An Action Man: Vin Diesel | CELEBRITY PROFILES

American Actor and filmmaker Vin Diesel is famed for his tough guy performances in high octane action dramas The Fast and Furious and The Chronicles of Riddick. Vin Diesel's career in film begin after dropping out of college prior to his graduation to focus on directing, producing and starring in his short film Multi Facial about a struggling actor willing to portray any ethnicity. When Multi Facial screened at the Cannes Film Festival it attracted the attention of director Steven Spielberg who went on to cast him in the Oscar winning film Saving Private Ryan. The film opened the door for a host of big budget roles, beginning with his role as Riddick in the sci-fi action Pitch Black (2002) which was followed by two sequels The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Riddick (2013). After a serious acting turn as a crooked stock-broker in Boiler Room opposite Giovanni Ribisi, he was cast in the phenomenally successful action franchise The Fast and the Furious, playing street racer Dominic Toretto. The success of this film made him a bona fide action star and lead to his casting in the blockbuster XXX (2002). After a comedic role in 2005’s The Pacifier he returned to his notorious Dominic Toretto for more installments in Fast and The Furious franchise including Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013).

In addition to his visceral on screen performances Vin Diesel has been praised for his work In animation films, earning plaudits for his voice work as the title character in the animation Iron Giant in 2009 and most recently lending his distinctive voice to the character of Groot in the hit science fiction adventure Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014.