July 18, 1967: Birth of Mark Sinclair
Mark Sinclair, professionally known as Vin Diesel, was born on July 18, 1967.
1990: First Film Appearance
Vin Diesel had his first film appearance as an uncredited extra in the drama film "Awakenings" in 1990.
1994: Creation of Multi-Facial
To gain recognition and secure funding, Vin Diesel wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the semi-autobiographical short film "Multi-Facial" in 1994.
1995: Multi-Facial Screened at Cannes
"Multi-Facial" was selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, marking a turning point in Vin Diesel's career.
1995: Release of Multi-Facial
In 1995, Vin Diesel wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short drama film "Multi-Facial", which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
1997: Release of Strays
Vin Diesel wrote, directed, produced, and starred in his debut feature film, "Strays," in 1997, which was selected for competition at the Sundance Film Festival.
1997: Sundance Recognition and MTV Deal
Vin Diesel's film "Strays" was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, leading to an MTV deal that ultimately fell through.
1998: Collaboration with Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg cast Vin Diesel in "Saving Private Ryan" after seeing his performance in "Multi-Facial," marking the beginning of their professional relationship.
1998: Breakthrough Role in Saving Private Ryan
Vin Diesel landed his first major Hollywood role in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998.
1999: Voice Role in The Iron Giant
Vin Diesel lent his voice to the animated film "The Iron Giant" in 1999.
1999: Voice Acting Debut in The Iron Giant
Vin Diesel provided the voice for the title character in the animated film "The Iron Giant" in 1999.
2000: Success with Boiler Room and Pitch Black
Vin Diesel appeared in the drama thriller "Boiler Room" and had his breakthrough leading role as Riddick in the science-fiction film "Pitch Black" in 2000.
2000: Supporting Role in Boiler Room and Breakthrough with Pitch Black
Vin Diesel had a supporting role in "Boiler Room" and his breakthrough leading role as Riddick in "Pitch Black," both released in 2000.
2001: Action Hero Stardom with The Fast and the Furious
Vin Diesel achieved action hero stardom with his role as Dominic Toretto in "The Fast and the Furious" released in 2001.
2001: Relationship with Michelle Rodriguez
Around 2001, Vin Diesel was romantically involved with Michelle Rodriguez, his co-star in the movie "Fast & Furious."
2001: Reunion of the Original Cast in Fast & Furious
"Fast & Furious," released in 2009, brought back most of the original cast from the 2001 film, "The Fast and the Furious."
2002: Action Thriller XXX
Vin Diesel starred as Xander Cage in the action thriller "XXX" in 2002.
2003: Turning Down 2 Fast 2 Furious
Vin Diesel declined to reprise his role in the sequel "2 Fast 2 Furious" in 2003.
2004: Return to Riddick and Box Office Disappointment
Despite choosing to reprise his role as Riddick in "The Chronicles of Riddick," the film faced box office disappointment in 2004.
2004: Dungeons & Dragons Enthusiast and Foreword Author
In 2004, Vin Diesel's passion for Dungeons & Dragons was highlighted when he wrote the foreword for the book "30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons."
2004: Voice Acting in The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Vin Diesel lent his voice to the video game "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" in 2004.
2005: Comedic Role in The Pacifier
In a departure from his action hero roles, Vin Diesel starred in the family-friendly action comedy "The Pacifier" in 2005.
2005: Declining XXX: State of the Union
Vin Diesel chose not to return for the sequel "XXX: State of the Union" in 2005.
2005: Box Office Success with The Pacifier
Vin Diesel starred in the action comedy film "The Pacifier" in 2005, which became a box office success.
2006: Critical Acclaim for Find Me Guilty and Cameo in Tokyo Drift
In 2006, Vin Diesel received critical acclaim for his role in "Find Me Guilty" and made a cameo appearance in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
2006: Acclaimed Performance in Find Me Guilty and Box Office Struggle
Vin Diesel delivered a critically acclaimed performance as mobster Jack DiNorscio in "Find Me Guilty" in 2006, though the film struggled at the box office.
2007: Transition from Star to Executive Producer for Hitman
Initially slated to star in the film adaptation of "Hitman," Vin Diesel stepped back to become the executive producer in 2007.
2007: Relationship with Paloma Jimenez
Vin Diesel's relationship with Mexican model Paloma Jimenez began in 2007.
April 2008: Birth of First Daughter
Vin Diesel and his partner, Paloma Jimenez, welcomed their first daughter in April 2008.
