Wesley Snipes is best known as vampire hunter Blade from the film trilogy of the same name, but what has he done after these films? Well, his life didn’t go as planned. Some of you might think that he probably made some more movies, but he actually was sentenced to three years for tax fraud and moved to a correctional institution in McKean, Pennsylvania.
First, some backstory
Wesley Snipes was born in Orlando, but he spent his childhood in the southern part of the ‘Bronx.’ He became interested in acting quite early and enrolled in the ‘High School of Performing Arts. But his stay there was short-lived when, after her divorce, his mother decided to return to Orlando. After graduating, he went back north to New York State University, where he studied classical theater.
In 1986, Wesley Snipes made his feature film debut with Wildcats, which included Goldie Hawn. His role in Streets of gold got him noticed by Spike Lee, resulting in roles in Mo’s better blues and Jungle fever. But of course, he also played many roles in action movies like Passenger 57, Rising Sun, US Marshals, The Art of War, Zig-Zag, and obviously the three Blade movies (Blade, Blade II and Blade : Trinity). His knowledge of various martial arts comes in particularly handy in these roles. In addition, he is not only skilled in Karate and Kung Fu but also in the lesser-known Capoeira, an African-Brazilian martial art.
In 1991 Wesley Snipes founded his own independent film production company: Amen Ra Films, and its subsidiary Black Dot Media. They were already responsible for several documentaries, including John Henrik Clarke. It was a great and mighty performance that received an enthusiastic response at the Sundance Film Festival.
Jail time
Wesley Snipes was convicted of tax evasion in 2008 and flew behind bars in December 2010. Somewhere in 2013, he was released early. That’s where he was allowed the serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.
Snipes may serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. On July 19, 2013, he became a free man. The actor always maintained his innocence and put the blame on misleading tax advisors. In the same year, he got to make somewhat of a comeback on the big screen. He starred in the horror western “Gallowwalker.” That movie was made even before his prison sentence.
Shortly after prison
After 2013, Snipes managed to use his name to boost his bank balance again. And that didn’t come with quality. He was featured in weaker-known titles like The Expendables 3 and Brooklyn’s Finest. In addition, he also popped up in a lot of weak TV movies, like Armed Response.
Well, to be honest, The Expendables aren’t great films, but it’s always a blast to see so many action-related actors on one screen. It’s more like a guilty pleasure.
Dolemite is My Name
In Wesley Snipes’ final years, the actor tries to bring some luster back to his career. With a role in the strong Dolemite Is My Name and now Coming 2 America, he was back in the spotlight for a while.
The film is about Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian who was best known for his rangy stand-up shows for adults, in which the first forms of rap played a major role. Moore was thus given the nickname Godfather of Rap. Moore became even more popular in America through his role of Dolemite, a character who got his own movie in 1975, followed by two sequels.
Frankly, I hope we get to see more of him. It looks like Wesley Snipes is going in a good direction. So let’s wait and see what happens next! His next film will be “Outbreak Z,” which will be a Zombie Film.
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