Vin Diesel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vin Diesel
Diesel in 2013
Born	Mark Sinclair (1967-07-18) July 18, 1967 (age 57) Alameda County, California, U.S.
Education	Hunter College
Occupation	Actor producer writer director
Years active	1990–present
Partner(s)	Paloma Jimenez (2007–present)
Children	3
Signature

Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known as Vin Diesel, is a famous American actor and film producer. He is one of the world's top-earning actors. He is most famous for playing Dominic Toretto in the exciting Fast & Furious movie series.

Vin Diesel was born in California. He went to Hunter College in New York City. There, he studied creative writing, which led him to start writing movie scripts. He made his own short film called Multi-Facial (1995). He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in it. His first full-length movie was Strays (1997).

He became well-known in the late 1990s. His first big role was in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan in 1998. He then starred in successful movies like Boiler Room (2000) and The Pacifier (2005). He became a major action star, leading popular movie series such as Fast & Furious, XXX, and The Chronicles of Riddick.

Vin Diesel also does voice acting. He was the voice of The Iron Giant (1999). He also voiced characters in video games like The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004). He is well-known for voicing Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He played Groot in six superhero films, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He has also voiced Groot in the Disney+ animated shorts I Am Groot (2022–2023) and the TV special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).

He started his own production company called One Race Films. Through this company, he has produced many of his own movies. Vin Diesel also created a record label, Racetrack Records, and a video game company, Tigon Studios. He provides his voice and motion capture for all of Tigon's games.

Early Life and Name

Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair on July 18, 1967, in Alameda County, California. He later moved to New York City with his twin brother, Paul. His mother, Delora Sherleen Vincent, is an astrologer. He was raised by his mother and his adoptive father, Irving H. Vincent. His father was an acting teacher and theater manager. Vin Diesel has said that he has "ambiguous ethnicity," meaning his background is mixed. His mother has English, German, and Scottish family roots. He has never met his biological father.

Vin Diesel first acted on stage at age seven. He was in a children's play called Dinosaur Door. This play was put on at Theater for the New City in New York. He and his friends had accidentally broken into the theater. The theater's artistic director, Crystal Field, offered them roles in the play instead of calling the police. Vin Diesel stayed involved with the theater as he grew up. He later went to Hunter College in New York City. There, he studied creative writing, which led him to write movie scripts.

He started using the name Vin Diesel while working as a bouncer at a New York nightclub called Tunnel. He wanted a tougher name for his job. "Vin" comes from his mother's married last name, Vincent. His friends gave him the last name "Diesel" because he was very energetic.

Acting Career

Vin Diesel in 2005

Vin Diesel's first small movie role was in Awakenings in 1990. After struggling to get acting jobs for several years, he decided to make his own short film. In 1994, he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Multi-Facial. This short film was about a mixed-race actor trying to get roles. It was shown at the 1995 Cannes Festival. While acting, Vin Diesel also worked as a bouncer and sold lightbulbs over the phone.

In 1997, Vin Diesel got money to make his first full-length movie, Strays. It was a drama where he played a gang leader who tries to change his life for love. He wrote, directed, and produced this film. It was chosen for the 1997 Sundance Festival. Director Steven Spielberg saw Multi-Facial and was impressed. He cast Vin Diesel in a small role as a soldier in his 1998 war film Saving Private Ryan. This was Vin Diesel's first big Hollywood movie. In 1999, he voiced the main character in the animated film The Iron Giant.

In 2000, Vin Diesel had a supporting role in the movie Boiler Room. Later that year, he got his first main role as the anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film Pitch Black.

Vin Diesel became a big action star by playing Dominic Toretto in the street racing film The Fast and the Furious (2001). He also starred as Xander Cage in the action movie XXX (2002). He chose not to be in the sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and XXX: State of the Union (2005). Instead, he played Riddick again in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). He also voiced Riddick in two video games and an anime film.

In 2005, he tried a different kind of role. He played a funny character in the action comedy The Pacifier, which was very popular.

Vin Diesel with the Fast Five cast and Natalie Morales in 2011

In 2006, he took on a serious role. He played a real-life mobster named Jack DiNorscio in Find Me Guilty. Later that year, Vin Diesel made a quick appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, playing Dominic Toretto again.

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

In 2009, Vin Diesel returned to the Fast & Furious series. He starred in Fast & Furious with most of the original cast. He continued to play Dominic Toretto in many more Fast & Furious movies, including Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), F9 (2021), and Fast X (2023). He also played Riddick again in the movie Riddick (2013).

In August 2013, Vin Diesel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He voiced Groot in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy.

In 2015, he starred in the fantasy action film The Last Witch Hunter. In 2016, he had a supporting role in the war drama Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

In 2017, Vin Diesel played Xander Cage again in XXX: Return of Xander Cage. He also voiced Groot again in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He continued to voice Groot in the superhero team-up films Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

In March 2020, Vin Diesel played the comic book character Bloodshot in the movie of the same name.

In September 2020, Vin Diesel started a music career. He released a song called "Feel Like I Do," which was produced by Kygo. He performed the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Vin Diesel is set to appear in Riddick: Furya, which will be the fourth movie in The Chronicles of Riddick series. This was announced in February 2023.

Personal Life

Vin Diesel likes to keep his personal life private. He has a very deep voice. He said his voice changed around age 15, making it sound very mature on the phone. He often uses this voice in his acting roles.

Vin Diesel is a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons. He even wrote the introduction for a book celebrating the game's 30th anniversary. He loves the Dominican Republic and its many cultures. He knows its former president, Leonel Fernández. He has also filmed movies like Los Bandoleros and Fast & Furious in the country.

Family Life

Since 2007, Vin Diesel has been in a relationship with Mexican model Paloma Jimenez. They have three children together: two daughters born in April 2008 and March 2015, and a son born in 2010. Their younger daughter is named in honor of his co-star and close friend Paul Walker, who passed away in November 2013. Vin Diesel is also the godfather of Paul Walker's daughter, Meadow. He is also good friends with his Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Key

Denotes television series that have not yet been released

Video games

Other Appearances

Music

Songs

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Vin Diesel para niños