“Happy Birthday to My First Inspiration.” This Is How Vin Diesel Congratulates His Stepfather, Who’s Closer to Him Than His Biological One
The success of the Fast & Furious saga made Vin Diesel one of the top stars at the box office worldwide. His character, the legendary racer, has a special attitude to his loved ones. All of them are his family, and he values family more than anything. Maybe, Diesel is so convincing in this role because he knows from his own experience that you don’t need to have blood ties to be really close, and his stepfather taught him that.
The actor knows nothing about his biological father.
The first husband of Delora, the mother of the actor, left her when she was pregnant with twins Mark (Vin’s real name) and Paul. He didn’t participate in the kids’ life at all. When the boys grew up, and Vin wanted to meet the father, Delora didn’t wish to reveal his name or origin. Diesel said, “All I know from my mother is that I have connections to many different cultures.” His mother has English, German, and Scottish roots.
Life wasn’t easy for Delora. She was an astrologer and raised her 2 sons alone. Soon, she met her future second husband, Irving H. Vincent, and this marriage was a reward for all the hardships. They got married in 1970, and Irving adopted both sons. Later, Vin would say, “Not many of us get a second chance to have a father.” Diesel got lucky because he finally had a person in his life that became a real father to him.
His stepfather inspired him to become an actor.
Irving and Delora moved to Westbeth, located in New York City’s West Village. It’s a cluster of old industrial buildings that were redesigned for creative people. In order to live there, the potential tenants had to prove they did art and their income wasn’t higher than a certain level.
As Irving was an avant-garde theater director, and Delora was an astrologer, they met the criteria. Diesel grew up among artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The environment itself contributed to the development of his creative abilities.
His stepfather, a former acting teacher who became a theater manager and then worked on TV and in the film industry, did all he could to develop the kids’ abilities, personalities, and get them interested in art. The actor, when he was congratulating his stepfather on his birthday, wrote, “Happy birthday to my first inspiration,” showing his respect and gratitude.
He chose Vin as his alias since it is a shortened version of Vincent, the name of his stepfather. The star said, “Because he had dedicated his life to theater, in some ways I wanted to reach success for both myself and him.”
Family values
Delora and Irving had 2 more children, Samantha and Tim. The family wasn’t very wealthy but was full of love and care. To provide for his family and spend more time with them, Irving had to let go of his dream of becoming a theater director. Vin thinks that he is a true man, and he’s not sure he’d be so selfless in a similar situation. The actor says that his father is the person that formed his appreciation of a family.
“My real father is the man who raised me.”
Vin and Irving share a true family connection. The actor, who doesn’t like to talk about his private life, often demonstrates his love for his stepfather. He calls him dad, his first hero, and calls himself a loving son. He posts his father’s photos on his Instagram and invites him to important public events.
In all the photos, both professional and amateur, we see a kind and smiling person, a proud father of his children and grandchildren. It doesn’t matter who your real father is but who raised you. Vin says, “He made me who I am and taught me who I am.”
Do you agree that Vin Diesel’s career might have not been as successful if he hadn’t had such a stepfather?