Who is Mario Van Peebles? Everything you need to know about Son Mario by Melvin Van Peebles
The sudden death of Melvin Van Peebles has shocked the entire world. Fans of the late actor, director, producer and writer paid tribute to him along with Hollywood.
Who is Mario Van Peebles?
Mario Van Peebles is a famous American actor, director, writer and producer. On January 15, 1957, Mario Van Peebles was born in Mexico. His father, Melvin Van Peebles, is a well-known actor and director, and his mother, Maria Marx, is a photographer and actress.
Mario attended Saint Thomas More School for his school education. After completing, he went to Columbia University for further studies. He has worked very hard to take his place in the industry on his account despite being the son of legendary ‘Blaxpoitaion’ director Melvin Van Peebles.
What does Mario Van Peebles do?
In 1968 he made his acting debut through a soap opera One Life to Live. Later, she appeared on Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss. In this movie, she played the role of his younger father, as his father played the main role in it. This movie became a huge success and people appreciated his role. This was a phenomenal movie as it showed the industry that a black audience is very powerful. This led to the creation of Blaxploitation. In the same year, Mario also appeared in another movie called Crosscurrent.
Mario appeared in The Sophisticated Gents in 1981 and then in Exterminator 2 in 1984. In this film, the producers did not like it and demanded that it be reshot. But at that time, the main protagonist was not available, and therefore the character of Mario became more important. After this, he appeared in many movies and shows.
He also began his career directing. He directed various movies and shows like Sonny Spoon, Top of the Hill, Malcolm Takes a Picture and many others. People began to recognize him as an accomplished director very early on. His short film “Roots” was highly appreciated for his directing skills.
He won several awards in his career. He was honored with the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture. In 2005, his name was nominated for Best Actor at the Black Reel Awards. He therefore he is an outstanding actor and director.
How did Melvin Van Peebles die?
Melvin Van Peebles, whom people considered the Godfather of Black Industry, died at the age of 89 on Tuesday night. He passed away when he was at his house in Manhattan. His family released this unfortunate news of his sudden death.
The Criterion Collection wrote in its statement: “In an unparalleled career distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity, and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles left an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape through his films, novels, plays and music”, adding to this, the statement said: “His work remains essential and is celebrated at the New York Film Festival this weekend with a 50th anniversary screening of his landmark film. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song
; a Criterion Collection box, melvin van peebles: essential movies, next week; and a revival of his work I’m not supposed to die a natural deathscheduled to return to Broadway next year.”
Fans paid tribute
After hearing this unfortunate news, fans and various celebrities paid tribute to their favorite actor and director. Celebrities including Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Franklin Leonard and many others flocked to Twitter to pay his last tribute. Loni Love tweeted: “An icon is gone.”
Actor Saul Rubinek, director Matthew A. Cherry and David Alan Grier also paid their respects to the late actor. You can see his written tweets below. We have lost one of the most talented and influential artists. May his soul rest in peace!
