Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise, and is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
Diesel began his career in 1990 but struggled to gain roles until he wrote, directed, produced, scored, and starred in the short film Multi-Facial (1995). This attracted the attention of Steven Spielberg, who was developing Saving Private Ryan (1998); Spielberg re-wrote elements of the film to allow Diesel to appear. Diesel subsequently voiced the titular character in The Iron Giant (1999) while gaining a reputation as an action star after headlining the Fast & Furious, XXX, and The Chronicles of Riddick film franchises.
Diesel also voiced Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequel (2017), as well as Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Away from action films, he has enjoyed commercial success in a number of other genres, such as the comedy film The Pacifier (2005), while his performance in Find Me Guilty (2006) was praised. Diesel portrayed the comic book superhero Bloodshot in its 2020 film adaptation, and is slated to appear in the Avatar sequels.
He also founded the production company One Race Films, where he has also served as a producer or executive producer for a number of his star vehicles. Diesel also founded the record label Racetrack Records and video game developer Tigon Studios, and has provided his voice and motion capture for all of Tigon's releases.
Early life
Diesel was born Mark Sinclair[1] on July 18, 1967,[2] in Alameda County, California, with his fraternal twin brother, Paul.[3][4] His mother, Delora Sherleen Vincent (née Sinclair), is an astrologer.[5][6] Diesel has stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity".[7] His mother has English, German, and Scottish roots.[8] He has never met his biological father, and has stated that "all I know from my mother is that I have connections to many different cultures".[9] Diesel has self-identified as "definitely a person of color",[10] and has stated that his parents' relationship would have been illegal in parts of the United States due to anti-miscegenation laws.[11] He was raised in New York City by his white American mother and African-American stepfather, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theater manager.[4][10][12]
Diesel made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in the children's play Dinosaur Door, written by Barbara Garson. The play was produced at Theater for the New City in New York's Greenwich Village. His involvement in the play came about when he, his brother and some friends had broken into the Theater for the New City space on Jane Street with the intent to vandalize it. They were confronted by the theater's artistic director, Crystal Field, who offered them roles in the upcoming show instead of calling the police.[13][14][15] Diesel remained involved with the theater throughout adolescence, going on to attend NYC's Hunter College, where studies in creative writing led him to begin screenwriting. He has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor.[16]
Career
Diesel's first film role was a brief uncredited appearance in the drama film Awakenings (1990). In 1994, he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short drama film Multi-Facial, a semi-autobiographical film which follows a struggling multiracial actor stuck in the audition process. The film was selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Festival.
In 1997, Diesel made his first feature-length film, Strays, an urban drama in which he played a gang leader whose love for a woman inspires him to try to change his ways. Written, directed, and produced by Diesel, the film was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Festival, leading to an MTV deal to turn it into a series. Director Steven Spielberg took notice of Diesel after seeing him in Multi-Facial[17] and cast him in a small role as a soldier in his 1998 Oscar-winning war film Saving Private Ryan. In 1999, he provided the voice of the title character in the animated film The Iron Giant.[18]
In 2000, Diesel had a supporting role in the drama thriller Boiler Room, where he appeared alongside Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck. He got his breakthrough leading role as the anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film Pitch Black later that year. Diesel attained action hero stardom with two box office hits: the street racing action film The Fast and the Furious (2001), and the action thriller XXX (2002). He turned down the chance to reprise his roles in the sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005).[19] Instead he chose to reprise his role as Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick, which was a box office failure considering the large budget.[20] He also voiced the character in two spin-off video games and the anime film The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury. In a change from his previous action hero roles, in 2005, he played a lighthearted role in the comedy film The Pacifier, which was a box office success.[21]
In 2006, he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobster Jack DiNorscio in Find Me Guilty. Although he received critical acclaim for his performance,[22] the film did poorly at the box office grossing only $2 million against a budget of $13 million.[23] Later that year, Diesel made a cameo appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, reprising his role from The Fast and the Furious.
In 2007, Diesel was set to produce and star as Agent 47 in the film adaptation of the video game Hitman, but eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008, he starred in the science-fiction action thriller Babylon A.D. which was a critical and box office failure. Diesel returned to The Fast and the Furious series, alongside most of the principal cast from the original 2001 film, in Fast & Furious, which was released in April 2009.
Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in installments five through eight of the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), and The Fate of the Furious (2017).[24][25] He reprised his role as Riddick in the third film of The Chronicles of Riddick series, simply titled Riddick (2013). In August 2013, Diesel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[citation needed] He voiced Groot in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy.[26] He starred in the supernatural action film The Last Witch Hunter (2015).[27] In 2016, Diesel appeared as a supporting character in Ang Lee's war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.
In 2017, Diesel also reprised his roles as Xander Cage in XXX: Return of Xander Cage,[27] and Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.[28] Over the course of several years, Diesel has discussed playing two separate roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[29][30][31][32][33] In November 2016 director of Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn, confirmed that Diesel had been in talks to play Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt for the planned Inhumans film, but it was turned into a television series instead without Diesel involved.
Diesel reprised his role of Groot once again in the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) which combined the superhero teams of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers. He has said, "[I] think there's gonna be a moment that we're all waiting for, and whether you know it or not, you are waiting to see [Groot] and [the Hulk] get down."[34]
Diesel portrayed Valiant Comics character Bloodshot in the film of the same name[35] which released in March 2020. He is also joining the cast of James Cameron's Avatar 2.[36]
Personal life
Diesel said in 2006 that he prefers to maintain his privacy regarding his personal life: "I'm not gonna put it out there on a magazine cover like some other actors. I come from the Harrison Ford, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino code of silence."[37]
Sometime around 2001, Diesel dated his Fast & Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez.[38] He has been in a relationship with Mexican model Paloma Jimenez since 2007, and they have three children: daughter Hania Riley (born April 2008),[39][40] son Vincent Sinclair (born 2010),[41] and daughter Pauline (born March 2015).[42] The latter is named in honor of his co-star and friend Paul Walker, who died in November 2013.[43] He is also the godfather of Walker's daughter, Meadow.
Diesel is noted for his recognizable deep voice; he has said that his voice broke around age 15, giving him a mature-sounding voice on the telephone.[44] He has played Dungeons & Dragons for over 20 years,[45] and wrote the foreword for the commemorative book 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons. Canadian video game designer and developer Merritt k created the 2015 ASMR game Vin Diesel DMing a Game of D&D Just For You based on his D&D fandom.[46][47][48][49] He has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic and how he relates to its multicultural facets.[50] He is acquainted with its former president, Leonel Fernández, and appeared in one of Fernández's earlier campaign ads. Los Bandoleros, a short film directed by Diesel, was filmed in the Dominican Republic.[51]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Awakenings | Orderly | Uncredited |
| 1995 | Multi-Facial | Mike | Short film Writer, director, producer |
| 1997 | Strays | Rick | Writer, director, producer |
| 1998 | Saving Private Ryan | Private Adrian Caparzo | |
| 1999 | The Iron Giant | The Iron Giant | Voice |
| 2000 | Boiler Room | Chris Varick | |
| Pitch Black | Richard B. Riddick | ||
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Dominic Toretto | |
| Knockaround Guys | Taylor Reese | ||
| 2002 | XXX | Xander Cage | Executive producer |
| 2003 | A Man Apart | Sean Vetter | Producer |
| 2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick | Richard B. Riddick | |
| The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury | Voice | ||
| 2005 | The Pacifier | Lieutenant Shane Wolfe | |
| 2006 | Find Me Guilty | Jackie DiNorscio | |
| The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Dominic Toretto | Uncredited cameo | |
| 2008 | Babylon A.D. | Hugo Cornelius Toorop | |
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
| Los Bandoleros | Short film Writer, director, producer | ||
| 2011 | Fast Five | Producer | |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | ||
| Riddick: Blindsided | Richard B. Riddick | Short film Voice | |
| Riddick | Producer | ||
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Groot | Voice |
| 2015 | Furious 7 | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
| The Last Witch Hunter | Kaulder | ||
| 2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Shroom | |
| 2017 | XXX: Return of Xander Cage | Xander Cage | Producer |
| The Fate of the Furious | Dominic Toretto | ||
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Groot | Voice | |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | ||
