Wesley Snipes Net Worth 2023: Personal & Professional Life, Tax Fraud, Best Movies

Wesley Snipes is an American actor best known for his role in the movie series “Blade”. He is also a trained martial artist who has earned multiple belts. In an acting career spanning around four decades, Snipes has earned numerous awards and accolades and has also accumulated a handsome net worth of around $10 million. Other than movies, Snipes has also worked in some prominent television shows and has been cast in popular music videos. For more information about Wesley Snipes’ net worth in 2023 and other interesting details about the actor, keep reading this article.

Wesley Snipes Net Worth 2023

Wesley Snipes’ Personal Biography

Wesley Snipes was born on July 31, 1962, in Orlando, Florida to Marian and Wesley Rudolph Snipes. His mother was a teacher’s assistant and his father was an aircraft engineer. His father retired from the United States Air Force with the rank of MSGT. Wesley also has a younger half-brother AD Snipes who is a comedian living in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 12 years, Snipes began training in martial arts and is a black belt holder in multiple karate types. He is also trained in a number of other disciplines including Kung Fu, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Kickboxing. While young, Snipes attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York and later graduated from Jones High School. He returned to New York where he attended the State University of New York and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. 

In 1985, Snipes married April Dubois and together the couple has one son Jelani. They separated in 1990 after being together for five years. In 2003, he married painter Nakyung “Nikki” Park, with whom he has four children. 

Wesley Snipes’ Professional Career

Wesley was discovered by an agent at the age of 23 years while he was performing in a competition. He landed his first role in the movie “Wildcats” in 1986. In the same year, he appeared on the TV show Miami Vice and in Michael Jackson’s music video “Bad” as his nemesis in the next year. He also appeared in the feature film “Streets of Gold” and in Willie Mays Hayes’ “Major League”. The latter turned out to be a superhit at the box office and started a series of box-office sucesses for Snipes. Snipes’ other best works include “Mo’ Better Blues” and “Jungle Fever”. Jungle Fever was again a major success and Snipes was considered “the most celebrated new actor of the season” by the Washington Post for his performance in the movie.

Snipes’ next successful role came with the movie “One Night Stand” for which he won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the 54th Venice Film Festival in 1997. One year later, Snipes had his largest commercial success with the movie “Blade” in which he played the lead role of the title character. The movie grossed over $150 million worldwide and Wesley reprised his role in two further franchises. The third movie in the series Blade: Trinity became the last theatrical release of Snipes in the US as he was later imprisoned in tax fraud cases. 

Wesley made his comeback in 2014 with the movie “The Expendables 3” which became a hit. His role in the movie “Dolemite Is My Name” earned Snipes positive reviews and a number of award nominations.

Business Ventures

Along with his brother AD, Wesley Snipes started a security firm called the Royal Guard of Amen-Ra. The firm provided bodyguards who were trained in law enforcement and martial arts to VIPs. He also established a film company named Amen-Ra Films that produced the movie “A Great And Mighty Walk – Dr. John Henrik Clarke”. As a producer, Snipes has also produced movies like Blade: Trinity, Unstoppable, Down in the Delta, etc.

Cases of income tax fraud & imprisonment

In October 2006, Snipes was charged with plotting to defraud the United States and aiding and abetting the making of a false and fraudulent claim for payment against the United States. Other than this, Snipes was also charged with six counts of failing to file federal income tax returns by their given filing schedule. The government also alleged that Snipes attempted to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using a tax protester theory and that he sent three worthless, fictitious “bills of exchange” for $14 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Snipes was found guilty on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns and was sentenced to three years in prison in April 2008. He reported to federal prison in December 2010 to begin his three-year sentence. Wesley was further released from federal prison in April 2013 followed by a three-month house arrest.

Top Movies of Wesley Snipes

Check below the list of some of the best movies of Wesley Snipes.

1. Major League (1989)
2. Blade (1998)
3. King of New York (1990)
4. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
5. Demolition Man (1993)
6. Blade II (2002)
7. New Jack City (1991)
8. U.S. Marshals (1998)
9. Chaos (2005)
10. Rising Sun (1993)
11. The Expendables 3 (2014)
12. Murder at 1600 (1997)
13. Passenger 57 (1992)
14. The Fan (1996)
15. Blade: Trinity (2004)

List of Awards won by Wesley Snipes

Below here is given the complete list of awards won by Wesley Snipes during his career:

CableACE Awards

• Best Actor in a Dramatic Series for Vietnam War Story

Image Awards

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture for New Jack City
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series for America’s Dream

Gold Special Jury Award

• Best Actor for The Waterdance

Venice Film Festival

• Best Actor (Volpi Cup) for One Night Stand

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

• Favorite Actor – Horror for Blade

Black Reel Awards

• Best Supporting Actor for Brooklyn’s Finest
• Outstanding Supporting Actor for Dolemite Is My Name

SDFCS Awards

• Best Comedic Performance for Dolemite Is My Name

Interesting Facts about Wesley Snipes

1. Wesley’s apartment in NYC was destroyed when the nearby World Trade Center’s Twin Towers collapsed in the 9/11 attack.
2. Luckily, Snipes along with his wife Nikki and two daughters was celebrating their birthday on the West Coast.
3. He has mastered numerous martial arts forms and is a Seven Degrees Martial Arts Master.
4. Wesley was ranked number ten on the list of “most popular movie stars in America” by the Annual Harris Poll in 1999.
5. He was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1991.
6. Snipes was listed as one of twelve “Promising New Actors of 1990” in John Willis’ Screen World, Vol. 42.
7. The character of Raven from Tekken 5 (2004) was modeled after Nikki.
8. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 21, 1998.

Wesley Snipes on Social Media

Frequently Asked Questions