# Vince Vaughn

Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Saturn Award.
Vaughn made his acting debut in the sports drama film Rudy (1993). He had his career breakthrough with the comedy Swingers (1996). He starred in a string of successful comedy films such as Old School (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Wedding Crashers (2005), The Break-Up (2006), Fred Claus (2007), Four Christmases (2008), Couples Retreat (2009), The Dilemma (2011), The Internship (2013), and Delivery Man (2013).
He is also known for his dramatic roles playing Nick Van Owen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Norman Bates in Psycho (1998). He acted in other drama films such as The Locusts (1997), Return to Paradise (1998), The Cell (2000), South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000), Domestic Disturbance (2001), Hacksaw Ridge (2016), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017), Dragged Across Concrete (2018), and Freaky (2020).
On television, he starred as career criminal Frank Semyon in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama television series True Detective (2015), and as a detective turned restaurant inspector in the Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey (2024). He also took recurring roles in the animated Netflix sitcom F Is for Family (2018), and in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2020–2024).

## Early life

Vaughn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His mother, Sharon Eileen (née DePalmo), is a real estate agent and stockbroker who was once ranked one of the top U.S. money managers by Bloomberg Wealth Manager magazine. His father, Vernon Lindsay Vaughn, worked as a salesman for a toy company. Vincent's Catholic mother and Protestant father raised him in both the Protestant and Catholic faiths. He has Italian, Irish, English, Lebanese, and German ancestry.
Vaughn lived in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, until he was eight years old. After moving to Lake Forest, he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988 where he played football and baseball and wrestled, although he has called himself "unathletic" and "very average" at high school sports. At a young age, he had been introduced to musical theater and, in 1987, decided to become an actor. He has credited his mother as the inspiration for his career, saying, "I saw her overcome stuff, and I thought if you worked hard at something you'd give yourself a chance".

## Career
### 1988–2002: Career beginnings

In 1988, Vaughn was cast in a Chevrolet commercial and subsequently moved to Hollywood. He appeared in the 1989 season of the television series China Beach and in three CBS Schoolbreak Specials in 1990. His first film role was 1993's Rudy as Notre Dame football tailback Jamie O'Hara. He struck up a friendship with Jon Favreau, who was also a first-time actor. Two years later, he was cast in a lead role in a proposed revival of 77 Sunset Strip that was to air on the fledgling WB Television Network, but the project ceased development after initial testing. Vaughn did not gain wider success until his role in 1996's Swingers with Favreau.
Afterward, Steven Spielberg cast Vaughn as Nick Van Owen in the 1997 blockbuster The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which gave him increased exposure. He followed that up with the lead role in The Locusts the same year. In 1998, he starred in the critically acclaimed drama Return to Paradise with Anne Heche, and starred in Clay Pigeons with Janeane Garofalo and Joaquin Phoenix. In 2000, he starred in The Cell with Jennifer Lopez and in 2001, appeared in Made, another film penned by Favreau. Vaughn also appeared in Dwight Yoakam's directorial debut, South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000). He also starred with John Travolta in the thriller Domestic Disturbance (2001).

