| Actor Date of Birth: 18.07.1967 Country: USA |
Vin Diesel, an American actor and holder of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, embodies the image of a tough and brutal macho man. His characters are known for their athletic physique, shaved head, unique voice intonations, and decisive actions. However, this image did not come to the actor right away. In his youth, Mark Vincent was teased as a "worm," and girls paid no attention to the future action hero. Born in Harlem, a famous semi-bohemian, semi-criminal neighborhood in New York (July 18, 1967), Vin Diesel grew up in an unusual family.
His mother, Delora Sherleen Sinclair, who practiced astrology and psychology, gave birth to non-identical twins Paul and Mark from an unknown father and had unique views on raising children. At the age of three, Mark was barely held back from stepping into the ring during a circus performance. By this time, Delora had married Irvin Vincent, an African-American acting coach, and two more children, Samantha and Tim, were born in the family. The family budget was tight, but Vin's stepfather supported the artistic inclinations of all family members. At the age of seven, Mark, along with his brother and friends, sneaked into a local theater. Seeing them, the artistic director Crystal Field did not scold the pranksters or call the police; instead, she offered $20 to whoever could read an excerpt from a play the best. Mark Sinclair Vincent turned out to be the winner and was invited to play in the children's play "The Door for a Dinosaur." From that moment on, there was no doubt in the boy's mind about his future profession - he would undoubtedly become an actor and participated in many theatrical productions.
After high school, he even enrolled in the philology department of Hunter College to have the opportunity to become a screenwriter. However, his innate talent clashed with his appearance. By the end of high school, Mark was very tall, skinny, and extremely shy, unlike his brother Paul, who was known as the king of local discos. Mark decided to drastically change his image. He became a regular at the gym and quickly built a powerful muscular body. In addition, the shy "Worm" started working as a bouncer at the Manhattan nightclub "The Tunnel" and changed his name to Vin Diesel.
However, despite establishing himself in his new image, the young man did not give up on his dream. In 1987, after earning some money and gaining significant practical experience in fights, Vin Diesel left his studies and set off to conquer Hollywood. But fame did not come rushing to find the future action star. He auditioned for many different roles and called himself a "versatile actor," and his long-awaited film debut in "Awakening" (1990) went unnoticed even in the credits. The unsuccessful actor returned to New York and successfully started selling televisions. However, giving up was not in Vin Diesel's nature, especially since he had the support of his mother. She gave him a book on how to make low-budget films as a gift, and Vin Diesel got to work. At first, he wrote the script for a feature film called "Strays," but realized that such work was not yet within his capabilities. In 1995, in just a few days, he wrote the script for a short film called "Multi-Facial," composed the music for it, took on the role of producer and director, and also played the lead role, investing about $3,000 in the project. The 20-minute film received many critical remarks from more experienced colleagues. Vin Diesel was ready to give up working on it if it weren't for the support of his stepfather. Eventually, in 1995, the film was recognized at the Cannes Film Festival. To finance the filming of the "Strays" script, Vin Diesel continued to sell televisions and achieved considerable success. In 1997, "Strays" received a good rating from the jury of the Sundance Film Festival. The aspiring actor was noticed by Steven Spielberg, who offered him a specially written small role in the cult film "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). This became a real breakthrough for Vin Diesel. In 1999, he voiced the main character in the animated film "The Iron Giant," and the following year, he appeared in the films "Boiler Room" and the legendary "Pitch Black," which tied him to the image of Riddick for many years. The triumph for the actor came with the release of the film "The Fast and the Furious" in 2001, where he played the leader of a gang of racers, which earned him an MTV Movie Award and a close relationship with actress Michelle Rodriguez. Successful films such as "xXx" (2002) and "The Pacifier" (2005), which were nominated for several awards, followed. After filming in the beloved by viewers "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004) and the subsequent Razzie nomination, the actor appeared on the screen in an unexpected role for himself in the film "The Pacifier" (2005), where he played a retired Marine who takes care of five children entrusted to him, including a scientist under his protection. The comedy genre continued with the film "Find Me Guilty," released a year later. After that, the actor briefly appeared on the screen in "Fast & Furious: Supercharged" before announcing a hiatus from filming. This was believed to be due to the failure of the 2007 action film "Babylon A.D." Later, Vin Diesel appeared on the screen in the sequels "Riddick" and "Fast & Furious," voiced the monster Groot in "Guardians of the Galaxy" (2014). In 2015, he starred as the main character Kaulder in "The Last Witch Hunter." In addition to acting and producing, Diesel is the founder of video companies Racetrack Records and One Race Films. He also owns Tigon Studios, specializing in the development of video games, primarily based on his films, including future ones. The famous actor has three children with his long-time partner, Mexican model Paloma Jimenez. Their eldest daughter, Hania Riley, was born in 2008 and is already studying martial arts under her father's guidance. Vincent Sinclair, their son, is two years younger than his sister, and their daughter Pauline, born in March 2015, was named after Vin's late friend Paul Walker, who died in 2013.
Vin Diesel continues to strive for success and climb new heights in his profession. In 2020, the film adaptation of the comics "Bloodshot" was released, where he appeared in the lead role of the character - a former soldier who has become a killing machine. In June 2021, the release of "Fast & Furious 9" was planned, with Vin Diesel celebrating his 52nd birthday on set. On his birthday, his friends presented him with an expensive gift - a Tantrum car with an engine power of 1,650 horsepower. In the film franchise, Vin's character, Dominic Toretto, also drives an incredible machine - a tuned Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Fans have often noticed that the actor has a pleasant velvety voice. Responding to fans' requests, Diesel stepped out of his comfort zone and started releasing songs. The first single was the song "Feel Like I Do," with music by Norwegian DJ Kygo. The talk show "Evening Urgant" did not overlook the event, noting that the next step in the newly emerged singer's career should be a duet performance. Vin Diesel will also appear in the second part of the sci-fi film "Avatar." In his Instagram, the actor posted a photo of James Cameron. In the comments, Vin mentioned the director as the only filmmaker he had not worked with in Hollywood yet. The film was originally scheduled to start in 2020, but the premiere was postponed to winter 2022. It is assumed that Vin Diesel's character will be a human, as the 3D plot had already been completed by that time. Currently, the celebrity's schedule is still packed with filming.