Wesley Snipes

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Wesley Snipes
Birth name Wesley Trent Snipes
Born July 31 1962 (1962-07-31) (age 47)
Orlando, Florida,
Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States
Spouse(s) Nikki Park (2003-present)
April Duboise (1985-1990)

Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer and martial artist.

Snipes has starred in action-adventures, thrillers, comedies, and dramatic feature films opposite such actors as Robert De Niro and Sean Connery. In recent years, Snipes has moved behind the scenes in order to make his own films. To this end, he formed his own independent production company, Amen Ra Films, and its subsidiary Black Dot Media in 1991, to develop projects for film and television.

Wesley Snipes has been training in martial arts since he was twelve and is a Fourth Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. Snipes has also persued training in a number of other disciplines including Kung Fu and Capoeira, an African/Brazilian martial art.

Snipes will return to the big screen in the U.S. with 2008's Gallowwalker.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Acting

Born in Orlando, Snipes grew up in the Bronx where he attended Manhattan's famed High School for the Performing Arts but he moved back to Florida before he could graduate. After finishing high school in Florida, Snipes attended the State University of New York-Purchase and began pursuing an acting career. A 24 year old Snipes was discovered by an agent while performing in a competition and a short time later he made his film debut in the Goldie Hawn vehicle Wildcats. In 1987, Snipes appeared as Michael Jackson's rival gang leader in the Martin Scorsese-directed music video "Bad" (he is only seen in the long version of the video) and the feature film Streets of Gold,

Snipe's performance in the music vides "Bad" caught the eye of director Spike Lee. Snipes turned down a small role in Lee's Do the Right Thing for the larger part of Willie Mays Hays in Major League, beginning a succession of box-office hits for Snipes. Lee would later cast Snipes as the jazz saxophonist Shadow Handerson in Mo' Better Blues and as the lead in the interracial romance drama Jungle Fever. Another important role for Snipes was the powerful drug lord Nino Brown in New Jack City, which was written specifically for him by Barry Michael Cooper. Another film in which his character was involved in drugs was the somber movie Sugar Hill.

Snipes has featured in films as diverse as the comedy White Men Can't Jump, the critically acclaimed The Waterdance, and the action/adventure Passenger 57 (which featured his martial arts expertise), Rising Sun, The Blade Trilogy , The Art of War, Demolition Man, Sugar Hill, Drop Zone, Money Train and The Fan. In a departure from type, Snipes played a drag queen (alongside Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo) in the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.

In 1997 he won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in New Line Cinema's One Night Stand. Snipes was also lauded by critics worldwide for his performance in U.S. Marshals, a sequel of sorts to the box-office hit, The Fugitive.

1998 was especially rewarding for Snipes with the opening of the year's hit Blade, for New Line Cinema, which has 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's recently completed filming The Shooter (also know as "The Contractor") in Bulgaria and the UK, with Charles Dance, Lena Heady and Eliza Bennett.


[edit] Producing

In 1991, Snipes formed the independent production company Amen Ra Films. It co-produced the first two Blade films and other titles that Snipes has starred in.

Snipes produced The Big Hit, starring Mark Wahlberg and executive produced by John Woo and Terrence Chang, and the critically acclaimed feature Down in the Delta, which marked Maya Angelou's directorial debut and garnered several awards including a Christopher Prism and nominations in multiple categories for the Acapulco Black Film Festival, as well as an NAACP Image Award for Best Motion Picture.

Additionally, television projects distinguished Snipes as a creative force with ABC's Futuresport, in which he starred with Dean Cain and Vanessa L. Williams. Snipes also produced the highest rated cable special of all time, 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.

Snipes also served as executive producer of a series of documentaries that he personally financed through now defunct Black Dot Media. The company showcased prominent thinkers from the African and Afro-Caribbean culture. The first in the series, John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk, chronicled the life of John Henrik Clarke, an authority on African and Afro-Caribbean studies. The film won critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997 and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York.

[edit] Personal Life

Snipes has been linked to a number of women including Jada Pinkett Smith, Sanaa Lathan, Halle Berry, and Jennifer Lopez. Snipes has been married twice, first time to April Snipes from 1985-1990. The couple has a son, Jelani Asar Snipes, born in 1998. Jelani had a cameio role in "Mo' Better Blues" (1990) In 2003 Snipes wed painter Nikki Park, who is the mother of his four youngest children: son Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes; daughter Iset Jua-T Snipes (born July 31, 2001); son Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes; and son Alimayu Moa-T Snipes (born March 26, 2007) . Snipes spends a lot of time in Park's home country which he call his "second home."


[edit] Legal problems

On October 12, 2006, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn, Douglas P. Rosile and Douglas P. Rosile were charged in with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 371, where the victim is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) one count of making or aiding and abetting the making of a false and fraudulent claim for payment against the United States, under 18 U.S.C. § 287 and 18 U.S.C. § 2, and six counts of willfully failing to timely file Federal income tax returns under 26 U.S.C. § 7203.[1]The conspiracy charge against Snipes includes allegations that he filed a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over $4 million for the year 1996 and a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over $7.3 million for the year 1997. The government alleges in the indictment that Snipes attempted to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using a discredited tax protester theory called the "861 argument" (essentially, an argument that the domestic income of U.S. citizens and residents is not taxable). The indictment said Snipes used accountants who already had a history of filing false returns to obtain refund payments for their clients.[2]

Under the alleged deal, the firm American Rights Litigators was to receive, from the clients, an amount equal to 20 percent of the tax refunds obtained for those clients.[3] The government also charges that Snipes failed to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.[4]