2008: Critical and Commercial Disappointment with Babylon A.D.
Vin Diesel starred in the science fiction action thriller "Babylon A.D." in 2008, which unfortunately received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.
April 2009: Return to Fast & Furious Franchise
Vin Diesel rejoined the "Fast & Furious" franchise, reprising his role as Dominic Toretto in "Fast & Furious," which premiered in April 2009.
2009: Connection to the Dominican Republic and Film Production
Vin Diesel publicly expressed his admiration for the Dominican Republic and its multiculturalism in 2009. He even appeared in a campaign ad for former president Leonel Fernández, with whom he had a personal acquaintance. This connection led him to choose the Dominican Republic as a filming location for his movies "Los Bandoleros" and "Fast & Furious," both released in 2009.
2009: Voice Acting in The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Vin Diesel voiced the character of Riddick in the video game "The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena" in 2009.
2010: Alleged Sexual Assault
Asta Jonasson alleges that during the filming of "Fast Five" in Atlanta in 2010, Vin Diesel sexually assaulted her in his hotel suite.
2010: Birth of Son
Vin Diesel and Paloma Jimenez became parents to a son in 2010.
2011: Continuing the Fast & Furious Franchise with Fast Five
Vin Diesel continued his role in the "Fast & Furious" franchise with "Fast Five" in 2011.
August 2013: Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
In August 2013, Vin Diesel was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
November 2013: Death of Paul Walker
Tragedy struck in November 2013 when Vin Diesel's close friend and "Fast & Furious" co-star, Paul Walker, passed away.
2014: Debut as Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy
Vin Diesel began his portrayal of Groot I and Groot II in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014.
2014: Voicing Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy
Vin Diesel lent his voice to the character of Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014.
March 2015: Birth of Second Daughter
Vin Diesel and Paloma Jimenez celebrated the birth of their second daughter in March 2015.
2015: Supernatural Action in The Last Witch Hunter
Vin Diesel starred in the supernatural action film "The Last Witch Hunter" in 2015.
2015: Subject of ASMR Game
Vin Diesel's love for Dungeons & Dragons inspired Canadian video game developer Merritt k to create an ASMR game in 2015 titled "Vin Diesel DMing a Game of D&D Just For You."
2015: Fast & Furious 7
Vin Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in "Furious 7," released in 2015.
November 2016: Talks to Play Black Bolt
In November 2016, discussions took place regarding Vin Diesel potentially playing Blackagar Boltagon / Black Bolt in the planned "Inhumans" film, a role that didn't come to fruition.
2016: Supporting Role in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Vin Diesel took on a supporting role in Ang Lee's war drama "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" in 2016.
2017: Return of Xander Cage and Groot
Vin Diesel reprised his roles as both Xander Cage in "XXX: Return of Xander Cage" and Groot in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" in 2017.
2017: The Fate of the Furious Release
Vin Diesel starred in "The Fate of the Furious," continuing his role in the popular franchise in 2017.
2018: Voice Acting in Ralph Breaks the Internet
Vin Diesel reprised his role as Groot in the animated film "Ralph Breaks the Internet" in 2018.
2018: Groot in Avengers: Infinity War
Vin Diesel reprised his role as Groot in the Marvel crossover film "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018.
2019: Groot in Avengers: Endgame
Vin Diesel continued his role as Groot in "Avengers: Endgame," further blending the Guardians of the Galaxy with the Avengers in 2019.
March 2020: Stepping into the World of Bloodshot
Vin Diesel took on the role of the Valiant Comics character Bloodshot in the film adaptation released in March 2020.
September 2020: Musical Debut with "Feel Like I Do"
Vin Diesel ventured into the music world with the release of his debut song, "Feel Like I Do," produced by Kygo, in September 2020.
2021: F9 Release
Vin Diesel appeared in "F9," the ninth installment of the main "Fast & Furious" saga, released in 2021.
2022: Voice Acting in I Am Groot and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Vin Diesel continued voicing Groot in the Disney+ animated series "I Am Groot" and the television special "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" in 2022.
February 2023: Return to The Chronicles of Riddick with Furya
The fourth film in The Chronicles of Riddick franchise, "Riddick: Furya," was announced in February 2023, with Vin Diesel set to reprise his role.
December 2023: Sexual Battery Lawsuit
In December 2023, former assistant Asta Jonasson filed a lawsuit against Vin Diesel, accusing him of sexual battery and retaliation stemming from an alleged incident in 2010.
2023: Fast X Release
Vin Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in the latest installment, "Fast X," released in 2023.