Wesley Snipes
Biography
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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wesley Snipes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The View

Miami Vice

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Deadpool & Wolverine

What We Do in the Shadows

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
All Movies (70)
- Michael Jackson: A Life in Music2026 · as Self (archive footage)
- Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Deadpool & Wolverine2024 · as Self - Blade
- Deadpool & Wolverine2024 · as Blade
- Where's Usher?2024 · as Leslie Snipes
- Back on the Strip2023 · as Luther 'Mr. Big'
- Coming 2 America2021 · as General Izzi
- Cut Throat City2020 · as Lawrence
- Dolemite Is My Name2019 · as D’Urville Martin
- Armed Response2017 · as Isaac
- The Recall2017 · as The Hunter
- Chi-Raq2015 · as Sean 'Cyclops' Andrews
- The Making of The Expendables 32014 · as Self
- Do The Right Thing 25 Year Anniversary A Beats Music Experience2014 · as self
- The Expendables 32014 · as Doc
- Gallowwalkers2012 · as Aman
- Game of Death2011 · as Agent Marcus
- 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift2010 · as (archive footage)
- Brooklyn's Finest2010 · as Casanova 'Caz' Phillips
- The Art of War II: Betrayal2008 · as Neil Shaw
- The Contractor2007 · as James Dial
- Hard Luck2006 · as Lucky
- The Detonator2006 · as Sonni Griffith
- The Marksman2005 · as Painter
- 7 Seconds2005 · as Jack Tuliver
- Nightstalkers, Daywalkers, and Familiars: Inside the World of Blade Trinity2005 · as Self
- Chaos2005 · as Lorenz / Jason York
- Blade: Trinity2004 · as Eric Brooks / Blade
- Unstoppable2004 · as Dean Cage
- The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'2002 · as Self
- Undisputed2002 · as Monroe Hutchen
- Zig Zag2002 · as Dave Fletcher
- Blade II2002 · as Blade
- Liberty Stands Still2002 · as Joe
- Disappearing Acts2000 · as Franklin Swift
- The Art of War2000 · as Neil Shaw
- Play It to the Bone1999 · as Wesley Snipes (Ringside Fan)
- Futuresport1999 · as Obike Fixx
- Down in the Delta1998 · as Will Sinclair
- Blade1998 · as Blade
- Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes1998 · as Self
- U.S. Marshals1998 · as Sheridan
- One Night Stand1997 · as Max Carlyle
- Murder at 16001997 · as Detective Harlan Regis
- John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk1996 · as Narrator
- Jackie Chan - From Stuntman to Superstar1996 · as Self
- The Fan1996 · as Bobby Rayburn
- America's Dream1996 · as George Du Vaul (segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black")
- Waiting to Exhale1995 · as James Wheeler (uncredited)
- Money Train1995 · as John
- To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar1995 · as Noxeema Jackson
- Drop Zone1994 · as Pete Nessip
- Sugar Hill1994 · as Romello Skuggs
- Demolition Man1993 · as Simon Phoenix
- Hardwood Dreams1993 · as Narrator
- Rising Sun1993 · as Lt. Webster Smith
- Boiling Point1993 · as Jimmy Mercer
- The Real Malcolm X1992
- Passenger 571992 · as John Cutter
- The Waterdance1992 · as Raymond Hill
- White Men Can't Jump1992 · as Sidney Deane
- Sous les marches du palais1991 · as Self
- Jungle Fever1991 · as Flipper Purify
- New Jack City1991 · as Nino Brown
- Mo' Better Blues1990 · as Shadow Henderson (Sax)
- King of New York1990 · as Thomas Flanigan
- Major League1989 · as Willie Mays Hayes
- Critical Condition1987 · as Ambulance Driver
- Streets of Gold1986 · as Roland Jenkins
- Wildcats1986 · as Trumaine
- Outbreak Z—
All TV Shows (18)
- Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur2023 · as Morlak (voice)
- True Story2021 · as Carlton
- What We Do in the Shadows2019 · as Wesley
- Basketball: A Love Story2018 · as Self (archive footage)
- Forensic Justice2016 · as Self (archive footage)
- The Player2015 · as Mr. Johnson
- Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
- The Bernie Mac Show2001 · as Duke
- Vivement dimanche1998 · as Self
- The View1997 · as Self - Guest
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child1995 · as The Pied Piper (voice)
- HBO First Look1992
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992 · as Self
- H.E.L.P.1990 · as Lou Barton
- The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd1987 · as Hood
- Miami Vice1984 · as Silk
- The Oscars1953 · as Self