With his bald head, resonant voice and muscular physique he generally needs no introduction.
But one could be forgiven for overlooking this American actor – now established as one of Hollywood’s more profitable action heroes – as he shows off some impressive street dancing skills in a recently unearthed video.
Dressed in a nylon tracksuit, the soon-to-be star takes centre stage in an episode of Breakin’ in the USA: Break Dancing and Electric Boogie Taught by the Pros.
Filmed in 1984, the American show capitalised on the decade’s breakdancing and body-popping boom by staging a series of step-by-step tutorials with the help of accomplished street dancers.
Joined by an equally accomplished friend, the then 17-year old dancer shows off some slick freestyle moves before teaching viewers how to ‘scramble foot-to-foot.’
But who is this star-in-the making?
One could be forgiven for overlooking this American actor as he shows off some impressive street dancing skills in a recently unearthed video from 1984
Dressed in a nylon tracksuit, the soon-to-be star takes centre stage in an episode of Breakin’ in the USA: Break Dancing and Electric Boogie Taught by the Pros – but who is he?
That’s right, it’s Vin Diesel!
The superstar actor – best known for his starring role in the long-running Fast & Furious film franchise – previously revealed his surprising past during an appearance on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2011.
Diesel told Leno he used to sneak into New York City nightclubs when he was a teenager to practise his dancing skills.
But he seemed shocked, when the chat show host brought out an old VHS tape featuring a group of young dancers including a baby-faced Diesel.
‘I’d never seen that copy… that’s incredible,’ the actor said when Leno held up a tattered copy of Breakin’ in the USA.
Leno joked that the tape was so old, they didn’t have a machine at NBC studios to watch it.
‘We had to go like to the store and get some kind of VHS kind of thing to play it,’ he quipped.
The how-to video features a follically unchallenged Diesel, whose real name is Mark Sinclair Vincent, sporting a blue headband and a blue tracksuit as he demonstrates a series of dance moves.
That’s right, it’s Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel, then a talented dancer known by by his real name – Mark Sinclair Vincent
Filmed in 1984, the American show capitalised on the decade’s breakdancing and body-popping boom by staging a series of step-by-step tutorials with the help of street dancers
Joined by an equally accomplished friend, the then 17-year old shows off some slick freestyle moves before teaching viewers how to ‘scramble foot-to-foot’
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Breakdancing was a popular style of street dance at the time, created as part of hip-hop culture in New York City back in the 1980’s.
Diesel laughed several times as he watched clips of himself dancing, then joked: ‘Those were the good ol’ days.’
In 2015, Diesel claimed his dancing skills landed him a job with iconic rap trio Beastie Boys, who enjoyed enormous success throughout the 1980s and ’90s – a story that was later refuted by band-member Adam Horovitz.
The actor’s breakdancing past has emerged after he took the stage at Fuel Fest in California on Saturday night, where he offered an update on Fast X Part 2.
‘The studio said to me, “Vin, can we please have the finale of Fast and Furious [in] April 2027?”‘ Diesel said, confirming the release date.
‘I said, “Under three conditions.” First, is to bring the franchise back to L.A.! The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing!’
He added: ‘The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner,’ referring to the late Paul Walker’s beloved character.
The Fast & Furious film franchise has grossed a whopping $7.2 billion at the global box office since its launch in 2001.
Diesel is best known for his role in the long-running Fast & Furious film franchise (pictured)
The franchise has grossed a whopping $7.2 billion at the global box office since its 2001 launch