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | |||
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | ||
| 2020 | Bloodshot | Ray Garrison / Bloodshot | Producer |
| 2021 | F9 | Dominic Toretto | Post-production |
| Avatar 2 | TBA | ||
| 2022 | Thor: Love and Thunder | Groot | Pre-production |
| 2023 | Avatar 3 | TBA | Pre-production |
| Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Richard B. Riddick | Voice |
| 2009 | Wheelman | Milo Burik | |
| The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena | Richard B. Riddick | ||
| 2020 | Fast & Furious Crossroads | Dominic Toretto | Voice and motion capture |
| Denotes video games that have not yet been released |
Theme park attractions
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fast & Furious: Supercharged | Dominic Toretto | Universal Studios Hollywood |
| 2018 | Universal Studios Florida |
Awards and nominations
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast Shared with the rest of the cast | Saving Private Ryan | Nominated |
| Online Film Critics Society Award | Best Cast Shared with the rest of the cast | Won | ||
| 2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Actor | Pitch Black | Nominated |
| 2002 | MTV Movie Award | Best Male Performance | The Fast and the Furious | Nominated |
| Best On-Screen Team Shared with Paul Walker | Won | |||
| Black Reel Award | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | MTV Movie Award | Best Male Performance | xXx | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor: Drama/Action Adventure | xXx A Man Apart | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Spike Video Game Award | Best Performance by a Human Male | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Nominated |
| 2005 | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor: Comedy | The Pacifier | Nominated |
| Golden Raspberry Award | Worst Actor | The Chronicles of Riddick | Nominated | |
| Video Software Dealers Association Award | Male Star of the Year[52] | Won | ||
| 2009 | Spike Video Game Award | Best Performance by a Human Male | The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Award | Best Male Performance | Fast & Furious | Nominated | |
| 2010 | People's Choice Award | Favorite Action Star | Nominated | |
| 2011 | CinemaCon Award | Action Star of the Year[53] | Fast Five | Won |
| Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Award | Best Cast Ensemble Shared with the rest of the cast | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Award | Favorite Action Star | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie: Chemistry Shared with Paul Walker & Dwayne Johnson | Fast & Furious 6 | Nominated |
| 2014 | People's Choice Award | Favorite Action Movie Actor | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Award | Best On-Screen Duo Shared with Paul Walker | Won | ||
| 2015 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Cast | Guardians of the Galaxy | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor: Action | Furious 7 | Won | |
| Choice Movie: Chemistry Shared with the rest of the cast | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Won | |
| Favorite Action Movie | Won | |||
| Favorite Action Movie Actor | Himself | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Diesel breaks silence over Walker". Press Association via The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand). December 3, 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ "Famous birthdays for July 18: Vin Diesel, Kristen Bell". United Press International. July 18, 2019. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
Actor Vin Diesel in 1967 (age 52)
- ^ Paul Sinclair birth record at California Birth Index. Retrieved on March 29, 2015.
- ^ a b "Vin Diesel Biography (1967–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Vin Diesel: From nightclub bouncer to action hero". CNN. August 12, 2002.
- ^ "Vincent, Irving H". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Vincent, Mal (June 22, 2001). "'The Fast and the Furious' Vin Diesel Opens the Throttle in New Speed Movie and Joins an Elite 'Action-Star' Fraternity". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "VinDiesel explains why Glasgow was perfect to shoot Fast 6". May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Carter, Gregory T. (2008). "From blaxploitation to mixploitation: Male leads and changing mixed race identities". In Beltrán, Mary; Fojas, Camilla (eds.). Mixed Race Hollywood. New York: New York University Press. p. 210. ISBN 0814799892.
- ^ a b "Diesel is running hot". Jam.canoe.ca. February 17, 2000. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Chu, Hanna (August 26, 2013). "Vin Diesel receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". KABC-TV. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- ^ Pearlman, Cindy (August 9, 2002). "Fame game stumps Diesel". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ Krulik, Nancy E. (November 1, 2002). Vin Diesel: Fueled for Success. New York: Simon Pulse, Gallery Books. p. 14. ISBN 978-0689859823.
