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Mario Van Peebles

Never one to rest on his laurels, Mario Van Peebles has carved out a substantial career that is constantly redefining and inspiring modern cinema in the same revolutionary style his father pioneered in the 1970s.

Most recently, Van Peebles portrayed political icon Malcolm X in Michael Mann's ALI and starred in the indie feature THE HEBREW HAMMER with Adam Goldberg. He also appeared in the telefilms 44 MINUTES, CROWN HEIGHTS, and TEN THOUSAND BLACK MEN NAMED GEORGE, where he played the historical figure Ashley Totten, who helped start America's first Black union of Pullman train porters.

His feature directorial debut came with the critically acclaimed box office hit NEW JACK CITY, in which he also starred. Next, he would redefine the Old West directing and starring in the multicultural western POSSE. Mario received a Director's Guild Award nomination for his telefilm MALCOLM TAKES A SHOT, and he directed and co-produced the controversial, historical drama PANTHER, a film about the Black Panther Party for which he would win the Silver Leopard Award (among others) at the Locarno Film Festival.

Van Peebles' other acting film credits include Clint Eastwood's HEARTBREAK RIDGE, for which he won a NAACP Image Award. He has starred in the acclaimed telefilms Alex Haley's MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY, THE RICKEY BELL STORY, SALLY HEMMINGS: AN AMERICAN SCANDAL, THE EMPEROR JONES, GANG IN BLUE and RIOT. He earned a Cable ACE Award nomination for his work in THIRD & OAK: THE POOL HALL, co-starring with James Earl Jones and was awarded the Bronze Halo Award for CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT. He also starred in the TV series Sonny Spoon and Rude Awakening, in addition to directing and starring in several episodes of Michael Mann's series Robbery Homicide Division.

Van Peebles' stage work includes Waltz of the Stork, which was directed by his father, War Letters, and Oak and Ivy in which he portrayed the acclaimed turn-of-the-century poet Laurence Dunbar.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.
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Mario Van Peebles Facts

Birth NameMario Peebles
OccupationActor, Director
BirthdayJanuary 15, 1957 (67)
SignCapricorn
BirthplaceMexico City, Mexico
Height5' 10" (1m78)  How tall is Mario Van Peebles compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Heartbreak Ridge
Jaws: The Revenge
New Jack City
Jaws 3-Movie Collection
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power
Exterminator 2
5th & Alameda
The Hebrew Hammer
The Gunmen
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