### 2003–2014: Comedic stardom

Vaughn's performance in the 2003 comedy Old School increased his popularity establishing him as a leading man in comedic films. Vaughn starred opposite Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson. The film was a commercial and critical success. In 2004, Vaughn appeared alongside Ben Stiller in the buddy cop action-comedy Starsky & Hutch and the sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Both films were commercial hits. Film critic Rob Mackie of The Guardian compared the satirical nature within the film Dodgeball to that of the Rob Reiner directed comedy film This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and added that the film "stays consistently funny".
After this series of roles, he was dubbed one of the Hollywood "Frat Pack", alongside Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. The name refers to the group of actors who frequently co-star in film comedies. He appeared in 2005's independent film Thumbsucker, crime-comedy film Be Cool, and action-comedy film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Also in 2005, Vaughn starred alongside Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, which grossed over $200 million at the U.S. box office. The film also starred Rachel McAdams, Bradley Cooper, Isla Fisher, and Christopher Walken. Critics J.R. Jones of The Chicago Reader praised both Vaughn and Wilson on their chemistry describing them as "enormously funny" adding the film is a "rich send-ups of wedding culture".
In 2006, Vaughn starred the comedy-drama The Break-Up opposite Jennifer Aniston. Rosie Wash of The Guardian wrote that the film, "subverts the love-conquers-all formula of traditional rom-com to arrive at the more satisfying conclusion". In 2007, Vaughn starred in the Christmas comedy film Fred Claus as a sarcastic, wild-at-heart older brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). The film was directed by David Dobkin, who had directed Vaughn in Wedding Crashers, and co-starred Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Spacey. Next, he moved from comedy to drama in Sean Penn's Into the Wild, a film about the adventures of Christopher McCandless, based on the best-selling book by Jon Krakauer. In 2008, Vaughn starred in his second Christmas comedy, Four Christmases, with Reese Witherspoon. The film portrays a couple who struggle to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.
In 2009, he starred in Couples Retreat, a comedy chronicling four couples who undergo therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. Malin Åkerman played his wife. Vince's father, Vernon, portrayed his father in the film. In February 2010, Vaughn was among the nearly 80 musicians and actors to sing the charity-single remake of We Are the World. Vaughn starred in Ron Howard's comedy The Dilemma, released in January 2011. It was produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions, his production company. On July 31, 2012, it was announced that Vaughn would be developing a reboot produced by CBS to the sitcom The Brady Bunch, which was taken off the air in 1974. In 2013, Vaughn co-wrote and starred alongside Owen Wilson in The Internship.

### 2015–present: Dramatic roles and TV work

In 2015, he starred in Unfinished Business, which grossed $4.8 million in its opening weekend, a career low for Vaughn. He also starred in the second season of True Detective alongside Colin Farrell, which premiered on June 21. In 2016, he starred in the crime thriller Term Life, which featured Favreau in a supporting role and was directed by Peter Billingsley. Also in 2016, he played a drill sergeant in the war film Hacksaw Ridge.
In 2018, Vaughn co-starred alongside Mel Gibson in Dragged Across Concrete, his second collaboration with S. Craig Zahler, whom he worked with the year before on Brawl in Cell Block 99. In 2020, he starred with Kathryn Newton in the horror-comedy film Freaky, in which they play a serial killer and a teenage girl who switch bodies. On January 20, 2022, it was announced that Vaughn will produce a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story titled A Christmas Story Christmas with Peter Billingsley (who will reprise his role as Ralphie) through his production company Wild West Picture Show Productions for Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max.
In March 2022, Vaughn, Greg Olsen, and Ryan Kalil launched a podcast network and production company named Audiorama. The first podcast available from the network, "Youth, Inc.", focuses on youth sports. In 2024, he starred in the Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey playing a detective turned restaurant inspector. The show is created by Bill Lawrence and set to debut August 14, 2024.
In August 2024, Vaughn received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures.

