Vin Diesel

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Vin Diesel
Diesel at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con
Born
Mark Sinclair

(1967-07-18) July 18, 1967 (age 56)
Alameda County, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, producer, director, screenwriter
Years active1990–present
Partner(s)Paloma Jimenez
(2007–present)
Children3
Signature

Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), better known as Vin Diesel, is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He rose to international fame with his role as Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Diesel began his career in 1990, but initially struggled to gain roles until he created and starred in the short film Multi-Facial (1995), which attracted the attention of director Steven Spielberg, who was developing his film Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg re-wrote elements of the film to allow Diesel to appear in it, which helped kickstart his career. He subsequently voiced the title character in The Iron Giant (1999) and gained a reputation as an action star after starring in The Fast and the Furious, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the XXX series.

Later in his career, Diesel also became known for lending his voice to the character of Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and voicing a character in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). He also founded the production company One Race Films. Away from action films, Diesel has enjoyed commercial success in a number of other genres, such as in the comedy film The Pacifier (2005), while his performance in Find Me Guilty (2006) was praised.

Diesel is attached to portray the comic book character Bloodshot in its 2020 film adaptation, and is slated to appear in the Avatar sequels.

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 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 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

1990s

Diesel at the premiere for Fast & Furious in 2009

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]

2000s

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.

2010s

The Fast Five cast with Natalie Morales for NBC's Today in April 2011. From left to right: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Diesel and Paul Walker

Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in installments five through eight of The Fast and the 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.[26] He voiced Groot in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy.[27] He starred in the supernatural action film The Last Witch Hunter (2015).[28] 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,[28] and Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.[29] Over the course of several years, Diesel has discussed playing two separate roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[30][31][32][33][34] 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."[35]

Diesel is set to portray the Valiant Comics character Bloodshot in the film of the same name which is set for release in 2020.[36] He is also joining the cast of James Cameron's Avatar 2.[37]

Personal life

Diesel's main car, a Dodge Charger, from Fast & Furious

Diesel is noted for his recognizably deep voice; he has said that his voice broke around age 15, giving him a mature-sounding voice on the telephone.[38]

Around 2001, he dated his Fast and the Furious co-star, Michelle Rodriguez.[39]

Diesel and his current partner, Mexican model Paloma Jimenez, have three children: daughter Hania Riley (born April 2008),[40][41] son Vincent Sinclair (born 2010),[42] and daughter Pauline (born March 2015).[43] Pauline is named in honor of his friend and Fast & Furious franchise co-star, Paul Walker, who died in November 2013.[44] He is also the godfather of Walker's daughter, Meadow Rain Walker. His daughter Hania studies Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo.[45]

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."[46] He has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic and how he relates to its multicultural facets.[47] 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.[48]

Diesel has played Dungeons & Dragons for over 20 years,[49] 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] Canadian video game designer and developer Merritt k created the 2015 game (ASMR) Vin Diesel DMing a Game of D&D Just For You based on his D&D fandom.[50][51][52][53]

Filmography

Diesel in Munich in 2005
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 Post-production
Fast & Furious 9† Dominic Toretto Post-production
2021 Avatar 2† TBA
2023 Avatar 3†
Key
† 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
Key
† Denotes video games that have not yet been released

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		 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 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[54] 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[55] 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

