'My first inspiration': Vin Diesel shares touching pic as he celebrates stepfather's 88th birthday
Vin Diesel celebrated his stepfather Irving H Vincent’s 88th birthday with a beautiful photo on his Instagram account on November 29. In the picture, Vincent could be seen smiling broadly while wearing a golden party hat that said, "It's my birthday."
The picture also showed Vincent being hugged by one of his grandchildren who sported a silver party hat. The Marvel actor stated in the post's caption that his father was celebrating his 88th birthday. "Happy 88th birthday to my first inspiration… my dad. All love, Always," wrote the actor.
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According to Vox Bliss, Diesel has never met his biological father. He was named Mark Sinclair by his mother Delora Sherleen Vincent and grew up alongside his fraternal twin brother, Paul, in Alameda County, California. Delora’s African American husband, Irving, later adopted the two boys. The 'Fast and Furious' actor changed his name to 'Vin' after his stepfather's last name.
However, Diesel didn't feel any resentment against his biological father. The actor had the good fortune to find someone to take the place of his father and fill in the gaps. Diesel confessed that he'd never had the desire to meet his real father because of one simple reason, "To me, my real father is the man who raised me."
In Nancy Krulik's book, 'Vin Diesel: Fueled for Success', Krulik noted how he'd always been close to his mother but had no relationship with his biological father. He had always referred to Irving as "dad." The Groot actor's stepfather was a theater director and a teacher, which made his family eligible for a tax-advantaged housing complex.
The actor revealed that he didn't know his race, and that he was "a combination of many things." All his mother ever told him was that he had ties to various cultures, but he credited Irving with shaping his cultural identity and upbringing. Vin added that Irving guided him artistically. While most fans are aware that he doesn't go by his true name, it seems the actor adopted his current moniker for a good reason.