Why Did Mark Sinclair Change His Name to Vin Diesel?
Within the next couple of years, the Fast saga will have two more installments. The movie series has been around for over 20 years, and fans can expect Vin Diesel to return. He explains that the upcoming films will end the franchise.
The series boosted Diesel to stardom, and he has a very recognizable name. However, fans would not have guessed that he changed it from an ordinary name.
The personal life of Vin Diesel
Diesel was born in California to a single mother but later moved to New York. The name fans are familiar with is not the actor’s birth name. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Diesel used to go by Mark Sinclair until he changed it.
In interviews, Diesel hardly talks about his family to retain some privacy. Some people felt surprised to hear that Diesel is a fraternal twin brother. His sibling also works in the entertainment industry as a film editor. Diesel is a married man and a father of three as well.
Diesel has two daughters and a son, and he named his youngest kid after his late friend Paul Walker. Another fact about Diesel that a few people may not know is that the actor is a gamer. He may appear in popular action films, but the star is a fan of multiple games.
Diesel’s favorite pastime is the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons. He has played it for years and even had a D&D-themed birthday cake once.
Why did Vin Diesel change his name?
Some celebrities adopt a stage name when they begin their careers. However, Diesel changed his name before he became famous. He took on the name Diesel when he was only 17 years old. At the time, he was working as a bouncer in New York.
Diesel was working part-time at nightclubs while he attended Hunter College. During that period, he would show off his dancing skills on his nights off. He soon picked a new moniker to go by for the rest of his career. Likely, he needed an alternative identity for safety reasons while being a bouncer.
Diesel picked Vin as the first name, and it is the shortened version of Vincent. Vincent was the name of Diesel’s step-father, Irving H. Vincent, who raised him. The actor chose Diesel since it started as a joke among his friends. Diesel would often appear energetic as if he operated on the fuel.
Now, people know Diesel for his heroic characters. To fans, Diesel’s chosen name sounds more like it belongs to an action star than Sinclair.
Fans know Vin Diesel best for his action roles
Diesel’s career traces back to when he was only seven years old. He and some friends broke into a theater, and a director caught them. Diesel got a small part in the play that would show that evening instead. Later in life, he would get into acting.
Unfortunately, Diesel did not walk a straight path to success. For a while, he struggled to find a break in Los Angeles but could not score a career-changing role. Instead, Diesel took matters into his own hands and produced a short film for the Cannes Film Festival.
Steven Spielberg happened to see Diesel’s movie and cast him in Saving Private Ryan. In the following years, Diesel landed roles in The Iron Giant and Boiler Room. He became a household name for his performance in the box office hit The Fast and the Furious.
Other notable roles include Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy and Richard in The Chronicles of Riddick. In 2021, Diesel received a People’s Choice Awards nomination for F9: The Fast Saga.
