Mario Van Peebles

Mario Van Peebles
Mario Van Peebles, March 2005
Born	Mario Cain Van Peebles (1957-01-15) January 15, 1957 Mexico City, Mexico
Occupation(s)	Actor, director
Years active	1971–present

Mario "Chip" Cain Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films. He is the son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles.

Early life and education

Van Peebles was born Mario Cain Van Peebles in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of writer, director and actor Melvin Van Peebles and German actress and photographer Maria Marx. He graduated from Saint Thomas More School in Connecticut in 1974 and from Columbia University in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

Career

Over the next 30 years, Van Peebles starred in and directed many television shows & films, including Panther, Ali, New Jack City, and an episode of Lost.

His 2004 biopic BAADASSSSS! describes the making of his father's seminal film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Van Peebles also directed Malcolm Takes a Shot, a CBS Schoolbreak Special about an aspiring high-school basketball star whose obstacles include epilepsy and his own arrogance. Van Peebles appeared in the special in a cameo, as Malcolm's doctor.

Van Peebles stars on the television show Damages, as Agent Harrison. Van Peebles was first brought on to the FX series to direct a few Season 1 episodes, and was then cast in a small role as an agent. Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Harrison will be back for six more episodes in Season 2 (which begins in early 2009). He is also on board to direct new episodes of FX's biker drama Sons of Anarchy. He is good friends with fellow actors Christopher Lambert and Jean Claude Van Damme. Van Peebles and his family live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle, as documented in the reality series, Mario's Green House, which premiered on TV-One on September 27, 2009.

Personal life

Van Peebles is married to Chitra Sukhu Van Peebles and has five children: Makaylo, Mandela, Marley, Maya and Morgana (3 boys, 2 girls).

Filmography

Actor (film)

• Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
• Exterminator 2 (1984)
• The Cotton Club (1984) (cameo)
• South Bronx Heroes (1985)
• Children of the Night (1985)
• Rappin' (1985)
• Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
• Last Resort (1986)
• Hotshot (1987)
• Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
• Identity Crisis (1989)
• Blue Bayou (1990)
• New Jack City (1991)
• Full Eclipse (1992)
• Stomping at the Savoy (1992)
• Posse (1993)
• Highlander III: The Final Dimension (1994)
• Gunmen (1994)
• Panther (1995)
• Solo (1996)
• Riot (1997)
• Stag (1997)
• Gang in Blue (1997)
• Los Locos (1997)
• Mama Flora's Family (1998)
• Love Kills (1998)
• Raw Nerve (1999)
• Ali (2001)
• The Hebrew Hammer (2003)
• BAADASSSSS! (2003)
• Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)
• Killers in the House
• Hard Luck (2006)
• Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright (2010)
• All Things Fall Apart (2011)
• We The Party (2012)
• American Warships (2012)
• Kerosene Cowboys (TBA)

Actor (TV)

• One Life to Live (1982–1983)
• The Cosby Show (1985)
• L.A. Law (1986)
• Sonny Spoon (1988)
• 21 Jump Street (1989–1990)
• A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (1991)
• In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992)
• Living Single (1995)
• Riot (1997, co-starred with Luke Perry)
• Rude Awakening (2000–2001)
• 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002)
• 44 Minutes (2004)
• L.A Riots 29 April 1992 (2004)
• Law & Order (2007)
• All My Children (2008–2009)
• Damages (2009)
• Mario's Green House (2009)
• House houses (2009)
• Hellcats (2011)
• The Game (2011)
• The Finder (2012)

Director

• 21 Jump Street (1989–1990)
• New Jack City (1991)
• Posse (1993)
• Panther (1995)
• Gang in Blue (1996)
• Love Kills (1999)
• BAADASSSSS! (2003)
• Hard Luck (2006)
• Sons of Anarchy (2008) Season 1 episode 10: "Better Half"
• Law and Order (2008) "Sweetie"
• Damages (2008)
• Lost (2010) "Dr. Linus"
• Kerosene Cowboys (TBA)
• Redemption Road (2010)
• Boss (2011) Season 1 episodes 3, 6, 8; Season 2 episodes 6, 9
• All Things Fall Apart (2011)
• We The Party (2012)

Actor (stage)

• Waltz of the Stork (1982)

External links

• Mario Van Peebles at IMDb
• Mario Van Peebles on Charlie Rose
• Template:Worldcat id
• Mario Van Peebles collected news and commentary at The New York Times