"Vin Diesel", are there many more names in Hollywood with quite so much of an immediate suggestion that the owner of said name is more than capable of crushing you into tiny bits? Diesel has become the new go-to guy for major action movies, whilst also having the added bonus of being a decent actor. His name is a huge pulling factor, because it's been designed to grab your attention straight away, much more so than would be the case with his birth name. As Vin Diesel, all-action, take no prisoners movie tough guy that he is, was in fact born Mark Vincent. Naturally, there's nothing wrong with that name, it's a perfectly fine name, so fear not, Marks or indeed Vincents of the world, you're not being belittled here. The point is, if you think of action star names, you think of Jean-Claude, Sylvester or Bruce, names which sounds like they belong to a guy who is tough enough to either live up to his name, or at least be willing enough to beat you senseless for ridiculing it. Mark Vincent is simply too pedestrian for the explosion-filled existence of action movies. So what Vin Diesel accomplished when he changed his name was essentially booking his place as an action hero, providing he could look the part. Job done then.