## Personal life

In 2005, Vaughn began dating Jennifer Aniston, his co-star in The Break-Up. In late 2006, he sued three tabloid magazines for reporting that he had been unfaithful to Aniston. They broke up in November 2006.
In March 2009, it was announced that Vaughn was engaged to Canadian realtor Kyla Weber. They married on January 2, 2010, in the Armour House at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. Their two children were born in 2010 and 2013.
Vaughn describes himself as a libertarian. He supported Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, and Rand Paul in the 2016 election. In June 2015, Vaughn expressed his opposition to gun control.
In 2016, Vaughn began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California. He received his blue belt in 2018.
On June 10, 2018, Vaughn was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and resisting arrest in Manhattan Beach, California, after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. In May 2019, he was convicted of a reduced charge of reckless driving after he entered a no contest plea. Vaughn was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to undergo a three-month alcohol abuse program.
In 2019, Vaughn received the Meritorious Public Service Medal from the U.S. Army for his contributions to service members’ morale.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | For the Boys | Cheering Soldier in Crowd | Uncredited |
| 1993 | Rudy | Jamie O'Hara | Credited as Vincent Vaughn |
| 1994 | At Risk | Max Nolan | |
| 1996 | Just Your Luck | Barry | Direct-to-video |
| 1996 | Swingers | Trent Walker | |
| 1997 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Nick Van Owen | |
| 1997 | The Locusts | Clay Hewitt | |
| 1998 | A Cool, Dry Place | Russell Durrell | |
| 1998 | Return to Paradise | John "Sheriff" Volgecherev | |
| 1998 | Clay Pigeons | Lester Long | |
| 1998 | Psycho | Norman Bates | |
| 2000 | South of Heaven, West of Hell | Taylor Henry | |
| 2000 | The Cell | FBI Agent Peter Novak | |
| 2000 | The Prime Gig | Pendelton "Penny" Wise | |
| 2001 | Made | Ricky Slade | Also producer |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Luke Zoolander | Uncredited cameo |
| 2001 | Domestic Disturbance | Rick Barnes / Jack Parnell | |
| 2003 | Old School | Bernard "Beanie" Campbell | |
| 2003 | I Love Your Work | Stiev | |
| 2003 | Blackball | Rick Schwartz | |
| 2004 | Starsky & Hutch | Reese Feldman | |
| 2004 | Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story | Peter La Fleur | |
| 2004 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Wes Mantooth | Uncredited |
| 2004 | Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie | Wes Mantooth | Uncredited |
| 2004 | Paparazzi | Actor | |
| 2005 | Thumbsucker | Mr. Geary | |
| 2005 | Be Cool | Roger "Raji" Lowenthal | |
| 2005 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Eddie | |
| 2005 | Wedding Crashers | Jeremy Grey | |
| 2006 | The Break-Up | Gary Grobowski | Also writer and producer |
| 2007 | Into the Wild | Wayne Westerberg | |
| 2007 | Fred Claus | Frederick "Fred" Claus | Also producer |
| 2008 | Wild West Comedy Show | Himself | Also producer |
| 2008 | Four Christmases | Brad / Orlando McVie | Also producer |
| 2009 | Couples Retreat | Dave | Also writer and producer |
| 2011 | The Dilemma | Ronny Valentine | Also producer |
| 2012 | Art of Conflict: The Murals of Northern Ireland | Narrator | Documentary; also producer |
| 2012 | The Watch | Bob McAllister | |
| 2012 | Lay the Favorite | Rosie | |
| 2013 | The Internship | Billy McMahon | Also writer and producer |
| 2013 | A Case of You | Alan | |
| 2013 | Delivery Man | David Wozniak | |
| 2013 | Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues | Wes Mantooth | Cameo |
| 2015 | Unfinished Business | Daniel "Dan" Trunkman | |
| 2016 | Term Life | Nick Barrow | Also producer |
| 2016 | Hacksaw Ridge | Sgt. Howell | |
| 2017 | Brawl in Cell Block 99 | Bradley Thomas | |
| 2018 | Dragged Across Concrete | Anthony Lurasetti | |
| 2019 | Fighting with My Family | Hutch Morgan | |
| 2019 | Seberg | Carl Kowalski | |
| 2020 | Arkansas | Frog | |
| 2020 | The Binge | Principal Carleson | |
| 2020 | Freaky | Blissfield Butcher / Millie Kessler | |
| 2021 | North Hollywood | Oliver | |
| 2021 | Queenpins | Simon Kilmurray | |
| 2025 | Nonnas | Joe Scaravella | Post-production; also executive producer |
| 2025 | Animal Friends | | Post-production |
| TBA | Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice | | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | China Beach | Motor Pool Driver | Episode: "The Unquiet Earth" |
| 1989 | 21 Jump Street | Bill Peterson | Episode: "Mike's P.O.V." |
| 1990 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Jason | Episode: "A Question About Sex" |
| 1990 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Steve | Episode: "Malcom Takes a Shot" |
| 1990 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Steve Guarino | Episode: "The Fourth Man" |
| 1991 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Richard | Episode: "Lies of the Heart" |
| 1992 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Mark | Episode: "Sons of the Desert" |
| 1998 | Mr. Show with Bob and David | Sheep Dog | Episode: "It's Perfectly Understandishable" |
| 1998 | Hercules | Loki (voice) | Episode: "Hercules and the Twilight of the Gods" |
| 1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "The Interview" |
| 1998 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Vince Vaughn/Lauryn Hill" |
| 2000 | Sex and the City | Keith Travers | Episode: "Sex and Another City" |
| 2001 | Going to California | Gavin Toe | Episode: "This Year's Model" |
| 2013 | Pursuit of the Truth | Himself (host) | 10 episodes; also producer |
| 2013 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Vince Vaughn/Miguel" |
| 2015 | True Detective | Frank Semyon | 8 episodes |
| 2018 | F Is for Family | Chet Stevenson (voice) | 8 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2020–2024 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Freddy Funkhouser | 11 episodes |
| 2022 | A Christmas Story Christmas | — | Television movie; producer only |
| 2024 | Bad Monkey | Andrew Yancy | Also executive producer |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
| 1998 | "These Arms" | Dwight Yoakam |
| 2010 | "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" | Artists for Haiti |
| 2016 | "Don't Wanna Know" | Maroon 5 |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
| 1997 | Chaos Island: The Lost World | Nick Van Owen | |

