Wesley Snipes Net Worth

Publish date: 2024-08-17

Wesley Trent Snipes net worth is
$10 Million

Wesley Trent Snipes Wiki Biography

Wesley Trent Snipes was born on 31 July 1962, in Orlando, Florida USA. Wesley is an Afro-American actor who has appeared in a number of well-known movies such as “Demolition Man”, “7 Seconds” and “White Men Can’t Jump”. However, many people recognize him best as the vampire hunter in the “Blade” trilogy.

So just how rich is Wesley Snipes? Due to a successful acting career, Wesley Snipes’ net worth is estimated by sources at $10 million, accumulated over a career beginning when he was 23 years of age.

Wesley Snipes Net Worth $10 Million

Wesley was actually raised in The Bronx, New York City, but eventually finished his education at Jones High School in Orlando, Florida, before moving back to New York. In his youth, Snipes practiced martial arts, and when he was 23 a talent agent noticed him in a martial arts competition. From that moment his life took a positive turn, and Wesley Snipes had the opportunity to show his strength in a quite different field – the film industry. His debut movie was “Wildcats” in which he starred with Goldie Hawn. Subsequently Snipes appeared in an episode of the television series “Miami Vice”, in the film “Streets of Gold” and in a Michael Jackson music video “Bad”. The film director Spike Lee saw the video and decided to offer Snipes a few roles in his movies. Consequently, Wesley Snipes become more noticed, and his net worth rose considerably. Even though the majority of Wesley Snipes movies are action thrillers, he has also starred in a few comedies, such as “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Thanks for Everything”. Snipes will appear in the upcoming movie “Expendables 3”.

Wesley Snipes is not only an actor, but also a film producer. In 1991, Snipes established his own production company, “Amen-Ra films” and its subsidiary “Black Dot Media”. Moreover, together with his brother Snipes established a security firm “The Royal Guard of Amen-Ra”, which offers protection to celebrities. As a result, Wesley Snipes net worth has significantly increased.

It is worth mentioning that while being a successful actor, Wesley Snipes has not neglected martial arts. Snipes has a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan karate. He also practices kung fu, jiu-jitsu, capoeira and other styles of martial arts. It is no wonder that in the majority of films Snipes portrays tough guys such as athletes, police officers and drug dealers.

Away from the screen, thanks to his good looks Wesley Snipes has dated plenty of beautiful Hollywood actresses, for instance, Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez. Snipes was married to April Spice , with whom he has a son, but his second marriage to the painter Nakyung Park has proven successful, and they have four children.

Despite his successful career and considerable capital, Wesley Snipes has had money related problems. The IRS discovered that Snipes had been avoiding paying taxes since 1996. In the period from 1996 to 2004 the actor earned $37.9 million dollars but had neglected to pay taxes and even forged documents. Subsequently, Wesley Snipes was sentenced to prison,  spending 90% of a three year sentence in jail, and a fine of $17 million, to the IRS. Before going to prison, Wesley Snipes had a $53 million dollar capital, which was then considerably diminished.

Despite money troubles in the past Wesley Snipes is still wealthy. He owns a number of luxurious cars, big houses and apartments.  He also owns the rights to the “Blade Trilogy”.


