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Wesley Snipes
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Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer and martial artist. He has starred in action-adventures, thrillers, and dramatic feature films but is best known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy. In 1991, the actor formed a production company called Amen Ra Films and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since age twelve, earning the rank of fifth dan black belt in Shotokan Karate.
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Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer and martial artist. He has starred in action-adventures, thrillers, and dramatic feature films but is best known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy. In 1991, the actor formed a production company called Amen Ra Films and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since age twelve, earning the rank of fifth dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. He has also trained as a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of Kung Fu.
In 2008, Snipes was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file federal income tax returns, and on April 24 sentenced to three years in prison. On May 22, the trial court ruled that Snipes may remain free while his appeal is being considered.
Early life
Snipes was born July 31, 1962, in Orlando, Florida, the son of Marian, a teacher's aide and an aircraft engineer father. He grew up in the Bronx, New York City and attended the famed LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, but moved back to Florida before he could graduate. After graduating from Jones High School in Orlando, Snipes returned to New York and attended the State University of New York at Purchase, before being asked to leave the prestigious Acting Conservatory his junior year.
Career
Acting
A 24-year-old Snipes was discovered by an agent while performing in a competition. He made his film debut in the Goldie Hawn vehicle Wildcats. In 1987, he appeared as Michael Jackson's nemesis in the music video "Bad" (he is seen in only the long version of the video) and the feature film Streets of Gold.
Snipe's performance in the music video "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 Henderson 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.
Although Snipes is more remembered for his roles in action films like Passenger 57, Demolition Man (with Sylvester Stallone), Money Train, U.S. Marshals (a spin-off of The Fugitive) and Rising Sun (with Sean Connery), he has also had success in comedies like White Men Can't Jump, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar where he played a drag queen together with Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. Snipes has also been critically acclaimed for his roles in dramas like The Waterdance and Disappearing Acts.
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. 1998 marked Snipes's largest commercial success with the opening of Blade, for New Line Cinema, which has grossed over $150 million worldwide. The film turned into a successful series. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY/Purchase, for his outstanding achievements in film.
Most of his latest films have been released straight-to-DVD. His latest films are The Shooter (also known as The Contractor), filmed in Bulgaria and the UK, with Charles Dance, Lena Heady, Eliza Bennett, and the upcoming Gallowwalker, set to be released in 2009.
Snipes was originally slated to play one of the four leads in Spike Lee's 2008 war film, Miracle at St. Anna but had to leave the film due to his widely-publicized tax problems, and his role eventually went to Derek Luke.
Snipes made a comeback performance in Brooklyn's Finest as Caz, a supporting character.
Other ventures
In the late 90s, Snipes and his brother started a security firm called the Royal Guard of Amen-Ra, dedicated to providing VIPs with bodyguards trained in law enforcement, military, and martial arts.
In 2000, the business was investigated for alleged ties to an extremist religious cult called the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors. It turns out that Snipes had spotted of land with the intention to buy and use for his business academy, which were close to the aforesaid religious cult compound in Putnam County, Georgia. Both Snipes's business and the religious cult had Egyptian motifs as their symbols, which prompted people to hypothesize ties between them.
Snipes and his brother ended up not buying the land and established their company in Florida, Antigua, and of course, Africa, while the religious cult compound was raided in 2002 and their leader convicted.
In 2005, Snipes was in negotiations to fight Fear Factor star and UFC commentator Joe Rogan in an upcoming event.
Personal life
Snipes has been linked to a number of women including Jada Pinkett Smith, Sanaa Lathan, Halle Berry, and Jennifer Lopez. He has been married twice. First, to April Snipes from 1985-1990 with whom he has a son, Jelani Asar Snipes, born in 1988. Jelani had a cameo role in Snipes' 1990 film Mo' Better Blues.
In 2003, Snipes wed painter Nakyung "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 (born May 26, 2004); and son Alimayu Moa-T Snipes (born March 26, 2007). Snipes spends a lot of time in Park's home country of South Korea, which he calls his "second home."
Snipes has a half brother A.D. Snipes, who is also an entertainer, a comedian residing in San Antonio, TX. The younger Snipes has appeared in the TNT Classics Rough Riders and , and has appeared on BET's Comicview and HBO's Def Comedy Jam.
