Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. He has starred in numerous action-adventure films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films and is well known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy. In 1991, Snipes founded the production company Amen-Ra Films and its subsidiary Black Dot Media to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has practiced martial arts since the age of twelve, earning a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan karate and a 2nd dan black belt in Hapkido. He also trained in capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines, including various styles of kung fu. At the age of 23, Snipes was discovered by an agent while performing at a competition. He made his film debut in 1986 in Goldie Hawn's Wildcats. Later that same year, he appeared on the 1980s fashion TV show Miami Vice as a pimp-drug dealer in the episode "Streetwise" (which first aired on December 5, 1986). In 1987, he appeared as Michael Jackson's nemesis in Martin Scorsese's music video "Bad" (he can only be seen in the long version of the video) and the feature film Streets of Gold. That same year, Snipes was also considered for the role of Jordy La Forge in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Snipes's performance in the "Bad" video caught the attention of director Spike Lee. Snipes turned down a small role in Lee's film Do the Right Thing for the larger role of Willie Mays Hayes in Major League, beginning a string of box-office hits for Snipes.

Later, Lee cast Snipes as jazz saxophonist Shadow Henderson in Mo' Better Blues and in the lead role in the interracial romantic drama Jungle Fever. Another important role for Snipes was the influential 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 with drugs was the gritty film Sugar Hill. Although Snipes is better known for his roles in action films such as Passenger 57, Demolition Man (with Sylvester Stallone), Money Train, U.S. Marshals (a sequel to The Fugitive), and Rising Sun (with Sean Connery), he also found success in comedies such as White Men Can't Jump and Julie Newmar's To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, where he played a drag queen alongside Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. Snipes also received critical acclaim for his roles in dramas such as The Waterdance and Disappearing Acts. Snipes has been married twice; first to April Snipes from 1985 to 1990, with whom he has a son, Jelani Asar Snipes, born in 1988. Jelani had a cameo role in Snipes's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. In 2003, Snipes married artist Nakyung Park "Nikki," who is the mother of his four younger children: son Akhenaton 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 homeland, South Korea, which he calls his "second home."