Full NameWesley Snipes
Net Worth$10 Million
Salary$10 Million
Date Of BirthJuly 31, 1962
Place Of BirthOrlando, Florida, United States
Height5 ft 9 in (1.753 m)
Weight180 lbs
ProfessionActor, Martial Artist, Film Producer, Businessperson, Dancer, Singer
EducationHigh School of Performing Arts of Fiorello H. LaGuardia , Jones High School in Orlando, State University of New York at Purchase, Southwest College in Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
SpouseNakyung Park (m. 2003), April Dubois (m. 1985–1990)
ChildrenJelani Asar Snipes, Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes, Iset Jua-T Snipes, Alimayu Moa-T Snipes, Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes
ParentsMaryann (née Long), Wesley Rudolph Snipes
SiblingsBridget Snipes, Wesley Snipes
NicknamesWesley Trent Snipes , Welsey Snipes
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/RealWesleySnipes
Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/wesleytsnipes
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/realwesleysnipes/
IMDBhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000648
Allmusicwww.allmusic.com/artist/wesley-snipes-mn0000251940
AwardsBest Actor Volpi Cup (54th Venice Film Festival, 1997), Image Awards - Outstanding Lead Actor, Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Actor
NominationsStar on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, MTV Movie Awards, Black Reel Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Independent Spirit Awards
Movies"Demolition Man" (1993), "7 Seconds", "White Men Can’t Jump (1992)", "Blade" (1998), "The Contractor" (2007), "Gallowwalkers" (2012), "Game Of Death", "The Expendables 3" (2014)
TV ShowsOne Night Stand, H.E.L.P. (1990), The Player (2015), America's Dream (1996), Disappearing Acts (2000)
#Trademark
1Deep commanding voice
2Characters in his films, usually his own characters, frequently quote the literary classic "The Art of War", written by Sun Tzu around 500 B.C.E., which is widely regarded as the single best resource for training military special forces groups worldwide.
#Quote
1(2010, GQ magazine) You know, when I was doing films like White Men Can't Jump (1992) and the money was hefty, I didn't get it. I didn't know what you could do with it. Like, I've never been to Hawaii. I didn't know. I had no experience in 'Let's take some money and go to Hawaii and rent a chalet and live it up and champagne and da da da.' So I didn't go anywhere, I didn't do anything. I'm not saying I didn't have fun, but I didn't have the fun you would expect for a person who for all intents and purposes hit the lottery. I didn't do all the movie-star Hollywood things.
2[his advice to aspiring actors] They should be very versatile. Versatility is what's going to give them the longevity. The world is opening up and a lot more stories and a lot more interesting scenes to portray in film. Versatility will help them. They must be able to see the world, learn the world, and bring it to their craft.
3[on why he loves the sport of boxing] I love the idea of the man to man, against one another. I like that. I don't know why.
4I never really planned on making action films. It just kind of happened. I've focused primarily on acting and developing characters, but that has blossomed into a whole new venue I'm still young and fit enough to do. My love is still drama, though. Even if I play a straight action guy, I want to give him some depth and substance.
5I have a great deal of fun playing Blade. The lifestyle of it, the controlled rebelliousness, is wonderful to me. And it's therapeutic, too. A role like this lets you vent.
6I used to do puppet theatre and also mime and musical theatre in Florida for competitions and festivals, which was great. I was very much involved in theatre when I was in college. It's funny because all I wanted to do when I was young was to become a dancer and then I went to acting school, where they taught me great drama! And that was it, I became an actor and the rhythm went through the door. But I can still do some dancing, some choreography in my films and that's cool.
7Certain roles are more challenging than others, but I haven't come across one yet that I can't tackle.
8I read that Asian women were bedroom generals. Some people think that means they're great in bed, but that's not the issue. They're talking about a place where the man is at his most vulnerable, where they have the most control. They don't have to beat him over the head to mow the lawn. They can whisper it in his ear and give him a kiss on the cheek and it's no problem. That's a general. (August 1998: Jet Magazine v.94 #13 pg.58)
9[on marriage] I don't understand the mandate of being together forever. The idea that you should do that is wrong. It makes us slaves to a societal mandate. You can still love, but it doesn't mean you have to be tethered to the flesh. [9.14.97: Toronto Sun newspaper: Interviewed by Liz Braun]
10Lot of the scripts I've been in with other non-white actors haven't been great. Lot of non-white actors ain't all that great.
