Born inCalifornia, Diesel attendedHunter College in New York City, where studies in creative writing led him to beginscreenwriting. He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short drama filmMulti-Facial (1995) and his debut featureStrays (1997). He came to prominence in the late 1990s and first became known for appearing inSteven Spielberg'sSaving Private Ryan in 1998. He followed up with commercially successful films such asBoiler Room (2000) andThe Pacifier (2005). He gained stardom as a leading action star headlining numerous franchises, includingFast & Furious,XXX, andThe Chronicles of Riddick.
He founded the production companyOne Race Films, where he has also served as a producer or executive producer for hisstar vehicles. Diesel also founded the record label Racetrack Records and video game developerTigon Studios, providing his voice andmotion capture for all of Tigon's releases.
Early life
Mark Sinclair Vincent[1][5] was born on July 18, 1967,[6] inAlameda County, California,[7] where his mother was also born, though he later moved toNew York City with his fraternal twin brother, Paul.[8][9] His mother, Delora Sherleen Vincent (née Sinclair), is anastrologer.[10] He was raised by his white mother and adoptive African-American father, Irving H. Vincent, an acting instructor and theater manager.[9][11][12] Diesel has stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity."[13] His mother has Scottish roots.[14] 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";[15] Diesel believes that his parents' relationship would have been illegal in parts of the United States due toanti-miscegenation laws.[16]
Diesel made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in the children's playDinosaur Door, written byBarbara Garson. The play was produced atTheater for the New City in New York'sGreenwich 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.[17][18][19] Diesel remained involved with the theater throughout adolescence, going on to attendHunter College in New York City, where studies in creative writing led him to begin screenwriting. He has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor.[20]
Sinclair began going by his stage name "Vin Diesel" while working as abouncer at the New York nightclubTunnel, wanting a tougher sounding name for his occupation. Vin comes from his mother's married last name Vincent, while the surnameDiesel came from his friends due to his tendency to be energetic.[21]
Career
1990-1999: Early struggle and debut
Diesel in 2005
Diesel's first film role was as an uncredited extra in the drama filmAwakenings 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 filmMulti-Facial, a semi-autobiographical film which follows a struggling multiracial actor stuck in the audition process. The film was selected for screening at the1995 Cannes Film Festival. As well as acting, Vin Diesel supported himself by working as a bouncer and telemarketer selling lightbulbs.[22]
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 1997Sundance Festival, leading to anMTV deal to turn it into a series which never came to fruition. DirectorSteven Spielberg took notice of Diesel after seeing him inMulti-Facial[23] and cast him in a small role as a soldier in his 1998 Oscar-winning war filmSaving Private Ryan. This marked Diesel's first major Hollywood film role. In 1999, he provided the voice of thetitle character in the animated filmThe Iron Giant.[24]
In a departure from his previous tough guy action hero persona, in 2005, he played a lighthearted role in the action comedy filmThe Pacifier, which was a box office success.[27]
In 2006, he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobsterJack DiNorscio inFind Me Guilty. Although he received critical acclaim for his performance,[28] the film did poorly at the box office grossing only $2 million against a budget of $13 million.[29] Later that year, Diesel made a cameo appearance inThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, reprising his role fromThe Fast and the Furious.
In 2007, Diesel was set to produce and star asAgent 47 in thefilm adaptation of the video gameHitman, but eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008, he starred in the science-fiction action thrillerBabylon A.D. which was a critical and box office failure.
2009-present: Franchise films
Diesel returned to theFast & Furious series, alongside most of the principal cast from the original 2001 film, inFast & Furious, which was released in April 2009.
Diesel reprised his role of Groot once again in thecrossover filmsAvengers: Infinity War (2018) andAvengers: Endgame (2019) which combined the superhero teams ofGuardians of the Galaxy andThe Avengers. He has said, "[I] 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."[40]
In September 2020, Diesel announced his venture into music, with the release of the song "Feel Like I Do", produced byKygo.[42] He debuted the song onThe 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."[43]
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 theHarrison Ford,Marlon Brando,Robert De Niro,Al Pacino code of silence."[45]
Diesel is noted for his distinctivedeep voice. He said hisvoice broke around age 15, giving him a mature-sounding voice on the telephone,[46] which he often uses for his acting performances.
Sometime around 2001, Diesel dated hisFast & Furious co-starMichelle Rodriguez.[54] 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,[55][56] and a son born 2010.[57][58] The younger daughter is named in honor of his co-star and close friendPaul Walker, who died in November 2013.[59] He is also the godfather of Walker's daughter,Meadow. Diesel also shares a close friendship withFast & Furious co-starTyrese Gibson.[60]
Legal issues
In December 2023, former assistant Asta Jonasson sued Diesel forsexual battery and retaliation. The lawsuit alleges that, in 2010 during the filming ofFast Five in Atlanta, he brought her to his suite at theSt. 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".[61] 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.[62]
On June 3, 2025, the four claims against Diesel filed underCalifornia’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.[63]
^"The Iron Giant – Making the Movie". Warner Bros. Archived fromthe original on October 31, 2014. RetrievedJuly 27, 2013.What he does find is a 50-foot giant with an insatiable appetite for metal and a childlike curiosity about its new world.
