Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel | |
---|---|
![]() Diesel in July 2013 | |
Born | Mark Sinclair July 18, 1967 Alameda County, California, United States |
Occupation(s) | Actor, producer, director, screenwriter |
Years active | 1990–present |
Partner | Paloma Jimenez (2007–present) |
Children | 3 |
Website | www |
Mark Sinclair[1][2] (born July 18, 1967), better known by his stage name Vin Diesel, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his portrayals of Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious film series and Richard B. Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick series. He was also a producer on sequels in both franchises.
Diesel has also starred in films such as xXx (2002) and Find Me Guilty (2006). His voice acting work includes The Iron Giant (1999), the video game spin-offs from The Chronicles of Riddick franchise, and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a short film titled Multi-Facial and the feature-length drama film Strays. He is the founder of the production companies One Race Films, Racetrack Records, and Tigon Studios.
Early life
Diesel was born in Alameda County, California,[1] along with his twin brother, Paul.[3][4] His mother, Delora Sherleen (Sinclair) Vincent, is an astrologer.[5][6] Diesel has stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity".[7] His mother's background includes English, German, and Scottish.[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 colour",[10] and has stated that his parents' relationship would have been illegal in some parts of the United States due to anti-miscegenation laws.[11] He was raised in New York City by his Caucasian 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's 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 the city's Hunter College, where his creative writing studies led him to begin screenwriting. He has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor[16] as a result of early difficulties finding roles due to his mixed heritage.[16][17]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/VinDieselMarch09.jpg/220px-VinDieselMarch09.jpg)
1990s
Diesel's first film role was a brief uncredited appearance in the drama film Awakenings (1990). He then wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short drama film Multi-Facial (1994), 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. Diesel made his first feature-length film, Strays (1997), 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. He was then cast in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar-winning film Saving Private Ryan on the poignancy of his performance in Multi-Facial. In 1999, he provided the voice of the title character in the animated film The Iron Giant.
2000s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Fast_Five_Cast_2.jpg/200px-Fast_Five_Cast_2.jpg)
Diesel had a major role in the drama thriller Boiler Room (2000). 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). In 2004, Diesel reprised his role as Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick, which was a box office failure considering the large budget. He also voiced the character in two spin-off video games. In 2005, he played a lighthearted role in the comedy film The Pacifier, which became a box office success.[citation needed]
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, the film did poorly at the box office.[citation needed] 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. Diesel returned to the The Fast and the Furious series, alongside all the actors from the original film, in Fast & Furious, which was released in April 2009.
2010s
Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in the fifth, sixth and seventh installments in The Fast and the Furious franchise, Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015). 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.[18] He voiced Groot in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy.[19] He starred in the supernatural action film The Last Witch Hunter (2015).[20] In 2016, Diesel appeared as a supporting character in Ang Lee's war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. In 2017 Diesel will reprise his roles as Xander Cage in xXx: Return of Xander Cage,[20] Dominic Toretto in Fast & Furious 8,[21][22] and as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.[23] Over the course of several years, Diesel has discussed playing two separate roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[24][25][26][27][28] In November of 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 that he wasn't sure whether Diesel would remain attached to the project now that it will be a television series instead.[29] He is also set to appear in an updated version of Kojak.[20]
Personal life
Diesel is noted for his recognizably deep voice; he has said that his voice broke at around age 15, giving him a mature sounding voice on the telephone.[30] Around 2001, he dated his Fast and the Furious co-star, Michelle Rodriguez.[31]
Diesel and his girlfriend, Mexican model Paloma Jimenez, have three children: daughter Hania Riley[32] (born April 2008),[33] son Vincent Sinclair (born 2010),[34] and daughter Pauline, whose undated arrival he announced in March 2015.[35] She is named in honor of his friend and Fast & Furious franchise co-star, Paul Walker, who died in November 2013.[36] He is also the godfather of Walker's daughter, Meadow Rain Walker. His daughter Hania has an orange belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo.[37]
Diesel said in 2006 that he prefers to maintain his privacy regarding his personal life, stating: "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."[38] He has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic, and how he relates to its multicultural facets.[39] 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.[40]
Diesel has played Dungeons & Dragons for over 20 years,[41] and wrote the foreword for the commemorative book 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons. In the 30th anniversary issue of Dragon magazine, it was revealed that Diesel had a fake tattoo of his character's name, Melkor, on his stomach while filming xXx.[citation needed]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Awakenings | Orderly | Uncredited |
1994 | 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 | |
2000 | Pitch Black | Richard B. Riddick | |
2001 | The Fast and the Furious | Dominic Toretto | |
2001 | 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 | Producer |
2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury | Richard B. Riddick | Voice |
