Mario Van Peebles – Bio, Wife, Children, Father, Mother, Sister, Net Worth

Quick Facts

Mario Van Peebles is a multi-talented Afro-American actor, filmmaker, and director; famously known for appearing in thriller movies such as Sweet Baadassss, Exterminator, Rappin’ and Military Ridge. As a director, Mario has worked on the set many movies including Jack City for which he received positive reviews. Notably, he is the son of the veteran filmmaker and actor named Melvin Van Peebles which possibly explains why he is so good at what he does. Learn more about him below.

Mario Van Peebles Bio

The film director was born on 15th January 1957, in New Mexico, and his birth name was Mario Cain Van Peebles. His parents are Melvin Van Peebles and his wife Maria Marx. Mario spent his early years in Mexico before his family moved to the United States. While in the United States, he attended St. Thomas More School located in Connecticut and after his graduation in 1974; the movie star enrolled at the Columbia University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1978.

Starting his acting career during his high school days, Mario made his first film appearance in the 1968 soap opera titled One Life to Live. After that, he appeared in his dad’s 1971 movie called Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song. He also featured in a
TV movie titled Crosscurrent in the same year. After that, he didn’t make any appearances in films until ten years later.

During the ’80s, Mario starred in various movies including The Sophisticated Gents, Exterminator 2, The Cotton Club, Rappin, Delivery Boys, and Last Resort, among others. In the late ’80 and early ’90s, Mario Van Peebles made his directorial debut in the
1988 film titled Sonny Spoon. Subsequently, he combined both acting and directorial roles. Three years later, Mario got his breakthrough after directing the Afro-American gangster movie titled New Jack City. He starred in the movie along with and Ice-T. For his excellent work, the movie became one of the top-grossing movies in 1991 amassing over $47 million dollars in the United States alone. That same year, he directed Gabriel’s Fire and A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story.

From the early nineties to date, Mario’s popularity has continued to increase and he has starred in several movies including those he directed. Some of his hit movies include Panther, Judgment Day, Baadassss, American Warships, Riot, and many more. The highlight of his TV series includes Law & Order; The Game, The Finder, Bloodline, Z Nation, 44 Minutes and Rude Awakening, among others. As a director, his notable movies 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 Afro-American movie star has starred in dozens of movies and has accumulated a huge wealth for himself. Mario is living a decent life with his net worth that is currently penned at $12 million. The movie star earns from his movies as well as salary as an actor and other business endeavors.

Family: Father, Mother, Sister, Wife, and Children

Mario Van Peebles came from a star-studded family; he was born to African-American father Melvin Van Peebles and a German mother Maria Marx. His father is a veteran actor and filmmaker best known for his numerous stints in movies such as Panther, Jaws: The Revenge, BlacKout, Watermelon Man, among others. His mother, Maria is also not left out in the entertainment biz, she is also an actress as well as a talented photographer.

Interestingly, Mario isn’t their 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 such as South Bronx Heroes and Baadasssss. Sadly, she passed away on 13th March 2006 leaving behind her two children Roman and Ronald Van whom she had with her former husband Ron Van.

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Furthermore, Mario Van Peebles is also successful in his love life; he has been married twice and is a 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 to date. They both share a daughter named Mandela Van Peebles.

After their divorce, Mario continued being active in the love game, he dated a few other stars including and Kini Van Peebles before he finally tied the knot with Chitra Sukhu. While Mario has kept the details of his love life under the radar; it is already known that his wife Chitra is an author. The amazing couple has four children – two sons named Marley and Makaylo as well as two daughters named Morgana and Maya
Van Peebles.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.