Vin Diesel

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Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director, and producer, known for his muscular physique and deep voice. Diesel is the founder of the production companies OneRace Films, Tigon Studios, and Racetrack Records.

Diesel made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in "Theatre for the New City," which was produced in Greenwich Village and directed by Thomas Hinkerman. 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. He made his first feature-length film, 1997's Strays, an urban drama in which he was self-cast as a gang boss 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.

In an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, he claimed to have changed his name to Vin Diesel while working as a bouncer, 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.