2005 | The Pacifier | Lieutenant Shane Wolfe | |
2006 | Find Me Guilty | Jack DiNorscio | |
2006 | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift | Dominic Toretto | Uncredited |
2008 | Babylon A.D. | Hugo Cornelius Toorop | |
2009 | Los Bandoleros | Dominic Toretto | Short film Writer, director, producer |
2009 | Fast & Furious | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
2011 | Fast Five | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
2013 | Riddick: Blindsided | Richard B. Riddick | Short film Voice |
2013 | Riddick | Richard B. Riddick | Producer |
2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Groot | Voice and motion capture performance |
2014 | Life is a Dream | Executive producer | |
2015 | Furious 7 | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
2015 | The Last Witch Hunter | Kaulder | Producer |
2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Shroom | |
2017 | xXx: The Return of Xander Cage | Xander Cage | Producer |
2017 | Fast 8 | Dominic Toretto | Producer |
2017 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | Groot | Voice and motion capture performance |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay | Richard B. Riddick | Voice |
2009 | Wheelman | Milo Burik | Voice |
2009 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena | Richard B. Riddick | Voice |
Awards and nominations
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 |
Saving Private Ryan | Won | |
2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Favorite Actor | Pitch Black | Nominated |
2002 | MTV Movie Award | Best Male Performance | The Fast and the Furious | Nominated |
MTV Movie Award | Best On-Screen Team Shared with Paul Walker |
The Fast and the Furious | Won | |
Black Reel Award | Best Actor | The Fast and the Furious | 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 | Won |
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[42] | The Chronicles of Riddick | 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 | Fast & Furious | Nominated |
2011 | CinemaCon Award | Action Star of the Year[43] | Fast Five | Won |
Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor | Fast Five | Nominated | |
2012 | Image Award | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Fast Five | Nominated |
Black Reel Award | Best Cast Ensemble Shared with the rest of the cast |
Fast Five | Nominated | |
People's Choice Award | Favorite Action Star | Fast Five | 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 | Fast & Furious 6 | Nominated |
MTV Movie Award | Best On-Screen Duo Shared with Paul Walker |
Fast & Furious 6 | Won | |
2015 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Best Cast | Guardians of the Galaxy | Nominated |
Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actor: Action | Furious 7 | Won | |
Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie: Chemistry Shared with the rest of the cast |
Furious 7 | Nominated | |
2016 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Movie | Furious 7 | Won |
People's Choice Awards | Favorite Action Movie | Furious 7 | Won | |
People's Choice Awards | Favorite Action Movie Actor | Himself | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b Mark Sinclair birth record, California Birth Index. Retrieved on March 29, 2015. Some sources give birth name as Mark Sinclair Vincent, which is at odds with the official California state birth record.
- ^ "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.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
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suggested) (help) - ^ 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. Retrieved June 29, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ "Diesel mixes it up". Jam.canoe.ca. February 22, 2000. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
- ^ a b "Diesel is running hot". Jam.canoe.ca. February 17, 2000. 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 0689859821. 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.
- ^ a b Thrupkaew, Noy (August 16, 2002). "The Multicultural Mysteries of Vin Diesel". Alternet.org. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Vin Diesel Shifts Acting Career into High Gear In 'The Fast and the Furious'". Findarticles.com. July 9, 2001. Retrieved September 8, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Moult, Julie (August 27, 2013). "Vin Diesel's girlfriend and two children cheer on the actor as he receives his Hollywood Walk of Fame accolade". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (December 21, 2013). "He is Groot: Diesel to star in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". USA Today.
- ^ a b c Han, Angie. "'xXx 3′ Is Definitely Happening, Will Shoot in Asia, Says Vin Diesel". /film. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ 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.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "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.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ 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.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHHhxgDJwyY
- ^ http://screenrant.com/inhumans-marvel-movie-2018-casting-vin-diesel/
- ^ http://screenrant.com/vin-diesel-black-bolt-inhumans-plan/
- ^ https://www.comicbookmovie.com/inhumans/james-gunn-thinks-its-unlikely-vin-diesel-will-end-up-playing-black-bolt-a146892
- ^ Vin Diesel on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on YouTube
- ^ 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 isn't worried about daughters
- ^ "Diesel says rumors about him being homosexual are untrue". WENN via Hollywood.com. March 29, 2006.
- ^ "Vin Diesel to film in DR". DR1.com. August 9, 2005. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Vin Diesel "adores" Dominicans, presents 'Los Bandoleros'". DominicanToday.com. July 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ 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.
- ^ "Awards – VinXperience – The Vin Diesel fansite". 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.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1967 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Male actors from New York City
- American male film actors
- American film directors
- American film producers
- American male writers
- American male screenwriters
- American male voice actors
- American people of English descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- Dungeons & Dragons writers
- Hunter College alumni
- Twin people from the United States
- Writers from New York City