#Fact
1Was set to star in Major League II (1994) reprising his role of Willie Mays Hayes, but gave up the project due to schedule conflicts. The role was recast with Omar Epps.
2Was set to star in Miracle at St. Anna (2008) but had to leave the project due to tax problems which made him unable to travel to Italy, the film's principal shooting location. His intended role went to Derek Luke.
3Is close friends with Woody Harrelson.
4(April 2, 2013) New York City, USA. Released from McKean Federal Corrections where he had been serving time for federal tax evasion since 2010. He is under house arrest until his sentence ends, July 19, 2013.
5Pennsylvania, USA: Serving a prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, McKean for misdemeanor failure to file U.S. federal income tax returns. Scheduled for release on July 19, 2013 (2010).
6The character of Raven from Tekken 5 (2004) was modeled after him.
7Was Sylvester Stallone's original choice to play Hale Caesar in The Expendables (2010), but couldn't accept because of his tax issues made him unable to leave the United States.
8Lives in Alpine, New Jersey.
9(November 11, 2008) Attended the star-studded opening of Dubai's lavish Atlantis Palms resort. Guests were welcomed in style with a display of one million fireworks, said to be visible from space.
10Father of sons Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes, Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes, Alimayu Moa-T Snipes (born March 26, 2007) and daughter Iset Jua-T Snipes (born July 31, 2001) with wife Nakyung Park.
11Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on August 21, 1998.
12Godfather of actress Cashalà L'Shauntyelle.
13On October 17, 2006, he was indicted on eight counts of tax fraud. He was ultimately found guilty and sentenced on April 24, 2008, to three years imprisonment. It was determined that he had not filed federal income tax returns from 1999 to 2007 and owed the IRS approximately $20,000,000 in back taxes. On the day he was sentenced, he paid $5,000,000 to the IRS.
14Introduction and training in the martial arts was first by fellow classmate and now fight co-coordinator/technical advisor Marcus Salgado.
15On April 18, 2005, Snipes filed a suit against New Line Cinema for more then $5 million, claiming that the studio failed to pay the balance of his fixed rate for Blade: Trinity, and that he wasn't allowed to approve the director, per his contract stipulations.
16Ranked the tenth most popular movie star in America by the Annual Harris Poll (1999).
17Father retired from United States Air Force Reserve's 315AW Charleston Air Force Base April 1998 with the rank of MSGT.
18Is a fanatical music lover and collector and owns more than 1,000 LPs and 4,000 CDs.
19His apartment was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. He happened to have been delayed at the gym where he was working out, otherwise he would have been home at that moment.
20Has mastered numerous martial arts forms including the Brazilian street fighting form Capoeira.
21You can see him reading a book on the plane in his big action film Passenger 57 (1992). The book is "The Art of War" which is the same title as a movie that he starred in eight years later, though unrelated to it.
22Married Korean painter Nikki Park, who is the mother of his four youngest children, in March 2003. Snipes spends a great deal of time in Park's home country, which he calls his "second home".
23Father of son Jelani Asar Snipes (born 1988) with first wife, April.
24Insisted that the role of Mimi (played by Ming-Na Wen), his character's wife in the film One Night Stand (1997), be played by an Asian woman in order to "push the boundaries of racial-sexual taboos". Snipes's character, Max, is a successful Black commercial director who has an extramarital affair with an attractive blonde (Nastassja Kinski).
25Publicly blasted John Singleton for not casting him in the title role of the updated version of Shaft (2000). Snipes claims the film would have made twice its $60 million+ earnings had he been cast.
26Practices Capoeira, Brazilian martial arts.
27Is a fifth degree black belt in Shotokan karate. He also studies several forms of Kung Fu.
28Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (1991).
29Has appeared in Michael Jackson's music video Michael Jackson: Bad (1987). You can only see him in the full length, 16-minute, black and white/color music video. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.
30Despite the fact that he does not often acknowledge it, he did attend the State University of New York at Purchase. He joins the other notable SUNY Purchase attendees who include: Parker Posey, Sherry Stringfield, Melissa Leo, Stanley Tucci, directors Hal Hartley and Nick Gomez, and producers Todd Baker and Bob Gosse. He left Purchase and transferred to a school in Florida, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1985.
31Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1990" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 42.

