture “Drop Zone” under John Badham’s direction for Paramount, and elevated the standard of comedic acting by portraying one of a trio of drag queens stranded in a small midwestern town in Universal’s “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar,” for director Bieban Kidron. In 1995, he re-teamed with Woody Harrelson for the action picture “Money Train,” and in 1996, Snipes starred opposite Robert De Niro in TriStar’s action/thriller “The Fan,” directed by Tom Scott.
1997 brought Snipes to the screen in New Line Cinema’s dramatic tale of infidelity, “One Night Stand,” directed by Mike Figgis, which won him the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his unwavering performance. Snipes was also notably lauded by critics worldwide for his uncompromising performance in “U. S. Marshals,” the highly anticipated sequel to Warner Brothers’ 1993 box office hit, “The Fugitive.”
In addition to his craft on screen, Snipes also serves as executive producer of a series of documentaries that he personally finances through Black Dot Media, Inc. Acting as a forum for some of the most illustrious minds and creative thinkers from the African and Afro-Caribbean cultures, Black Dot Media streamlines a myriad of information to an unserved educational market. The films pay homage to distinguished visionaries around the world, including historians, poets, anthropologists and academically esteemed scholars, while maintaining the integrity and fundamental principles of the true African and Afro-Caribbean experience.
The first in the series, “John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk,” chronicles the life of the late Dr. John Henrik Clarke (1915-1999), a preeminent voice and authority on African and Afro-Caribbean studies. The film won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in 1987, and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York. The second documentary features the renowned Egyptologist, Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, and was shot on location in Egypt.
Snipes is a seasoned, trained martial artist in a number of different disciplines including Karate, Kung Fu and Caper, an African/Brazilian martial art.
Movie Database
In Theaters
(1 votes)
(32 votes)
(9 votes)
(15 votes)
(7 votes)