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "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)
  3. ^ Paul Sinclair birth record at California Birth Index. Retrieved on March 29, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Vin Diesel Biography (1967–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  5. ^ "Vin Diesel: From nightclub bouncer to action hero". CNN. August 12, 2002.
  6. ^ "Vincent, Irving H". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b "Diesel is running hot". Jam.canoe.ca. February 17, 2000. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  11. ^ Chu, Hanna (August 26, 2013). "Vin Diesel receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". KABC-TV. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  12. ^ Pearlman, Cindy (August 9, 2002). "Fame game stumps Diesel". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  13. ^ Krulik, Nancy E. (November 1, 2002). Vin Diesel: Fueled for Success. New York: Simon Pulse, Gallery Books. p. 14. ISBN 978-0689859823.
  14. ^ Vincent, Mal (August 9, 2002). "xXx". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, Virginia. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  15. ^ Wloszcyna, Susan (June 4, 2004). "Vin Diesel, driving on a tankful of cool". USA Today. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/vin-diesel-on-being-recruited-by-steven-spielberg-for-saving-private-ryan-160111672.html
  18. ^ The Iron Giant (1999), retrieved January 9, 2018
  19. ^ https://uproxx.com/up/vin-diesel-2-fast-2-furious-movie-roles/
  20. ^ "The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  21. ^ "The Pacifier (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  22. ^ "Find Me Guilty – Moviehole". moviehole.net. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  23. ^ "Find Me Guilty (2006) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  24. ^ Ford, Rebecca (April 23, 2015). "'Furious 8' Gets 2017 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  25. ^ Lang, Brent (April 23, 2015). "'Furious 8′ to Debut April 14, 2017". Variety. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Truitt, Brian (December 21, 2013). "He is Groot: Diesel to star in 'Guardians of the Galaxy'". USA Today.
  28. ^ a b Han, Angie. "'xXx 3′ Is Definitely Happening, Will Shoot in Asia, Says Vin Diesel". /film. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  29. ^ "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.
  30. ^ Gary Collinson. "Vin Diesel hints at second Marvel role, teasing Black Bolt of the Inhumans?". Flickering Myth.
  31. ^ Daniel Krupa (October 16, 2015). "Vin Diesel Gives IGN His Best Black Bolt Audition". IGN.
  32. ^ ColliderVideos (October 12, 2015), Vin Diesel teases Black Bolt role in Marvel's Inhumans - Collider, retrieved January 17, 2017
  33. ^ "Vin Diesel Teases 'Inhumans' Involvement Again". Screen Rant. December 29, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  34. ^ "Vin Diesel Teases 'Genius' Plan For Black Bolt & Inhumans". Screen Rant. October 16, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ https://nerdist.com/vin-diesel-will-be-valiants-bloodshot-in-upcoming-sony-adaptation
  37. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avatar-2-vin-diesel-fast-and-furious-guardians-galaxy-james-cameron-release-date-a8856081.html
  38. ^ Vin Diesel on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on YouTube[dead link]
  39. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (August 6, 2002). "Vin Diesel, in high gear". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  40. ^ Marquina, Sierra (March 16, 2015). "Vin Diesel, Girlfriend Paloma Jimenez Welcome Third Child -- See the Sweet Photo". Us Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  41. ^ Jordan, Julie (June 5, 2008). "Vin Diesel Becomes a Father". People. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
  42. ^ "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....
  43. ^ 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.
  44. ^ 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.
  45. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  46. ^ "Diesel says rumors about him being homosexual are untrue". WENN via Hollywood.com. March 29, 2006.
  47. ^ "Vin Diesel to film in DR". DR1.com. August 9, 2005. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  48. ^ "Vin Diesel "adores" Dominicans, presents 'Los Bandoleros'". DominicanToday.com. July 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  49. ^ 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.
  50. ^ Alexander, Leigh (May 27, 2015). "Having Vin Diesel as your dungeon master is really soothing". Offworld. Boing Boing. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  51. ^ Alexander, Leigh (October 14, 2015). "Are any of your favorites in this awesome game curation?". Offworld. Boing Boing. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  52. ^ Kuchera, Ben (May 27, 2015). "Let Vin Diesel be your Dungeon Master in this relaxing, comforting game". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  53. ^ Kuchera, Ben (May 27, 2015). "Let Vin Diesel be your Dungeon Master in this relaxing, comforting game". Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  54. ^ "Awards – VinXperience – The Vin Diesel fansite". Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  55. ^ "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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