In Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Vincent D’Onofrio played the legendary part of the pudgy, inexperienced Marine recruit.
However, his popularity declined after it.
The 64-year-old ruggedly attractive actor claimed that the part demanded a significant physical change, which made him unattractive to the girls who had earlier flocked to him for his curly, black hair and athletic build.
Both extensive and varied, Vincent D’Onofrio’s resume is impressive. He always gives every role his all, and he can always blend in with the character to the point that you lose track of who he is. The actor, who was born in Brooklyn, began his career as a bodyguard for Yul Brynner and Robert Plant while also working many side gigs to support his acting aspirations.
He initially supported himself by working as a nightclub bouncer, flower deliveryman, drapery hanger, and cab driver. D’Onofrio’s buddy, actor Matthew Modine, encouraged him to submit an audition video to Stanley Kubrick, who was then casting for his upcoming major success, after he had acted in a few low-budget films.
D’Onofrio filed for divorce from Carin van der Donk in Manhattan Supreme Court at June 2023, thus ending their 26-year union. In the upcoming comedy Dumb Money and the 2021 movie The Unforgivable, D’Onofrio will be paired with Sandra Bullock.
Vincent D’Onofrio was fantastic in Full Metal Jacket and his mental decline as Leonard is incredibly believable!
He looks totally different now, as to be expected many decades later, but we still enjoy his performances!
What do you think about his portrayal of the dumb, fat Leonard?
