Vin Diesel (born
Mark Sinclair Vincent; July 18, 1967) is an American actor,
writer,
director and
producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including
The Fast and the Furious and
xXx. He founded the production companies
One Race Films,
Tigon Studios and
Racetrack Records.
Early life
Vin Diesel was born in
New York City, the son of Delora, a
psychiatrist and
astrologer.
[Vin Diesel Biography (1967-)][CNN.com - Vin Diesel: From nightclub bouncer to action hero - August 12, 2002] Diesel is
biracial and has
Italian and
black ancestry.
He has described himself as "definitely a person of color"
and stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity - Italian and a lot of other stuff".
Diesel has never met his biological father, and was raised by his
African-American stepfather, Irving, an acting instructor and theatre manager.
[Diesel is running hot] He 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
Theater for the New City's space on Jane Street with the intent to vandalize it. They were confronted by the Theater's Artistic Director, Crystal Field, who instead of calling the police, handed them scripts and offered them parts in the upcoming show. He remained involved with the theatre throughout adolescence, going on to attend the city's
Hunter College, where his creative writing studies led him to begin screenwriting. Diesel became an active film-maker in the early 1990s, first earning notice for the short film
Multi-Facial, which was selected for screening at the 1995
Cannes Festival. Diesel has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor
[The Multicultural Mysteries of Vin Diesel] as a result of early difficulties finding roles due to his mixed heritage.
[Vin Diesel Shifts Acting Career Into High Gear In `The Fast And The Furious' - Brief Article | Jet | Find Articles at BNET.com]
In an interview on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, he said that he changed his name to "Vin Diesel" while working as a
bouncer at the New York City nightclub
Tunnel, because in that business one's real name is not usually given out. The name "Vin" is simply a shortened version of "Vincent". He received the nickname "Diesel" from his friends who said he ran off
diesel, referring to his non-stop energy.
