Vin Diesel

Though an experienced New York theater actor, Vin Diesel had trouble attracting roles in Hollywood when he first came to California in the early 1990s. He made his own films as vehicles for himself before he broke into Hollywood. Steven Spielberg saw one of those films, and eventually cast him in the ensemble film Saving Private Ryan. Within a few years, Diesel found himself at the center of three burgeoning franchises: Pitch Black, XXX and The Fast and the Furious. He ended up only making a sequel to the first film, though he made a brief cameo in the the third The Fast and the Furious movie. He will be reprising his drag racing role on a larger scale in the fourth installment in the franchise, set for release in 2009.

1. 2006: Jack DiNorscio in Find Me Guilty
2. 2005: Lieutenant Shane Wolfe in The Pacifier
3. 2001: Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious
4. 2000: Richard B. Riddick in Pitch Black
5. 1998: Private Caparzo in Saving Private Ryan

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 1998: Saving Private Ryan

• 2000: Pitch Black

• 2001: The Fast and the Furious

• 2002: xXx

• 2005: The Pacifier

• 2006: Find Me Guilty