Childhood & Early Life
Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio was born in Brooklyn, New York City on June 30, 1959. His father, Gene D'Onofrio was an interior designer and a theater production assistant. His mother, Phyllis, was a server and restaurant manager. He also has two elder sisters Antoinette and Elizabeth.
He lived in New York until his parents divorced and later on, the family moved to Florida.
This boy of Italian descent became interested in magic and started learning tricks from Cuban entertainers who owned a magic shop.
In his teens, D'Onofrio worked backstage in community theatres, assisting in set-building as well as sound production.
He graduated from the Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School. He also studied at the American Stanislavski Theatre and the Actors Studio.
After completing his graduation, he started living in Colorado and began working for construction and laboring sites.
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Career
To make both ends meet, Vincent D'Onofrio started working as a bouncer in city clubs, as a bodyguard for Yul Brynner and Robert Plant and also as a deliveryman. In his off-hours, he did stage roles and Off-Broadway parts.
In 1984, D'Onofrio made his Broadway debut in the ‘Open Admissions’.
In 1987, he did the most challenging and unforgettable role of his early acting career – as a clumsy Marine recruit. This role was for the film ‘Full Metal Jacket’.
In 1987, he played the role of ‘Dawson’ in ‘Adventures in Babysitting’. Although D'Onofrio was seen only in one scene of the film, he caught the attention of the public because of his sexy body.
In the year 1988, he worked as a supporting actor in the flick ‘Mystic Pizza’. After this role, he continued playing supporting and minor roles till 2000. One of his supporting roles, the evil "Bug" in the film ‘Men in Black’ brought him immense appreciation.
In 1992, he did the role of an aspiring screenwriter in ‘The Player’. Five years later, in 1997, Vincent D'Onofrio turned to television and played the role of a doomed victim in the episode ‘Subway’ of the popular series ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’.
In 2001, he did another TV series ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ that aired on NBC / USA Network television.
In the year 2006, he worked in ‘The Break-Up’ with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston.
On March 1, 2008, this star made a cameo appearance in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode of a presidential election-related sketch.
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In 2009, the actor made his musical debut at Joe's Pub in New York City, playing the character of a comedic singer ‘George Geronimo Gerkie’. He again played the role of Gerkie at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in December 2009 for Pinfield's Holiday Extravaganza Show and during the premiere of one of his movies in 2010.
In 2012, he worked for the film ‘Chained’, portraying the character of a serial killer who kidnaps a boy.
On November 13, 2012, he joined the cast of an Off-Broadway production for a play that was based on ‘Baal’ written by Bertolt Brecht. The play officially opened the next February.
In 2013, he co-starred in the film ‘Escape Plan’. This movie was filmed in New Orleans and also had Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as lead actors. The same year, Vincent D'Onofrio started working for Indian producer and director, Vidhu Vinod Chopra for his movie ‘Broken Horses’.
The next year, he co-starred in the film ‘The Judge’ (2014). The same year, he also released his two songs with Dana Lyn, a multi-instrumentalist and composer
As a producer D'Onofrio has also made some successful films like ‘The Whole Wide World’, ‘Guy’, The Velocity of Gary’ and ‘Steal This Movie’.
In 2015, he appeared in an action adventure film named ‘Jurassic World’.
Major Works
Vincent Philip D'Onofrio appeared as Pvt. Leonard Lawrence in the movie ‘Full Metal Jacket’. His role as an overweight, unstable marine recruit was the most defining one in his whole career. For this role, the actor gained 70 lbs, ultimately bringing his total body weight to 280 lbs.
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He is also known for his role as the detective Robert Goren that he played on a hit TV show ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ and his role in the film ‘Thumbsucker’ is also considered as a major contribution to the big screen.
He along with his father and sister opened the RiverRun International Film Festival at Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In 2011, he appeared in an ad produced by the Citizens Crime Commission of New York. This ad urged a ban on large-capacity firearm magazines.
Awards & Achievements
Vincent Philip D'Onofrio won the ‘Golden Space Needle Award for Best Actor’ and the ‘Lone Star Film & Television Award for Best Actor’ for his movie ‘The Whole Wide World’ in 1996.
He won the ‘Saturn Award’ for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his film ‘Men in Black’ in 1997.
In 2011, he became a member of the Advisory Board for the Woodstock Film Festival.
Facts About Vincent D Onofrio
In addition to his acting talents, D'Onofrio is also a talented musician who plays guitar and singer.
He has even contributed to the soundtracks of some of the projects he has worked on.
D'Onofrio has a passion for photography and has shared some of his work on social media, showcasing his eye for interesting compositions and perspectives.
Despite his intimidating on-screen presence in many roles, D'Onofrio is known to be a kind and approachable actor who is well-liked by his colleagues in the industry.
