VINCE VAUGHN
Date of Birth: March 28, 1970
This 6'5" actor wrote his own ticket to Hollywood success when he co-wrote (along with co-star Jon Favreau) and acted in the modest hit Swingers that generated a big buzz and spawned the phrase "you're so money."
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vaughn drifted for awhile after high school without a real clear goal as to what he wanted to do. After trying out improvisational theater at Chicago-area workshops, he discovered a love for acting. When he appeared in a nationally televised Chevrolet commercial, he decided to skip college altogether and head out to L.A.
Steady work was not forthcoming, but Vaughn got by with guest appearances on television series like China Beach and 21 Jump Street and in several made-for-TV movies. When he was finally cast in a motion picture, Rudy, his scenes were mostly left on the cutting room floor. His lack of success led to the loss of his agent's representation, and Vaughn was back to square one.
He began hanging out with Jon Favreau, one of his co-stars from Rudy. Over drinks, the two would share their bad luck and cheer each other up. Having a laugh at the expense of some of their peers, and mocking the pretensions of the wannabe actors around them, Favreau started writing a script about that very subject. Using many of Vaughn's wittiest observations, he created the character of Trent, a barhopping, unemployed ladykiller who would play the best friend to Favreau's recently dumped Mike.
Adored by critics and audiences alike, Swingers was a sleeper hit. In fact, Steven Spielberg was so impressed when he saw an early tape of the film that he cast Vaughn in his upcoming Jurassic Park sequel, The Lost World. Vaughn even got his own action figure.
Since then, Vaughn has appeared in Return to Paradise, Clay Pigeons, A Cool, Dry Place and Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho.
In the summer of 2000 he co-starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in The Cell and worked again with Favreau in Made. He took part in the hit comedy Old School (2003) alongside Will Ferrell and appeared with Ben Stiller in Starsky & Hutch and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (both 2004). After playing a supporting role in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Vaughn rose to co-starring status opposite Owen Wilson in the box office hit, Wedding Crashers (2005).
Following a lengthy stint as a bachelor, Vaughn married Canadian realtor Kyla Weber on January 2, 2010.