Wesley Snipes – a True Blade Turner

Is he a Ninja?! Well not quite, but Wesley Trent Snipes is a lot more than an American actor and entrepreneur. Born July 13, 1962, the world-famous ‘Day Walker’ is a 5^th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and a 2^nd degree black belt in Hapkido.

And there is more. Snipes started his martial arts training when he was only 12 years old and became very famous. In 2005, he was set to become the center of an Ultimate Fighter bout with the narrator of the Fear Factor TV program, Joe Rogan. Not to mention the years he spent training at the Shaolin Temple.

Personal Life and Outlook

Although he was born in Orlando, Florida, Snipes grew up in the Bronx, New York. As an adult, he lived in Manhattan and was affected by the 2001 terror attack on the Twin Towers. His apartment was destroyed in the blast.  He was not in New York at the time, which he says saved his life.

A Purchase University graduate, he quickly became a businessman and married twice. He had one son with his first wife April Snipes, and four with his current partner, Nakyung “Nikki” Park.

All the Way to Blade

Snipes performed his way into TV.  While he was performing in a drama competition, an agent fell in love with his style. He was given his first break in Goldie Hawn’s movie Wildcats (1986).

He was only 23 at the time but soon became a popularTV star.  He appeared that same year in Miami Vice and a year later, in Michael Jackson’s Bad. He would appear in a number of films including Major Leagues, Mo’ Better Blues, and Jungle Fever.

This brought great fame that even The Washington Post crowned him as “the most celebrated new actor of the season”. He has participated across major film genres.

1. Action Films: Passenger 57, Demolition Man (with Sylvester Stallone), Money Train, The Fan, S. Marshals, and Rising Sun,
2. Comedies: White Men Can’t Jump, To Wong Foo, and Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
3. Dramas:  The Waterdance and Disappearing Acts

The Blade Sequel

Snipes had his greatest success in the Blade franchise. Blade grossed over $150 million. He appeared in the sequel Blade Trinity in 2004.  The film was directed by David S. Goyer and produced by Wesley Snipes.

According to Snipes, the New Line Cinema studio did not honor its full contract and some of the royalties agreed upon were not paid.

In 2012, Snipes ran into problems with the IRS and was deprived of liberty for three years. He was released from house arrest in 2013 and went back to the big screen. Since then, he has appeared in the following movies: The Expendables 3 (2014) and Dolemite Is My Name (2019).

Wesley Snipes is still a favorite actor, and his last film showed him that his fans still cared about him, as it was a great success.