Wesley Snipes

Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer and martial artist. He has starred in action-adventures, thrillers and dramatic feature films. He is best known for his role as Blade in the three-film series. In 1991, he formed a production company called Amen Ra Films, and its subsidiary Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since he was twelve. He is a fourth dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira. Snipes has also pursued training in a number of other disciplines including various styles of Kung Fu.

Though he pled not guilty, on April 24, 2008, he was sentenced to three years in prison for three misdemeanor convictions for willful failure to file federal income tax returns. On May 22, 2008, the trial court ruled that Snipes may remain free while his appeal is being considered.