Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. Snipes has made films in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, though he is best known for his action films. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his work in The Waterdance (1992) and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in the film One Night Stand (1997).
Born in Florida, Snipes had notable parts in the comedy film Major League (1989), the drama Mo' Better Blues (1990), and the crime drama King of New York (1990) before gaining prominence by playing a drug lord in the crime drama New Jack City (1991). He subsequently received more attention for the drama film Jungle Fever (1991), the sports comedy White Men Can't Jump (1992), and the action film Passenger 57 (1992). He has since starred in various genres, such as the comedy film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), the thriller The Fan (1996), and the drama film Down in the Delta (1998), but mostly established himself as an action star, portraying both heroes and villains in films such as Demolition Man (1993), Rising Sun (1993), Money Train (1995), and U.S. Marshals (1998). Also in 1998, he was cast as Eric Brooks/BBlade in the superhero film Blade, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name, a role he went on to reprise in Blade II (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
Snipes had smaller roles during the 2000s and moved to direct-to-video action films before returning to the theatrical release with films such as Brooklyn's Finest (2009) and The Expendables 3 (2014). His television work includes multiple episodes in the drama series H.E.L.P. (1990), the action thriller crime drama series The Player (2015), and the drama limited series True Story (2021), as well as the romantic drama film Disappearing Acts (2000).
He formed a production company, Amen-Ra Films, in 1991, and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since the age of 12, earning a 5thdan black belt in Shotokan karate and a 2nddan black belt in Hapkido. He is credited with helping popularise martial arts in Hollywood and bringing martial arts to mainstream audiences, as well as contributing to the representation of Black actors in action roles, breaking stereotypes. In 2017, Snipes made his debut as a novelist with the urban fantasy supernatural adventure Talon of God.
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Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Deadpool & Wolverine
Self - Blade
2024
Deadpool & Wolverine
Blade
2024
Where’s Usher?
Leslie Snipes
2024
Back on the Strip
Luther 'Mr. Big'
2023
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Morlak (voice) · (2 episodes)
2023
True Story
Carlton · (7 episodes)
2021
Coming 2 America
General Izzi
2021
Cut Throat City
Lawrence
2020
Dolemite Is My Name
D’Urville Martin
2019
What We Do in the Shadows
Wesley · (1 episode)
2019
Basketball: A Love Story
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2018
Armed Response
Isaac
2017
The Recall
The Hunter
2017
Forensic Justice
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2016
Chi-Raq
Sean 'Cyclops' Andrews
2015
The Player
Mr. Johnson · (9 episodes)
2015
The Making of The Expendables 3
Self
2014
The Expendables 3
Doc
2014
Gallowwalkers
Aman
2012
Game of Death
Agent Marcus
2011
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
2010
Brooklyn's Finest
Casanova 'Caz' Phillips
2010
The Art of War II: Betrayal
Neil Shaw
2008
The Contractor
James Dial
2007
Hard Luck
Lucky
2006
The Detonator
Sonni Griffith
2006
The Marksman
Painter
2005
Nightstalkers, Daywalkers, and Familiars: Inside the World of 'Blade: Trinity'
Self
2005
7 Seconds
Jack Tuliver
2005
Chaos
Lorenz / Jason York
2005
Blade: Trinity
Eric Brooks / Blade
2004
Unstoppable
Dean Cage
2004
The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'
Self
2002
Undisputed
Monroe Hutchen
2002
Zig Zag
Dave Fletcher
2002
Blade II
Blade
2002
Liberty Stands Still
Joe
2002
The Bernie Mac Show
Duke · (1 episode)
2001
Disappearing Acts
Franklin Swift
2000
The Art of War
Neil Shaw
2000
Play It to the Bone
Wesley Snipes (Ringside Fan)
1999
Futuresport
Obike Fixx
1999
Down in the Delta
Will Sinclair
1998
Vivement dimanche
Self · (1 episode)
1998
Blade
Blade
1998
Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes
Self
1998
Jackie Chan: My Story
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1998
U.S. Marshals
Sheridan
1998
One Night Stand
Max Carlyle
1997
The View
Self - Guest · (2 episodes)
1997
Murder at 1600
Detective Harlan Regis
1997
John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk
Narrator
1996
Jackie Chan - From Stuntman to Superstar
Self
1996
The Fan
Bobby Rayburn
1996
America's Dream
George Du Vaul (segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black")
1996
Waiting to Exhale
James Wheeler (uncredited)
1995
Money Train
John
1995
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
Noxeema Jackson
1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
The Pied Piper (voice) · (1 episode)
1995
Drop Zone
Pete Nessip
1994
Sugar Hill
Romello Skuggs
1994
Demolition Man
Simon Phoenix
1993
Hardwood Dreams
Narrator
1993
Rising Sun
Lt. Webster Smith
1993
Boiling Point
Jimmy Mercer
1993
Passenger 57
John Cutter
1992
HBO First Look
(1 episode)
1992
Sous les marches du palais
Self
1991
Critical Condition
Ambulance Driver
1987
Outbreak Z
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(1 episode)
1992
The Waterdance
Raymond Hill
1992
White Men Can't Jump
Sidney Deane
1992
Jungle Fever
Flipper Purify
1991
New Jack City
Nino Brown
1991
Mo' Better Blues
Shadow Henderson (Sax)
1990
King of New York
Thomas Flanigan
1990
H.E.L.P.
Off. Lou Barton · (6 episodes)
1990
Major League
Willie Mays Hayes
1989
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Hood · (1 episode)
1987
Wildcats
Trumaine
1986
Streets of Gold
Roland Jenkins
1986
Miami Vice
Silk · (1 episode)
1984
The Oscars
Self · (1 episode)
1953