## Awards and nominations

| Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result |
| Australian Film Critics Association | 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Hacksaw Ridge | Nominated |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Award | 2001 | Favorite Actor – Science Fiction | The Cell | Nominated |
| CinemaCon Award | 2013 | Comedy Duo of the Year (with Owen Wilson) | The Internship | Won |
| Critics' Choice Super Award | 2021 | Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Freaky | Won |
| Gold Derby Award | 2008 | Ensemble Cast | Into the Wild | Nominated |
| Golden Schmoes Award | 2005 | Favorite Celebrity of the Year | — | Nominated |
| MTV Movie + TV Award | 2003 | Best On-Screen Team ( with Will Ferrell & Luke Wilson) | Old School | Nominated |
| MTV Movie + TV Award | 2005 | Best On-Screen Team (with the cast of Dodgeball) | DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | Nominated |
| MTV Movie + TV Award | 2006 | Best Comedic Performance | Wedding Crashers | Nominated |
| MTV Movie + TV Award | 2006 | Best On-Screen Team (with Owen Wilson) | Wedding Crashers | Won |
| MTV Movie + TV Award | 2021 | Most Frightened Performance | Freaky | Nominated |
| People's Choice Award | 2006 | Favorite On-Screen Match-Up (with Owen Wilson) | Wedding Crashers | Won |
| People's Choice Award | 2007 | Favorite Leading Man | The Break-Up | Won |
| People's Choice Award | 2007 | Favorite On-Screen Match-Up (with Jennifer Aniston) | The Break-Up | Nominated |
| People's Choice Award | 2010 | Favorite Comedy Star | Couples Retreat | Nominated |
| Saturn Award | 2018 | Best Actor | Brawl in Cell Block 99 | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | 2008 | Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture | Into the Wild | Nominated |
| ShoWest Convention Award | 2006 | Comedy Star of the Year | — | Won |
| Teen Choice Award | 2005 | Choice Movie – Sleazbag | Be Cool | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Award | 2006 | Choice Movie Actor – Comedy | The Break-Up | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Award | 2006 | Choice Movie – Chemistry (with Jennifer Aniston) | The Break-Up | Won |
| Teen Choice Award | 2010 | Choice Movie – Hissy Fit | Couples Retreat | Nominated |
| Teen Choice Award | 2010 | Choice Activist | — | Won |