Vin Diesel

Mark Sinclair Vincent (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and filmmaker. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he gained prominence for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise.

Diesel attended Hunter College in New York City, where studies in creative writing led him to begin screenwriting. He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short drama film Multi-Facial (1995) and his debut feature Strays (1997). He came to prominence in the late 1990s and first became known for appearing in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan in 1998. He followed up with commercially successful films such as Boiler Room (2000) and The Pacifier (2005). He gained stardom as a leading action star headlining numerous franchises, including Fast & Furious, XXX, and The Chronicles of Riddick.

His voice acting work includes The Iron Giant (1999), the video games The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004) and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (2009), and the voices of Groot I and Groot II in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU); he portrayed the characters in six superhero films, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Diesel has reprised his role as Groot for the Disney+ animated shorts series I Am Groot (2022–2023), the television special The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), and the animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

He founded the production company One Race Films, where he has also served as a producer or executive producer for his star vehicles. Diesel also founded the record label Racetrack Records and video game developer Tigon Studios, providing his voice and motion capture for all of Tigon's releases.

Early life Mark Sinclair Vincent was born on July 18, 1967. His mother, Delora Sherleen Vincent (née Sinclair), is an astrologer. He was raised by his white mother and adoptive African-American father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theater manager. Diesel has stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity." His mother has Scottish roots. He has never met his biological father, and has said that "all I know from my mother is that I have connections to many different cultures"; Diesel believes that his parents' relationship would have been illegal in parts of the United States due to anti-miscegenation laws.

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. Diesel remained involved with the theater throughout adolescence, going on to attend Hunter College in New York City, where studies in creative writing led him to begin screenwriting. He dropped out of Hunter to pursue acting. He has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor.

Sinclair began going by his stage name "Vin Diesel" while working as a bouncer at the New York nightclub Tunnel, wanting a tougher sounding name for his occupation. Vin comes from his mother's married last name Vincent, while the surname Diesel came from his friends due to his tendency to be energetic.

Career 1990–1999: Early struggle and debut

Diesel's first film role was as an uncredited extra in the drama film Awakenings in 1990. After several years of struggle to gain acting roles, Diesel decided to make his own short film to secure funds for his feature film debut. 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 Film Festival. As well as acting, Vin Diesel supported himself by working as a bouncer and telemarketer selling lightbulbs.

In 1997, Diesel secured funds to make 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 which never came to fruition. Director Steven Spielberg took notice of Diesel after seeing him in Multi-Facial and cast him in a small role as a soldier in his 1998 Oscar-winning war film Saving Private Ryan. This marked Diesel's first major Hollywood film role. In 1999, he provided the voice of the title character in the animated film The Iron Giant.

2000–2008: Breakthrough and setbacks 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 his portrayal of Dominic Toretto in the street racing action film The Fast and the Furious (2001) and as Xander Cage in 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). Instead he chose to reprise his role as Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), which was a box office failure considering the large budget. He also voiced the character in two spin-off video games and the anime film The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.

In a departure from his previous tough guy action hero persona, in 2005, he played a lighthearted role in the action comedy film The Pacifier, which was a box office success.

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, the film did poorly at the box office grossing only $2 million against a budget of $13 million. 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.

2009–present: Franchise films Diesel returned to the Fast & Furious series, alongside most of the principal cast from the original 2001 film, in Fast & Furious, which was released in April 2009.

Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in later installments of the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), F9 (2021) and the most recent entry, Fast X (2023). 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. He voiced Groot in the 2014 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy.

In 2015, he starred in the supernatural action film The Last Witch Hunter. 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, Over the course of several years, Diesel has discussed playing two separate roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 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, " 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." He always reprised as Groot for the Disney+ animated shorts series I Am Groot which ran from 2022 to 2023.

Diesel portrayed Valiant Comics character Bloodshot in the film of the same name which released in March 2020.

In September 2020, Diesel announced his venture into music, with the release of the song "Feel Like I Do", produced by Kygo. He debuted the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show on September 24, stating: "I am blessed that on a year that I would normally be on a movie set — and as you know, that's not possible — I've had another creative outlet. Another way to show you, or share with you, my heart."

Diesel will star in Riddick: Furya, the fourth installment of The Chronicles of Riddick franchise, announced in February 2023.

Personal life Diesel has said 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."

Diesel is noted for his distinctive deep voice. He said his voice broke around age 15, giving him a mature-sounding voice on the telephone, which he often uses for his acting performances.

Diesel is a longtime Dungeons & Dragons fan, and wrote the foreword for 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons (2004). Canadian video game designer and developer merritt k created the 2015 ASMR game Vin Diesel DMing a Game of D&D Just for You for him. He has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic and how he relates to its multicultural facets. He is acquainted with its former president, Leonel Fernández, and appeared in one of Fernández's earlier campaign advertisements. He later secured film production in the country for Los Bandoleros and Fast & Furious (both 2009).

In October 2018, Diesel alongside Cody Walker took part in the Xbox Game Pass Challenge, a gaming livestream event which raised $100,000 for Reach Out WorldWide, a nonprofit organization focused on natural disasters and emergencies, which was originally co-founded by his Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker.

