Vince Vaughn

American actor who, despite his chiseled, testosterone-image appearance, has managed to avoid typecasting. He seems equally adept at portraying raving psychopaths and slick young bachelors, and his performance in the 1996 sleeper hit "Swinger’s" got him noticed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg and put him on the road to stardom.

Born in Minneapolis, Vaughn grew up in a suburb of Chicago. His father, a salesman, and his mother, a real estate broker who made a great deal of money in the stock market, lived in a wealthy area with their children, Vaughn and his two older sisters, Victoria and Valerie. He was a hyperactive child who didn’t do well in school, spending a lot of time waiting to see the principal. In his last year of high school, he decided he wanted to graduate but really didn’t want to spend his time studying. He laid out a plan to get elected president of the senior class, hoping that the school officials would allow him to graduate if he was a class officer. He carried out an extensive campaign, ultimately winning the election and graduating in 1988. He had been interested in acting since he was about seven years old, and after finishing school, he did some work in improvisational theater around Chicago. As well, he appeared in a nationally televised commercial for Chevrolet in 1989 and thought he "had it made." His parents divorced in 1991, but by that time, Vaughn was in Hollywood, pursuing an acting career fulltime.

His first seven years as an actor were difficult ones although he made guest appearances on television series like "China Beach" and "21 Jump Street." He appeared in the film "Rudy," 1993, but it was Steven Spielberg who finally cast him in a role in "Lost World: The Jurassic Park," 1997. Soon afterward, offers began pouring in. He appeared in a number of films over the next two years including "The Locusts," 1997, "Return to Paradise," 1998, and the remake of "Psycho," 1998.