Improbable as it may seem, now that he is the anchor of three action franchises, Vin Diesel, 49, started out as an artsy downtown New York kid. He first hit the stage when he was 7, at the Theater for the New City in Greenwich Village.
Years later, after he filled out physically, he worked for a decade as a bouncer at the Tunnel and other clubs. But beneath the brawny surface was a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast who idolized Sidney Lumet and wanted to dedicate himself to the arts.
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