Wesley Snipes has had a prolific career, starting in the 1986 film Wildcats and the rest is history. He’s starred in action films, dramas, and comedies. His star began to rise in the ’80s with some classics before really blowing up in the following years with some of Hollywood’s biggest hits. Whether it’s been in a supporting role or as a full-fledged action star, Snipes has a varied career filled with some iconic roles.
Despite some personal setbacks dealing with the law, Snipes continued to star in some solid movies. Whether he’s playing an athlete, a criminal, or a superhero, Snipes brought his best to these roles. There are plenty of movies to choose from his extensive filmography, but these are the 10 best.
[10] Dolemite is My Name
Snipes largely committed himself to more dramatic leading roles but his supporting role in Dolemite Is My Name is by far one of his best and funniest. The film told the story of the controversial Rudy Ray Moore, played by Eddie Murphy, and his attempt to finish his film, Dolomite.
Snipes plays the unwilling director, D’urville Martin, a man who wants nothing to do with the very low-budget Dolemite. Snipes added something special to an already impressive cast and displayed his underrated comedic chops.
[9] To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar
Easily his most surprising role, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar featured Snipes in a memorable turn as a drag queen, Noxeema Jackson. The movie followed Snipes on a cross-country road trip with fellow drag performers played by Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo.
At this point in his career, Snipes had mostly starred in action films so it was a welcome surprise to see him portray a drag queen in this comedy.
[8] King of New York
King of New York sported an all-star cast that included Snipes facing off against the criminal empire of Frank White, played by Christopher Walken.
Snipes took on a supporting role as detective Thomas Flanagan in this gritty crime drama. In it, he joins a group of detectives who plot to take down the seemingly altruistic yet sadistic White and his vast criminal syndicate.
[7] New Jack City
Few films depicted the crack epidemic in such violent fashion as New Jack City. The film stars Wesley Snipes as drug kingpin Nino Brown, a character that proved to be one of his most iconic. While the movie has its fair share of over-the-top action, the drama between Snipes and Ice-T as the vengeful detective Scotty Appleton established it as a classic.
[6] Demolition Man
Sylvester Stallone has fought some memorable villains throughout his film career but none were as crazy as Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man. Snipes clearly had a blast portraying the zany, blonde-haired terrorist. The one-liners were plenty and Snipes ate them all up. While fans will never know how exactly those two seashells worked, they do know that Simon Phoenix is one captivating villain.
[5] U.S. Marshals
U.S. Marshals, the sequel to The Fugitive didn’t stay too far from the original film’s plot. This time around, Tommy Lee Jones faced off against yet another wrongly accused fugitive, played by Snipes. While the movie wasn’t as critically acclaimed as The Fugitive it was still a massive hit for Snipes who continued to shine as an action star.
[4] Major League
In the pantheon of sports movies, Major League is one of the very best. One of the reasons for its success was the charismatic presence of Snipes as Willie Mays Hayes.
This sports classic told the story of the lowly Cleveland Indians, who attempt to get through the grueling baseball season with a ragtag group of has-beens and a team owner who wants nothing more than for them to lose so she could move the team to Miami. Snipes impresses as the cocky Willie Mays Hayes.
[3] Passenger 57
The ’90s saw plenty of Die Hard wannabes. Every other action movie seemed to have included a one-man army facing insurmountable odds in a specific location. One of the most memorable however was Passenger 57. Essentially Die Hard on a plane, Passenger 57 featured Snipes on a one-man mission to defeat the terrorists who have taken over the plane he just happened to be on. The film also featured one of Snipes’ most memorable lines “Always bet on black.”
[2] White Men Can’t Jump
Snipes had great chemistry with most of his costars but none as great as what he had with Woody Harrelson. The duo first acted together in Wildcats before starring in this classic, White Men Can’t Jump. The movie features Snipes and Harrelson as basketball-playing hustlers out for a big score.
[1] Blade
Before the MCU was even an idea, there was New Line Cinema’s Blade. In a time where comic book films were a rarity, Blade actually succeeded in bringing about the first major Marvel character to have a successful film adaptation.
Snipes plays Blade, a vampire hunter with vampiric abilities of his own. Blade became a massive hit that led to two more films, Blade II and Blade Trinity.