Let’s get acquainted with these two legendary: actors at first:
Michael Jai White:
White is a martial artist in nine different styles: Shōtōkan, Goju-Ryu (for which he studied under Master Eddie Morales where he learned to sharpen his Goju karate technique), Taekwondo, Kobudō, Tang Soo Do, Wushu, Jiu Jitsu, Kyokushin and Boxing, with a specific focus in Kyokushin Karate (although his style incorporates aspects of many different martial arts forms). White started training in the martial arts at the age of four in Jiu Jitsu. He next took up Shōtōkan and moved on to other styles later. White is a former special education teacher and taught students with behavioral problems for three years. He cites his history in education as the reason why, despite his personal love for the music genre on “a lot of levels”, he cannot “in good [conscience]” have a positive opinion on hip hop or “excuse some of pervasive and destructive elements”, mainly due to his experience with youngsters who had difficulty seeing the difference between it and real life.
White’s first major starring role and breakout performance was in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, as heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson. He portrayed the eponymous character in the 1997 film Spawn, making him the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture. The Return, in 1999. White made his directorial debut and starred in Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, which was released on home video on September 13, 2011.
White also provided the voice of Green Lantern in the video game Justice League Heroes.
RELATED:
Michael Jai White: Biography, Personal Life, Photos, News.
Wesley Snipes:
Snipes began training in martial arts when he was 12 years old. He has a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan karate and a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido. He has also trained in Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines including kung fu at the USA Shaolin Temple and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing. During his time in New York, Snipes was trained in fighting by his friend and mentor Brooke Ellis. Snipes has been married twice, first to April Snipes (née Dubois), with whom he has a son Jelani, who had a cameo role in Snipes’ 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues. In 2003, Snipes married painter Nakyung “Nikki” Park, with whom he has four children. Snipes, who was raised a Christian, converted to Islam in 1978, but left Islam in 1988. During a 1991 interview, Snipes said “Islam made me more conscious of what African people have accomplished, of my self-worth, and gave me some self-dignity”. Snipes’ apartment in New York City was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers during the September 11 attacks. He was on the West Coast at the time.
His prominent film roles include Major League (1989), New Jack City (1991), Jungle Fever (1991), White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Passenger 57 (1992), Rising Sun (1993), Demolition Man (1993), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), U.S. Marshals (1998), The Expendables 3 (2014), Coming 2 America (2021), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004), portraying Blade. In television, he is known for his role on The Player (2015). Snipes was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his work in The Waterdance (1992) and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in the film One Night Stand (1997).