The sleekly athletic Big has proven himself equally adept at drama, comedy, sports, and action features. After attending the High School of the Performing Arts and SUNY, Purchase, he held odd jobs while searching for stage work. Co-founder of the theater troupe Struttin' Street Stuff, Snipes appeared in commercials for such products as Levi's 501 jeans and Coca-Cola before landing his first real break and making his Broadway debut in the Vietnam drama "The Boys of Winter" (1985).

Snipes first came to filmmaker Spike Lee's attention when he played a young tough who threatens Michael Jacksonin the Martin Scorsesedirected video, "Bad" (1987). Lee later cast him as saxophonist Shadow Henderson in "Mo' Better Blues" (1990) and the "buppie" architect protagonist in the provocative "Jungle Fever" (1991). Snipes and co-star Annabella Sciorramade a very attractive pair in a transgressive relationship that was not well served by the screenplay. Significantly, unlike most dark-skinned actors of the past, Snipes has been cast as a virile romantic lead in several mainstream Hollywood films.

While he began his feature career playing athletes (e.g., a football player in "Wildcats" 1986 and speedster Willie Mays Hayes in "Major League" 1989), Snipes made a strong impression in a small role in Abel Ferrara's "King of New York" (1990) and as the fierce drug lord antagonist in Mario Van Peebles' "New Jack City" (1991). In 1992, he scored with two box-office hits: the free-wheeling, fast-talking basketball feature "White Men Can't Jump", co-starring Woody Harrelson, and the "Die Hard" knock-off, "Passenger 57". He also found time to play a paraplegic in the more modest drama, "The Waterdance" (also 1992) before returning to the action vein with "Boiling Point", as a federal agent bent on avenging the death of a colleague; and the futuristic "Demolition Man" (both 1993), as ex-cop Sylvester Stallone's deranged, blond-haired nemesis. The success of the latter led to a $7 million payday for his next, "Drop Zone" (1994), with Snipes as a US Marshall on the trail of a team of renegade stunt skydivers.

The role of drag queen Noxeema Jackson in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" (1995) was not one of Snipes' favorites, and he has heatedly nixed a sequel. He was back to more familiar action terrain reteamed with Harrelson in "The Money Train" and played an uncredited part as a smooth-talking married man who tries to pick up Angela Bassett in a bar in the popular female bonding drama "Waiting to Exhale" (both 1995).

After a turn as a baseball player harassed by the obsessive Robert De Niro as "The Fan" (1996), Snipes moved into producing, serving as executive producer and narrator of the documentary "John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk" (1996) and the actioner "The Big Hit" (1998). Despite an increased presence behind the scenes, Snipes continued to remain busy as an actor. He was the DC detective investigating "Murder at 1600" and an adulterous husband in "One Night Stand" (both 1997). After appearing as the quarry of Tommy Lee Jonesin "U.S. Marshall", he switched to a more heroic persona as "Blade" (both 1998), a black superhero battling a group of vampires. The actor rounded out the year serving as star and as one of the producers (including co-star Alfre Woodard) in Maya Angelou's directorial debut, "Down in the Delta" and segueing to the small screen doing similar double duty in the sci-fi actioner "Futuresport" (ABC, 1998). He played the lead in the vampire movie Blade (1998) and its sequel, Blade II (2002).