Vin Diesel

Mark Sinclair Vincent, known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and filmmaker recognized as one of the global film industry's highest-grossing performers. He gained major international fame for his portrayal of Dominic Toretto in the Fast & Furious media franchise. Alongside his screen roles in multiple action film series, Diesel has earned recognition for his voice acting across high-profile animated movies, video games, and television releases.

Born on July 18, 1967, Diesel grew up in New York City raised by his mother, an astrologer with Scottish heritage, and his adoptive father, an acting teacher and theater manager. He made his stage debut at seven years old at the Theater for the New City after he and his friends broke into the building and were offered roles in a children's play. He chose his stage name while working as a bouncer at a New York nightclub. Diesel later attended Hunter College to study creative writing, which sparked his interest in screenwriting before he eventually left school to pursue an acting career.

Diesel made an uncredited appearance in the 1990 drama Awakenings before creating his own opportunities. He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the 1995 short film Multi-Facial, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as his 1997 feature debut Strays, which competed at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Steven Spielberg saw Multi-Facial and subsequently cast Diesel in the 1998 war film Saving Private Ryan. Diesel followed this breakout role by voicing the title character in the 1999 animated feature The Iron Giant and playing the anti-hero Riddick in the 2000 science-fiction film Pitch Black.

Major action stardom arrived when Diesel played lead roles in the 2001 street racing film The Fast and the Furious and the 2002 action thriller XXX. Over the following years, he returned to star in numerous Fast & Furious sequels, including Fast Five, Furious 7, and Fast X. He also expanded his signature series with features such as The Chronicles of Riddick, Riddick, and XXX: Return of Xander Cage. Outside of traditional action roles, Diesel starred in the comedy feature The Pacifier, the courtroom drama Find Me Guilty, and voiced the character Groot in several superhero crossover films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In addition to acting, Diesel created the production outfit One Race Films, the record label Racetrack Records, and the gaming developer Tigon Studios. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013 and debuted his first musical release in 2020. In his personal life, Diesel maintains a long-term relationship with model Paloma Jimenez, with whom he shares three children, and remains active with ongoing film projects.