All pictures

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Armed Response2017completed
Chronicles of the Mayan TunnelannouncedAh Puch - God of War
The Recall2017The Hunter
Chi-Raq2015Cyclops
The Player2015TV SeriesMr. Johnson
The Expendables 32014Doc
Gallowwalkers2012Aman
Julius Styles: The International2011Video GameJulius Styles (voice)
Game of Death2011Marcus
Brooklyn's Finest2009Caz
The Art of War II: Betrayal2008VideoShaw
The Contractor2007VideoJames Dial
Hard Luck2006VideoLucky
The Detonator2006VideoSonni Griffith
Chaos2005/IILorenz Jason York
The Marksman2005VideoPainter
7 Seconds2005VideoJack Tuliver
Blade: Trinity2004Blade
Unstoppable2004Dean Cage
The Bernie Mac Show2003TV SeriesDuke
Undisputed2002Monroe Hutchen
Blade II2002Blade
Zig Zag2002Dave Fletcher
Liberty Stands Still2002Joe
Disappearing Acts2000TV MovieFranklin Swift
The Art of War2000Neil Shaw
Play It to the Bone1999Ringside Fan
Futuresport1998TV MovieObike Fixx
Blade1998Blade
Down in the Delta1998Will Sinclair
U.S. Marshals1998Mark J. Sheridan Warren Roberts
One Night Stand1997Max Carlyle
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child1997TV SeriesThe Pied Piper
Murder at 16001997Detective Regis
The Fan1996Bobby Rayburn
America's Dream1996TV MovieGeorge Du Vaul (segment "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black")
Waiting to Exhale1995James Wheeler (uncredited)
Money Train1995John
To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar1995Noxeema
Demolition Man1994Video GameSimon Phoenix
Drop Zone1994Pete Nessip
Demolition Man1993Simon Phoenix
Sugar Hill1993Roemello Skuggs
Rising Sun1993Lt. Webster Smith
Boiling Point1993/IJimmy Mercer
Passenger 571992John Cutter
White Men Can't Jump1992Sidney Deane
The Waterdance1992Raymond Hill
Jungle Fever1991Flipper Purify
New Jack City1991Nino Brown
Mo' Better Blues1990Shadow Henderson (Sax)
King of New York1990Thomas Flanigan
H.E.L.P.1990TV SeriesOff. Lou Barton
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd1989TV SeriesHood
Major League1989Willie Mays Hayes
A Man Called Hawk1989TV SeriesNicholas Murdock
Vietnam War Story1988TV SeriesBookman
Michael Jackson: Bad1987Video shortMini Max
Critical Condition1987Ambulance Driver
Miami Vice1986TV SeriesSilk
Streets of Gold1986Roland Jenkins
Wildcats1986Trumaine

