Who is Nakyung Park?
Nakyung “Nikki” Park was born on 1 September 1977, in South Korea, and is a painter, but best known for being the wife of actor Wesley Snipes. Her husband rose to fame playing the role of Blade from Marvel Comics, completing a trilogy of films from 1998 to 2004. Other notable projects he’s worked on include “New Jack City”, “Demolition Man”, and “Passenger 57”.
The Riches of Nakyung Park
As of early-2020, Nakyung Park’s net worth is estimated to be over $1 million, earned through a successful career in the arts, and her family wealth may have also contributed to her current status.
She probably benefits from the success of her husband as well, as he has a net worth estimated to be over $10 million, thanks to a successful career in Hollywood.
Life and Career
Nakyung grew up in South Korea, and was accustomed to the entertainment industry, as his father worked as an executive in the entertainment industry. He was responsible for directing several local television shows from the 1980s up to the 1990s as a part of the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
She initially wanted to become a doctor, and enrolled at Seoul University, one of the most popular in the country.
However, partway through, she realized that she wasn’t interested enough in medicine, but leaned more towards the arts. She shifted to focus on painting, and after completing her degree, she moved to the US in search of better opportunities on a much larger stage of the art world. It was after this move that she met, befriended, and eventually started a relationship with Wesley Snipes, leading to their marriage. She has been with him through thick and thin, even after his issues with tax evasion surfaced.
Husband – Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, the son of an engineer and a teacher.
The family later moved to The Bronx, New York City, and during this time he developed an interest in martial arts. He took lessons in Shotokan Karate and Hapkido, and has stayed active in both arts for most of his life – his studies here would help in his career later on. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he developed a passion for acting, but wasn’t able to complete his studies there, as his family moved back to Orlando.
He completed his education at Jones High School, and after matriculating returned to New York where he studied at the State University of New York at Purchase.
He also took lessons in Los Angeles at the Southwest College, and while he aspired to an acting career, he didn’t get his opportunity until he was 23 years old, when a talent agent spotted him in a competition. This led him to be cast in the 1986 film “Wildcats”, which starred Goldie Hawn.
Rise to Fame – Wesley Snipes
Over the next few years, Snipes established himself as a villain, appearing in an episode of “Miami Vice” and in the music video for “Bad” by Michael Jackson. Thanks to his work there, more opportunities came his way, leading him to be cast in a starring role in “Major League”, one of his early box office hits.
He continued with a string of successful films including “Mo’ Better Blues”, “Jungle Fever” and “King of New York”. In 1991 he starred in the film “New Jack City”, which saw him work with Ice-T and Chris Rock in the film which tells the story of a drug lord’s rise to power in New York City, amid the popularity of crack cocaine.
As the years passed, Snipes’ talent for action films didn’t go unnoticed, and he became a staple of these types of films. Some of his works in the genre include “Demolition Man”, “Passenger 57”, “Rising Sun”, and “Money Train”, but he also showed his versatility with work in “One Night Stand”, “Disappearing Acts”, and “The Waterdance”.
The Success of Blade
In 1998, he continued his career with his most iconic role when he was cast as the vampire hunter Blade in the film of the same name, kick-starting a trilogy of films revolving around the titular character. Blade was created by Marvel Comics, and is a Dhampir, a half-human, half-vampire which possesses the strengths of a vampire but none of their weaknesses. The first film was a commercial success, earning $131 million internationally despite mixed reviews, and has gained a cult following; its success led to the sequel “Blade II”.
The second film continues after the events of the first, in which Blade is forced to work with an elite group of vampires to fight against mutant vampires who are after the extinction of their race. The film was another box office success, though it continued receiving mixed reviews. The final film was “Blade Trinity” which also starred Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds – it was the most negatively reviewed of the trio due to its reliance on easy-to-predict formulas, but still continued its streak of success at the box office. While the “Blade” film series wasn’t well-reviewed, it is credited for building confidence in the superhero film genre, helping Marvel set the stage for the future, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Personal Life
Park wasn’t Snipes’s first marriage as he married April Dubois in 1985, and they stayed together until a divorce in 1990 – they have a child together. In 2003 he married Park, and they have four children together. While she has evaded media attention for most of their time together, she was noticeably present in support of her husband after he was convicted of tax evasion, charged with forging documents to circumvent the US system, which led to a three-year prison sentence which he served from 2010 to 2013.