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Vin Diesel

Vin DieselAKA Mark Sinclair Vincent

Born: 18-Jul-1967
Birthplace: New York City

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: Multiracial
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Riddick from Pitch Black

Vin Diesel was born Mark Vincent, and grew up in an artists' community in New York's Greenwich Village. He spent his formative years occasionally acting and more often trying to find acting work on tiny off-Broadway stages while going to school. He started calling himself Vin Diesel when he started working as a bouncer. With several stage roles on his résumé, Diesel moved to California in 1988, hoping his New York stage credentials would get his foot in the door in Hollywood, but success did not find him, and he moved back to New York a year later. He fell into depression, wallowing in his failure until his mother bought him a book called Feature Films at Used Car Prices, by Rick Schmidt, which empowered him to make his own movies. His 20-minute short, Multi-Facial, was written and directed by Diesel, starring himself a struggling actor. Multi-Facial was screened at the Anthology Film Archives in Manhattan, and later accepted at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. He returned to New York and took a second job as a telemarketer. It took him two years to save up the $50,000 he'd need to make a feature-length film.

Strays, again written and directed by and starring Diesel, was a coming-of-age film with a multi-racial cast. Strays was also screened at Sundance. Steven Spielberg saw it, and offered Diesel a small role in Saving Private Ryan. Diesel began to get Hollywood roles, appearing in Pitch Black and The Fast and the Furious. Diesel starred in xXx, did many of his own stunts, and also served as the film's executive producer. Diesel has since put writing and directing on hold, though he has formed his own production company, One Race Productions, which owns a piece of The Chronicles of Riddick and Diesel's upcoming Hannibal the Conqueror.

In the fall of 2003, a struggling screenwriter named Michael Kerner came to Diesel's house to discuss an upcoming project, and was attacked by Diesel's 170-pound mastiff, named Roman. The dog apparently lunged and chomped on Kerner's crotch, as news accounts said he needed "three stitches in his penis and two in his scrotum".

Father: (theatre teacher, stepfather)
Mother: (astrologer, psychiatrist)
Sister: (two sisters)
Brother: Paul Vincent (film editor, b. 18-Jul-1967, his twin)
Girlfriend: Maria Menounos (Entertainment Tonight)
Girlfriend: Paloma Jimenez (model, one daughter)
Daughter: (b. 2-Apr-2008)

    High School: Anglo-American International School, New York, NY
    University: Hunter College (dropped out)

    Italian Ancestry
    Scottish Ancestry Maternal

    FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
    Strays (18-Jan-1997)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Avengers: Endgame (22-Apr-2019) [VOICE]
    Ralph Breaks the Internet (5-Nov-2018) [VOICE]
    Avengers: Infinity War (23-Apr-2018) [VOICE]
    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (19-Apr-2017) [VOICE]
    The Fate of the Furious (4-Apr-2017)
    xXx: Return of Xander Cage (5-Jan-2017)
    Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (14-Oct-2016)
    The Last Witch Hunter (13-Oct-2015)
    Furious Seven (16-Mar-2015)
    Guardians of the Galaxy (21-Jul-2014) [VOICE]
    Riddick (4-Sep-2013)
    Fast & Furious 6 (7-May-2013)
    Fast Five (15-Apr-2011) · Dominic Toretto
    Fast & Furious (17-Mar-2009)
    Babylon A. D. (20-Aug-2008)
    Find Me Guilty (16-Feb-2006)
    The Pacifier (1-Mar-2005)
    The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (15-Jun-2004) [VOICE]
    The Chronicles of Riddick (3-Jun-2004) · Riddick
    A Man Apart (4-Apr-2003) · Sean Vetter
    xXx (9-Aug-2002) · Xander Cage
    Knockaround Guys (30-Nov-2001) · Taylor Reese
    The Fast and the Furious (18-Jun-2001) · Dominic Toretto
    Pitch Black (18-Feb-2000) · Riddick
    Boiler Room (30-Jan-2000)
    The Iron Giant (31-Jul-1999) · The Iron Giant [VOICE]
    Saving Private Ryan (24-Jul-1998) · Pvt. Caparzo
    Strays (18-Jan-1997)


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