- ^ Vincent, Mal (August 9, 2002). "xXx". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ Wloszcyna, Susan (June 4, 2004). "Vin Diesel, driving on a tankful of cool". USA Today. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Shifts Acting Career into High Gear In 'The Fast and the Furious'". Findarticles.com. July 9, 2001. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Vin Diesel on Being Recruited by Steven Spielberg for 'Saving Private Ryan'". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ The Iron Giant (1999), retrieved January 9, 2018
- ^ https://uproxx.com/up/vin-diesel-2-fast-2-furious-movie-roles/
- ^ "The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "The Pacifier (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty – Moviehole". moviehole.net. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty (2006) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7,2017.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (April 23, 2015). "'Furious 8' Gets 2017 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ^ Lang, Brent (April 23, 2015). "'Furious 8′ to Debut April 14, 2017". Variety. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (December 21, 2013). "He is Groot: Diesel to star in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". USA Today.
- ^ a b Han, Angie. "'xXx 3′ Is Definitely Happening, Will Shoot in Asia, Says Vin Diesel". /film. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ "Marvel Studios Begins Production on Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'". Marvel.com. February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ Gary Collinson. "Vin Diesel hints at second Marvel role, teasing Black Bolt of the Inhumans?". Flickering Myth.
- ^ Daniel Krupa (October 16, 2015). "Vin Diesel Gives IGN His Best Black Bolt Audition". IGN.
- ^ ColliderVideos (October 12, 2015), Vin Diesel teases Black Bolt role in Marvel's Inhumans - Collider, retrieved January 17, 2017
- ^ "Vin Diesel Teases 'Inhumans' Involvement Again". Screen Rant. December 29, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Teases 'Genius' Plan For Black Bolt & Inhumans". Screen Rant. October 16, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ Welch, Alex (January 20, 2016). "Vin Diesel: Groot & Hulk Must 'Get Down' in Avengers: Infinity War". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Will Be VALIANT'S BLOODSHOT In Upcoming Sony Adaptation". Nerdist. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Vin Diesel will star in James Cameron's long awaited Avatar sequels". The Independent. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Diesel says rumors about him being homosexual are untrue". WENN via Hollywood.com. March 29, 2006.
- ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (August 6, 2002). "Vin Diesel, in high gear". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ Marquina, Sierra (March 16, 2015). "Vin Diesel, Girlfriend Paloma Jimenez Welcome Third Child -- See the Sweet Photo". Us Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ Jordan, Julie (June 5, 2008). "Vin Diesel Becomes a Father". People. Retrieved June 6,2008.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Welcomes Third Child". People. March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
Diesel and the 31-year-old model are also parents to son Vincent Sinclair, 4½....
- ^ Vulpo, Mike (March 16, 2015). "Vin Diesel Welcomes His Third Child With Girlfriend Paloma Jiménez—See the First Baby Photo!". E! News. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ Hines, Ree (March 23, 2015). "Vin Diesel reveals his new baby's very special name, a tribute to Paul Walker". Today. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Vin Diesel on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on YouTube[dead link]
- ^ Diesel in Adler, Shawn (n.d.). "Vin Diesel of 'The Chronicles of Riddick Interview". UGO.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
- ^ Alexander, Leigh (May 27, 2015). "Having Vin Diesel as your dungeon master is really soothing". Offworld. Boing Boing. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ Alexander, Leigh (October 14, 2015). "Are any of your favorites in this awesome game curation?". Offworld. Boing Boing. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (May 27, 2015). "Let Vin Diesel be your Dungeon Master in this relaxing, comforting game". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (May 27, 2015). "Let Vin Diesel be your Dungeon Master in this relaxing, comforting game". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ "Vin Diesel to film in DR". DR1.com. August 9, 2005. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ "Vin Diesel "adores" Dominicans, presents 'Los Bandoleros'". DominicanToday.com. July 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved March 21,2015.
- ^ "Awards – VinXperience – The Vin Diesel fansite". Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
- ^ "Vin Diesel to Receive CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award". The Hollywood Reporter. March 28, 2011. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
External links
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