Snipes said he was a scapegoat and unfairly targeted by prosecutors in connection with the federal tax fraud investigation.[3]

If convicted, Snipes could face up to sixteen years in prison[5] and substantial fines. The trial is scheduled to begin January 14, 2008.[6]

In 2005, Snipes was detained in South Africa at Johannesburg International Airport for allegedly trying to pass through the airport with a fake South African passport. Snipes was allowed to return home because he had a valid U.S. passport, but the South African authorities reduced his immigration status to undesirable as a result of the incident.[7]

[edit] Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Film Result
1989 CableACE Awards Actor in a Dramatic Series Vietnam War Story Won
1992 MTV Movie Award Best Villain "New Jack City" Nominated
1993 MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Duo (with Woody Harrelson)and Best Kiss White Men Can't Jump Nominated
Independent Spirit Award Best Supporting Male The Waterdance Nominated
Image Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture New Jack City Won
1994 MTV Movie Award Best Villain "Demolition Man" Nominated
1997 Image Award Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series America's Dream Won
Venice Film Festival Best Actor (Volpi Cup) "One Night Stand" Won
1998 Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Motion Picture 21 August 1998, At 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actor - Horror Blade Won
Favorite Duo - Action/Adventure (with Tommy Lee Jones U.S. Marshals Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Best Fight Blade Nominated
2001 Black Reel Theatrical - Best Actor Undisputed Nominated
2003 Black Reel Network/Cable - Best Actor Disappearing Acts Nominated


[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Wildcats Trumaine
1987 Streets of Gold Roland Jenkins
Vietnam War Story II Young Soldier Direct-video
1988 Critical Condition Ambulance Drrive brief appearance
1989 Major League Willie Mayes Hayes
1990 King of New York Thomas Flanigan
Mo' Better Blues Shadow Handerson
1991 Jungle Fever Flipper "Flip" Purify
New Jack City Nino Brown
1992 Passenger 57 John Cutner
1993 The Waterdance Raymond Hill
White Men Can't Jump Sidney "Syd" Deane
Boiling Point Jimmy Mercer
Demolition Man Simon Phoenix
Rising Sun Lt. Webster Web Smith
1994 Drop Zone Pete Nessip
Sugar Hill Roemello Skugs
1995 To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar Noxeema Jackson
Money Train John
1996 Waiting To Exhale James Wheeler uncredited
The Fan Bobby "Bob" Rayburn
America's Dream George Du Vail TV
1997 Murder at 1600 Detective Harlan Regins
1998 One Night Stand Maximilian "Max" Carlyle Volpi Cup (Best Actor) in Venice Film Festival
Blade Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker also fight choregraphy and producer
U.S. Marshals Mark J.Sheridan/Warren/Roberts
Down in the Delta Will Sinclair Also executive producer
Masters of the Martial Arts presented by Wesley Snipes Himself Documentary
Jackie Chan: My Story Himself Documentary
Futuresport Obike Foxx TV
1999 Play It to the Bone Ringside Fan cameo
2000 The Art of War Neil Shaw
Disappearing Acts Franklin Swift Also producer
2002 ZigZag David "Dave" Fletcher
Blade II: Bloodhunt Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker also fight coordinator and producer
Liberty Stands Still Joe
Undisputed Monroe Undisputed Hutchens Also producer
2004 Unstoppable Dean Cage
Blade: Trinity Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker also producer
2005 7 Seconds Jack Tulliver Direct-to-DVD
The Marksman Painter Direct-to-DVD
2006 Hard Luck Lucky Direct-to-DVD
Chaos Jason York/Scott Curtis/Lorenz
The Detonator Sonni Griffith Direct-to-DVD
2007 The Contractor James Dial Direct-to-DVD
Gallowwalker completed

[edit] Tv Series

Year Title Role Episode
1986 Miami Vice Silk Streetwise
1987 Vietnam War Story Young Soldier An Old Ghost Walks the Earth
1989 A Man Called Hawk Nicholas Murdock Choice of Chance
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Hood Here's Why You Should Always Make Your Bed in the Morning
1990 H.E.L.P Lou Barton Series lead
1997 Happily Ever After The Pied Piper The Pied Piper
2002 The Bernie Mac Show Duke Rope-a-Dope

[edit] References

  1. ^ Findlaw
  2. ^ Findlaw
  3. ^ a b "Wesley Snipes Arrested in Tax Fraud Case", Forbes, 8 December 2006.
  4. ^ apnews.myway
  5. ^ The sixteen years could consist of one year on each of the six counts under 26 U.S.C. section 7203, five years under 18 U.S.C. section 371, and five years under 18 U.S.C. section 287.
  6. ^ Rick Cundiff, "Lawyers for Snipes appeal decision to keep trial in Ocala," Jan. 4, 2008, Ocala Star-Banner (Ocala, Florida) at [1].
  7. ^ http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20050928115054176C868509

[edit] External links

da:Wesley Snipes de:Wesley Snipes et:Wesley Snipes es:Wesley Snipes eo:Wesley Snipes fr:Wesley Snipes id:Wesley Snipes it:Wesley Snipes lb:Wesley Snipes nl:Wesley Snipes ja:ウェズリー・スナイプス pl:Wesley Snipes pt:Wesley Snipes ru:Снайпс, Уэсли simple:Wesley Snipes sr:Весли Снајпс fi:Wesley Snipes sv:Wesley Snipes tr:Wesley Snipes

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