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
59 Rows of Teethexecutive producer announced
Chronicles of the Mayan Tunnelproducer announced
The Recall2017producer
Revelations of the Mayans: 2012 and Beyond2012Documentary executive producer
Blade: Trinity2004producer
Undisputed2002executive producer
Blade II2002producer
Dr. Ben2001TV Movie documentary executive producer
Disappearing Acts2000TV Movie executive producer
The Art of War2000executive producer
Futuresport1998TV Movie producer
Blade1998producer
Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes1998TV Movie documentary executive producer
Down in the Delta1998producer
The Big Hit1998producer
John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk1996Documentary executive producer

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2015TV Series performer - 1 episode
Mo' Better Blues1990performer: "Pop Top 40"

Stunts

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Blade II2002fight coordinator

Miscellaneous

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Blade1998martial arts choreographer

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
To Wong with Kung Fu: Thanks for Everything, a 6 Year Old and an 8 Year Old2013Short dedicatee
Wages of Sin2007special thanks
Poetry, Passion, the Postman: The Poetic Return of Pablo Neruda1996TV Movie documentary thanks - as Welsey Snipes
Fast Track1995TV Movie special thanks

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Invisible Universe2016Documentary post-productionHimself
IMDb: What to Watch2014-2015TV Series documentaryHimself
Made in Hollywood2010-2015TV SeriesHimself
The Insider2014-2015TV SeriesHimself
Live with Kelly and Ryan2015TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Talk Stoop with Cat Greenleaf2015TV SeriesHimself
Late Night with Seth Meyers2015TV SeriesHimself
Access Hollywood Live2015TV SeriesHimself
Today2015TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2015TV SeriesHimself
The Expendables 3: New Blood - Stacked and Jacked2014Video documentary shortHimself
The Expendables 3: The Total Action Package2014Video shortHimself
The Making of 'The Expendables 3'2014Video documentaryHimself
Choccywoccydoodah2014TV Series documentaryHerself
Entertainment Tonight2014TV SeriesHimself
Extra2014TV SeriesHimself
Good Morning America2014TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Unscripted2014TV SeriesHimself
GeekRockTV2014TV SeriesHimself
Le grand journal de Canal+2014TV Series documentaryHimself
Fox and Friends2014TV SeriesHimself
Larry King Live1993-2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Brooklyn's Finest: An Eye for Detail2010Video shortHimself
Brooklyn's Finest: Boyz N the Real Hood2010Video shortHimself
Brooklyn's Finest: Three Cops and a Dealer2010Video shortHimself
Conflict and Chaos: The Life of a New York Cop2010Video documentary shortHimself
Tavis Smiley2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The View2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Up Close with Carrie Keagan2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Mo'Nique Show2010TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Balls of Steel2008TV SeriesHimself
The World Awaits: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather2007TV MovieHimself - Audience Member (uncredited)
Road to 'New Jack City'2005Video documentary shortHimself
Nightstalkers, Daywalkers, and Familiars: Inside the World of 'Blade Trinity'2005Video documentaryHimself
Hardwood Dreams: Ten Years Later2004TV Movie documentaryNarrator
E! True Hollywood Story2004TV Series documentaryHimself
Spike Lee's '25th Hour': The Evolution of an American Filmmaker2003Video documentary shortHimself
The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'2002Video documentaryHimself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien2002TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno2002TV SeriesHimself - Guest
The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture2002TV Movie documentaryHimself - Interviewee (uncredited)
Rank2002TV Series documentaryHimself
Howard Stern1998-2002TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Dr. Ben2001TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Rosie O'Donnell Show1997-2000TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Late Show with David Letterman1994-2000TV SeriesHimself / Himself - Guest
Stars and Bras2000TV Movie documentaryHimself
Arista Records' 25th Anniversary Celebration2000TV Special documentaryHimself
The Directors2000TV Series documentaryHimself
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards1999TV SpecialHimself
Vivement dimanche1998TV SeriesHimself
1998 VH1 Fashion Awards1998TV SpecialHimself
Nulle part ailleurs. 1ère partie1998TV SeriesHimself
Bravo Profiles: The Entertainment Business1998TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
The Howard Stern Radio Show1998TV SeriesHimself - Guest
Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes1998TV Movie documentaryHimself
Jackie Chan: My Story1998Video documentaryHimself
Clive Anderson All Talk1997-1998TV SeriesHimself
John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk1996DocumentaryNarrator (voice)
Biography1996TV Series documentaryHimself
Poetry, Passion, the Postman: The Poetic Return of Pablo Neruda1996TV Movie documentaryHimself
HBO First Look1995TV Series documentary shortHimself
The Annual 1995 ShoWest Awards1995TV SpecialHimself - Presenter
1995 MTV Video Music Awards1995TV SpecialHimself
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits - HIStory1995Video documentaryMini Max (segment "Bad")
Moviewatch1995TV Series documentaryHimself - Interviewee
The Arsenio Hall Show1991-1994TV SeriesHimself - Guest
1993 MTV Movie Awards1993TV SpecialHimself - Presenter
Big City1993TV Series documentaryHimself
Hardwood Dreams1993DocumentaryNarrator (voice)
25th NAACP Image Awards1993TV SpecialHimself
1992 MTV Movie Awards1992TV SpecialHimself - Presenter
The Real Malcolm X1992TV Movie documentaryHimself - Actor
Ebony/Jet Showcase1991-1992TV SeriesHimself
Siskel & Ebert1992TV SeriesHimself
The 13th Annual American Black Achievement Awards1992TV SpecialHimself
The Annual Artists Rights Foundation Gala1991TV MovieHimself
Late Night with David Letterman1991TV SeriesHimself

Archive Footage

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2016Outstanding Contribution to Film and TV Award (Int)Screen Nation Awards
2011Black ReelBlack Reel AwardsBest Supporting ActorBrooklyn's Finest (2009)
1999Blockbuster Entertainment AwardBlockbuster Entertainment AwardsFavorite Actor - HorrorBlade (1998)
1998Star on the Walk of FameWalk of FameMotion PictureOn 21 August 1998. At 7020 Hollywood Blvd.
1997Image AwardImage AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-SeriesAmerica's Dream (1996)
1997Volpi CupVenice Film FestivalBest ActorOne Night Stand (1997)
1993Image AwardImage AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Motion PictureNew Jack City (1991)
1992Gold Special Jury AwardWorldFest HoustonBest ActorsThe Waterdance (1992)
1989ACECableACE AwardsActor in a Dramatic SeriesVietnam War Story (1987)

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2016All Def Movie AwardAll Def Movie AwardsBest Bad Mu#&a AwardNew Jack City (1991)
2016Image AwardImage AwardsOutstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesThe Player (2015)
2003Black ReelBlack Reel AwardsTheatrical - Best ActorUndisputed (2002)
2001Black ReelBlack Reel AwardsNetwork/Cable - Best ActorDisappearing Acts (2000)
1999Blockbuster Entertainment AwardBlockbuster Entertainment AwardsFavorite Duo - Action/AdventureU.S. Marshals (1998)
1999MTV Movie AwardMTV Movie AwardsBest FightBlade (1998)
1998Stinker AwardThe Stinkers Bad Movie AwardsWorst ActorBlade (1998)
1994MTV Movie AwardMTV Movie AwardsBest VillainDemolition Man (1993)
1993Independent Spirit AwardIndependent Spirit AwardsBest Supporting MaleThe Waterdance (1992)
1993MTV Movie AwardMTV Movie AwardsBest On-Screen DuoWhite Men Can't Jump (1992)
1993MTV Movie AwardMTV Movie AwardsBest KissWhite Men Can't Jump (1992)
1992MTV Movie AwardMTV Movie AwardsBest VillainNew Jack City (1991)

Known for movies


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