Relationships Sometime around 2001, Diesel dated his Fast & Furious co-star Michelle Rodriguez. Since 2007, he has been in a relationship with Mexican model Paloma Jimenez; the couple have three children, two daughters born in April 2008 and March 2015, and a son born 2010. The younger daughter is named in honor of his co-star and close friend Paul Walker, who died in November 2013. He is also the godfather of Walker's daughter, Meadow. Diesel also shares a close friendship with Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson.

Legal issues In December 2023, former assistant Asta Jonasson sued Diesel for sexual battery and retaliation. The lawsuit alleges that, in 2010 during the filming of Fast Five in Atlanta, he brought her to his suite at the St. Regis Hotel and forced her onto his bed. Jonasson accuses him of "forcibly grabbing [her] and groping her breasts, and kissing her chest... and trying to pull down her underwear". She further accused him of pressing her against the wall and forcing her to touch his erect penis, and then he began to masturbate. She was fired a few days later which she believes was retaliatory with the suit reading, "It was clear to her that she was being fired because she was no longer useful—Vin Diesel had used her to fulfill his sexual desires and she had resisted his sexual assaults". The lawsuit also names Diesel's sister and production company as defendants for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and wrongfully terminating her, among other complaints.

On June 3, 2025, the four claims against Diesel filed under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) were dismissed due to the plaintiff missing an administrative deadline. The remaining claims were set to move forward to a jury trial in August, but were delayed and later dropped in November.

Filmography Film + Year Title Role Notes 1990 Awakenings Orderly Uncredited 1991 New Jack City Bouncer Uncredited 1995 Multi-Facial Mike Short film; also writer, director and producer 1997 Strays Rick Also writer, director and producer 1998 Saving Private Ryan Private Adrian Caparzo 1999 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 Also executive producer2003 The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious Dominic Toretto Short film; uncredited; archive footage A Man Apart Sean Vetter Also producer 2004 The Chronicles of Riddick Richard B. Riddick Also producer The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury Richard B. Riddick (voice) Short film 2005 The Pacifier Lieutenant Shane Wolfe 2006 Find Me Guilty Jackie DiNorscio The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Dominic Toretto Uncredited cameo 2007 Hitman Executive producer only 2008 Babylon A.D. Hugo Cornelius Toorop 2009 Fast & Furious Dominic Toretto Also producer Los Bandoleros Short film; also writer, director, producer 2011 Fast Five Also producer 2013 Fast & Furious 6 Also producer Riddick: Blindsided Richard B. Riddick (voice) Short film Riddick Richard B. Riddick Also producer 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Groot (voice) 2015 Furious 7 Dominic Toretto Also producer The Last Witch Hunter Kaulder Also producer 2016 Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Shroom 2017 XXX: Return of Xander Cage Xander Cage Also producer The Fate of the Furious Dominic Toretto Also producer Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Groot (voice) 2018 Avengers: Infinity War Ralph Breaks the Internet Cameo appearance 2019 Avengers: Endgame 2020Bloodshot Ray Garrison / Bloodshot Also producer 2021 F9 Dominic Toretto Also producer 2022 Thor: Love and Thunder Groot (voice) 2023 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Fast X Dominic Toretto Also producer

Television + Year Title Role Notes 2019, 2021 Fast & Furious Spy Racers Dominic Toretto (voice) 4 episodes; Executive producer 2022–2023 I Am Groot Groot (voice) Main role; 10 episodes 2022 The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Television special 2023 Marvel Studios: Assembled Himself Episode: "The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " 2024 Ark: The Animated Series Santiago Da Costa (voice) Also executive producer

Video games + Year Title Voice role Notes 2004 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Richard B. Riddick 2009 Wheelman Milo Burik The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Richard B. Riddick 2020 Fast & Furious Crossroads Dominic Toretto TBA Ark 2 Santiago Da Costa Also executive producer

Other + Year Title Role Notes 2015 Fast & Furious: Supercharged Dominic Toretto Attraction at Universal Studios Florida

Discography Singles

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result 1999 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast Saving Private Ryan Online Film Critics Society Award Best Cast 2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actor Pitch Black 2002 MTV Movie Awards Best Male Performance The Fast and the Furious Best On-Screen Team Black Reel Award Best Actor 2003 MTV Movie Award Best Male Performance xXx Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor: Drama/Action Adventure xXxA Man Apart 2004 Spike Video Game Award Best Performance by a Human Male The Chronicles of Riddick:Escape from Butcher Bay 2005 Interactive Achievement Award Outstanding Character Performance - Male Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor: Comedy The Pacifier Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actor The Chronicles of Riddick Video Software Dealers Association Award Male Star of the Year 2009 Spike Video Game Award Best Performance by a Human Male The Chronicles of Riddick:Assault on Dark Athena MTV Movie Award Best Male Performance Fast & Furious 2010 People's Choice Award Favorite Action Star 2011 CinemaCon Award Action Star of the Year Fast Five Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor 2012 Image Award Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Black Reel Award Best Cast Ensemble People's Choice Award Favorite Action Star 2013 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie: Chemistry Fast & Furious 6 2014 People's Choice Award Favorite Action Movie Actor MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Duo 2015 Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Cast Guardians of the Galaxy Black Reel Award Outstanding Voice Performance Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor: Action Furious 7 Choice Movie: Chemistry 2016 People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Favorite Action Movie Favorite Action Movie Actor N/A 2018 Black Reel Award Outstanding Voice Performance Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 2022 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award Favorite Movie Actor F9: The Fast Saga 2024 Golden Raspberry Award Worst ActorFast X