Mario Van Peebles is a multi-talented African-American actor, filmmaker, and director; he is known for his appearances in thriller films such as Sweet Baadassss, Exterminator, Rappin’, and Military Ridge. As a director, Mario has worked on the set of many films, including Jack City, for which he received positive reviews. Most importantly, he is the son of veteran filmmaker and actor Melvin Van Peebles, which may explain why he is so good at what he does. Learn more about him below.
Mario Van Peebles Bio
The film director was born in New Mexico on January 15, 1957. His birth name was Mario Cain Van Peebles. His parents are Melvin Van Peebles and his wife Maria Marx. Mario spent his first years in Mexico before his family moved to the United States. During his stay in the United States, he attended St. Thomas More School in Connecticut, and after graduating in 1974, the film star enrolled at Columbia University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1978.
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Mario began his acting career while in high school and had his first movie appearance in 1968 in the soap opera One Life to Live. He then appeared in 1971 in his father’s film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song. He also starred in a TV movie called Crosscurrent that same year. After that, he did not appear in movies until ten years later.
During the 1980s, Mario starred in several movies, including The Sophisticated Gents, Exterminator 2, The Cotton Club, Rappin, Delivery Boys, and Last Resort. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mario Van Peebles made his directing debut in the 1988 film called Sonny Spoon. He subsequently combined both acting and directing roles. Three years later Mario had his breakthrough after directing the African-American gangster movie New Jack City. He played the leading role in the film together with Wesley Snipes and Ice-T. Due to his outstanding work, the film became one of the most successful films in 1991, earning over $47 million in the United States alone. In the same year, he directed Gabriel’s Fire and A Triumph of the Heart: The Story of Ricky Bell.
Since the early 1990s until today, Mario’s popularity has continued to grow, and he has starred in several films, including those he directed. Some of his film hits are Panther, The Doomsday, Baadassss, American Warships, Riot, and many others. Highlights of his television series include Law & Order; The Game, The Finder, Bloodline, Z Nation, 44 Minutes, and Rude Awakening. His notable films as a director include 21 Jump Street, Panther, New Jack City, Gang in Blue, Empire, Sons of Anarchy and Zero Hour, etc.
What is His Net Worth?
The African-American movie star has starred in dozens of movies and has accumulated a huge fortune for himself. Mario lives a decent life with his net worth, which currently stands at $12 million. The movie star earns from his films as well as from his salary as an actor and other business ventures.
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Family: Father, Mother, Sister, Wife, and Children
Mario Van Peebles came from a family of stars; he was born the son of African-American father Melvin Van Peebles and German mother Maria Marx. His father is a veteran actor and filmmaker, best known for his numerous appearances in films such as Panther, Jaws: Revenge, BlacKout, Watermelon Man, and others. Also his mother Maria is not alone in the entertainment business, she is also an actress and a talented photographer.
Interestingly, Mario is not her only child, he has two siblings, a brother named Max Van Peebles and a sister named Megan Van Peebles. His sister Megan was also an amazing actress; known for her brilliant roles in movies like South Bronx Heroes and Baadasssss. Sadly, she died on March 13, 2006, leaving behind her two children Roman and Ronald Van, who she had with her former husband Ron Van.
Mario Van Peebles is also successful in his love life; he has been married twice and is the proud father of five children. His first marriage was with his gang in Blue Co-Star Lisa Vitello. Lisa was his first love, and they lived together for several years; However, the details of their relationship and marriage have been hidden from the media until today. Both have a daughter named Mandela Van Peebles.
After their divorce, Mario continued to be active in love play, meeting with several other stars, including Pamela Anderson and Kini Van Peebles, before finally entering into marriage with Chitra Sukhu. While Mario kept the details of his love life under wraps, it is already known that his wife Chitra is an author. The amazing couple has four children – two sons named Marley and Makaylo and two daughters named Morgana and Maya Van Peebles.
