Mario Van Peebles Bio, Age, Wife, Movies, Children, Net Worth And More
Sebastian Wright
Updated on December 31, 2025
Mario Van Peebles Bio
Mario Van Peebles is an American film director and actor best known for directing New Jack City in 1991, the 2003 biopic Baadasssss! and 21 Jump Street. He is the son of writer, director, and actor Melvin Van Peebles.
Mario Van Peebles is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whom he portrayed in the 2003 biopic Baadasssss! which he co-wrote and directed. On the other hand, his mother is a German actress and photographer named Maria Marx. Mario graduated from Saint Thomas More School in Connecticut in 1974 and from Columbia University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
In 1968, Mario Van Peebles first screen appearance was in the soap opera One Life to Live. He appeared in the film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, in 1971, that Melvin Van Peebles directed and played the lead role in. Mario played his father’s character as a child. The film became a hit and a historical American film because it was widely credited with showing Hollywood that a viable African-American audience existed and thus influenced the creation of the Blaxploitation genre. That year, Mario Van Peebles acted in a TV movie called Crosscurrent.
Mario Van Peebles Age
Mario Van Peebles celebrates his birthday every 15th of January and has a middle name, Cain. Considering that he was born in the year 1957, in Mexico City, U.S.A., the film director is now 62 years old.
Wife
Mario Van Peebles has been involved in a long series of relationships but he ultimately failed to have stable relations with them. He found his first love in a lady called Lisa Vitello and then approached for a marital life with her. The actor hasn’t revealed any information related to the relationship and their wedding day.
Nevertheless, the couple had a good connection in between and spent many years together and even shared two children. They spent a joyful marital life until the day they found themselves on the verge of divorce. The exact reason behind the divorce is still not surfaced to the public. Their breakup did not stop the actor from continuing his love life. He was then engaged in a relationship with Chitra Sukhu, who is an American citizen and is a teacher by profession. Mario Van Peebles married Chitra in a concealed wedding ceremony and share three children with her, ensuring a total for five children of Mario.
The film director and Chitra appear on several occasions making their way up to the media and flaunting their connections. They have an ongoing relationship and live a blissful with their five children. Apart from the two marriages and five children, Mario Van Peebles was involved in relationships with Kini Van Peebles and Pamela Anderson, a Canadian actress. The actor kept the relationships completely hidden from the public, as he did not leave any traces of it.
Children
Mario Van Peebles’ children include Makaylo Van Peebles, Marley Van Peebles, Mandela Van Peebles, Maya Van Peebles, and Morgan Van Peebles. While these kids are from Mario’s past relationships, they are passing a blissful life with their father and also appear at several events together.
The elder daughter Maya studied in France and volunteered at an African orphanage while Makaylo mentored kids in the Bronx. Mario Van Peebles and his family also appeared in a TV series, Mario’s Green House where they rearranged their Los Angeles home. Their performances were applaudable, and they seemed as creative as their father. They now have started to make their living on their own.
His three kids Mandela, Morgana, and Megan found their way into the world of entertainment following their father’s footstep. Mario Van Pebbles’ son, Mandela, is thriving in his career as he portrays in movies like “Jigsaw”, “Roots”, “Karama” while his latest movie “Limbo” is on its post-production. As for Morgana, who is fluent in French and Spanish is well-known for her roles in Ali (2001), Armed (2018) and Superstition (2017). Mario Van Pebbles and one of his sons, Mandela Van Pebbles, got spotted at Toronto enjoying a night at one of the happening places.
Mario Van Peebles Mother
Mario’s mother is a German actress and photographer named Maria Marx. She is well known for the films Love Kills (1998) and Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975). Maria’s only known role is a major role in the exploitation film Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS in 1974, in which she plays the concentration camp prisoner Anna, on which the title heroine Ilsa human experiments, and which leads the resistance of the prisoners.
Mario Van Peebles’ mother has also worked as a photographer. In 1956 she married the director and writer Melvin van Peebles. The couple lived in Mexico and the Netherlands in the fifties and sixties before separating in 1960. Maria Marx’s children Mario van Peebles, Megan van Peebles, and Max van Peebles are also actors.
Mario Van Peebles Sister
Interestingly, Mario is not an 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. Megan Van Peebles was born on June 1, 1958, in San Francisco, California, USA.
Net Worth
Mario Van Peebles is an American film director and actor who has a net worth of $12 million, owing to his acting in many Hollywood films.
Movies And Tv Shows
» Guardian
» Blowback
» Love Kills
» Raw Nerve
» The Outer Limits
» Superstition
» Nashville
» Damages
» The Finder
» American Warships
» The Game
» All My Children
» Multiple Sarcasms
» How To Eat Your Watermelon In White Company (and Enjoy It)
» Carlito’s Way: Rise To Power
For the complete list of Mario Van Pebbles movies and TV shows, simply click here.
Mario Van Peebles Solo
Norberto Barba directed Solo, a 1996 science fiction action film. It stars Mario Van Peebles, William Sadler, Adrien Brody, Barry Corbin, and Demián Bichir. The film was based on the novel Weapon by Robert Mason. Besides, David L. Corley adapted Solo into a screenplay for Columbia/TriStar Pictures. Mario Van Peebles plays the main role of Solo.
Solo is an android designed as a military killing machine. He is sent to Central America by General Haynes to battle guerrilla insurgents, but a flaw develops in his programming and he develops a conscience and compassion. His developers try to take him back for deprogramming, but he flees to the jungle in a helicopter. His main energy supply was damaged during the first mission, forcing him to switch to his much less powerful secondary power.
He joins a small village community that is under constant threat from guerilla attackers, and he protects them in exchange for use of their electric generator (they previously used it to power a TV). There he learns to ‘bluff’ from a child that befriends him, Miguel.
Warlord betrayal
Solo helps the villages drive off a local Warlord and his small army, but the combat is detected by a military satellite. A black ops team is sent to recover or destroy Solo, while they ally with the Warlord. The black-ops leader, Colonel Frank Madden brings in Solo’s creator as a lure. Colonel leaves the man mortally wounded but Solo survives. Having occupied the village, the militiamen and black ops team attempt to kill Solo, but he is able to kill all of them.
Madden, who tries to kill Solo with an automatic grenade launcher, betrays the Warlord. Solo is able to fight Madden in hand-to-hand combat and non-fatally break his spine. Suddenly a helicopter delivers a more powerful version of the android (Sadler). The android is armed with a multi-barreled gun and has Madden’s face. The MkII kills Madden and proceeds to hunt down Solo.
Solo is able to save the villagers and beat the MkII android, using his acquired bluffing skills. After the temple the two androids fought in collapses, causing the military to pull out believing both units are destroyed and unrecoverable, Miguel, Solo’s companion, mourns Solo believing he was destroyed by a cave-in, but Miguel starts to hear Solo, laughing, as he knows he has earned his freedom.