Melvin Van Peebles was born on the 21st August 1932, in Chicago, Illinois USA, and is an actor, director, screenwriter and composer, perhaps still best known for creating the cult film “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971), which launched him into the film industry.Over the years he became one of the greatest actors, directors and screenwriters in the history of Afro-Americans. Melvin`s career started in 1955.
Have you ever wondered how rich Melvin Van Peebles is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources it has been estimated that Peebles` net worth is as high as $3 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry.
Melvin Van Peebles net Worth $3 Million
Melvin is the son of an Afro-American tailor, and he grew up in his hometown where he went to high school. After matriculation he enrolled at Ohio Wesleyan University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature in 1953. Melvin then joined the US Air Force, and spent the next three years serving. Upon return he lived in Mexico for a while, before he settled in the USA, and found a job driving cable cars in San Francisco.
He began writing short stories and after a suggestion from one of the passengers, Melvin took his work and shot a film entitled “Three Pickup Men for Herrick” (1957), and ventured to Hollywood; however, the doors closed before he even knocked on them. Instead, he filmed another short film – “Sunlight” – and moved to Paris, where his films received positive critiques, and he made another short film “Cinq cent balles” (1965). In 1968, Melvin made his debut in the feature film called “The Story of a Three-Day Pass” (1968), and he then returned to the USA and Hollywood and presented his film “Watermelon Man” (1970), which received a BAFTA Award nomination. Just a year later, Melvin wrote, directed and starred in “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song”, which sparked his career, and also earned him $10 million from the box office, which increased his net worth by a large margin. Since then, Melvin has directed such films as “Don`t Play Us Cheap” (1973), “Identity Crisis” (1989), “Bellyful” (2000), and “Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha” (2008), among others, all of which certainly increased his net worth.
Apart from working as a director, Melvin is a celebrated actor, and has appeared in more than 40 film and TV titles; after starring in his own accomplishment as Sweetback, ten years later Melvin had a role in the TV series “The Sophisticated Gents”. In 1985 he appeared in “O.C and Stiggs”, and in the second half of the 1980s was quite busy, appearing in productions “America” (1986), “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987), and “Sonny Spoon” (1988). He started the 1990s with a role in “True Identity” (1991), and continued with appearances in “Terminal Velocity” (1994) starring Charlie Sheen, “First of the North Star” (1995), and in 1998 appeared in his son Mario’s film “Love Kills”, alongside Lesley Ann Warren and Donovan Leitch Jr. Since 2000 he has appeared sporadically in films and TV series, making appearances in “The Hebrew Hammer” (2003), “Blackout” (2007), and “Redemption Road” (2010). Most recently he appeared in “Peeples” (2013), and will appear in the short film “Methane Momma” (2016). His net worth is well maintained.
Thanks to his skills, Melvin has received several prestigious awards, including the Black Film Award in category Best International film for “Bellyful” and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival. Furthermore he received a Special Achievement Award from African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA).
Regarding his personal life, Melvin married Maria Max in 1956 with whom he had three children before they divorced. His son is director Mario Van Peebles.