Snipes is a former Muslim, having converted from Christianity to Islam in 1978. He later left Islam in 1988.
A September 24, 2002 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee press release listed Wesley Snipes as an "artist who is supporting the event," which was a $6 million fundraiser with tickets ranged from $500 to $250,000."
Legal troubles
Tax problems
Federal income tax convictions
On October 12 2006, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn, and Douglas P. Rosile were charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States under and one count of knowingly making or aiding and abetting the making of a false and fraudulent claim for payment against the United States, under and . Snipes was also charged with six counts of willfully failing to file Federal income tax returns by their filing dates under . The conspiracy charge against Snipes included allegations that he filed a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over US$4 million for the year 1996 and a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over US$7.3 million for the year 1997. The government alleged that Snipes attempted to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using a 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. The government also charged that Snipes sent three worthless, fictitious "bills of exchange" to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amounts of $1,000,000 (on November 30 2000), $12,000,000 (January 18 2001), and $1,000,000 (September 10 2002), with each accompanied by an IRS tax payment voucher coupon.
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. The government also charged that Snipes failed to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.
In a December 4 2006 letter from Snipes in response to his indictment, he declared himself "a non-resident alien" of the United States (in reality Snipes is a US born citizen). Snipes said he was being made an example of and unfairly targeted by prosecutors because of his fame in connection with the federal tax fraud investigation. He attempted unsuccessfully to get the trial moved from Ocala, Florida on the ground that racist attitudes in that town would prejudice his chance for a fair trial. Snipes faced the possibility of up to sixteen years in prison and substantial fines if convicted on all the charges. The trial began on Monday, January 14 2008, in Ocala, Florida, with opening statements beginning on Wednesday, January 16 2008.
On February 1 2008, Snipes was acquitted on the felony count of conspiracy to defraud the government and on the felony count of filing a false claim with the government. He was, however, found guilty on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file Federal income tax returns (and acquitted on three other "failure to file" charges). His co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on the conspiracy and false claim charges in connection with the income tax refund claims filed for Snipes.
On April 24 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for willful failure to file federal income tax returns under . While defense lawyers urged leniency, prosecutors argued that Snipes should be made an example of because of his fame. Kahn was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Rosile was sentenced to four and half years in prison.
Property taxes
Snipes failed to pay approximately $70,000 in local property taxes, interest and penalties on a home in Alpine, New Jersey, owned by his company, Kymberlyte Production Services International, Inc. In December 2007, the taxing authority of the borough of Alpine, New Jersey sold the tax lien on the home to a third party. Snipes has two years to redeem the property or risk foreclosure. In 2005, Snipes defaulted on California property taxes, owing over $171,000 in property taxes in that state. As of February 2008, a home owned by Snipes in Florida is subject to delinquent property taxes of over $15,000.
New Line lawsuit
In 2005, Snipes sued New Line Cinema, and David S. Goyer (director of Blade: Trinity) claiming that the studio did not pay his full salary, that he was intentionally cut out of casting decisions and filmmaking process, despite being one of the producers, and that his character's screen time was reduced in favor of costars, Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel.
Snipes contends that Goyer, his fellow producers, and New Line kept him out of the project's decision process, which ended up harming the film's performance (it made just $52 million, compared to the previous installments that had made $70 million and $82 million respectively). He says that a portion of his salary - $3.6 million - was withheld as punishment. The suit is still pending.
Passport controversy
In June 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.
Loaded weapon conviction
In 1993, Snipes was fined $1,000 and placed on two-year unsupervised probation in California after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a loaded weapon.
Reckless driving conviction
In April 1994, while on probation on the California gun conviction, Snipes was briefly detained and charged with reckless driving after he crashed his Kawasaki 1100cc motorcycle at the end of a thirty mile, 120 mile per hour chase with a Florida Highway Patrol officer and police helicopters. Snipes had been returning from a family visit in Orlando, and was in the area north of Port St. Lucie, on his way to Key Largo in connection with the making of the film Drop Zone. Neither Snipes nor the officer was seriously injured in the crash. Snipes eventually pleaded no contest to the charge of reckless driving, and was sentenced to perform 80 hours of community service.
Awards and nominations
Filmography
TV series
External links
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