Vincent D’Onofrio is best known for his breakout role as the overweight, mentally unstable Marine recruit Leonard in Full Metal Jacket (1987). To play the part, he gained 70–80 pounds and shaved his head—making him nearly unrecognizable. The transformation was so convincing that people, including women, often mistook him for being genuinely unintelligent, which affected how they treated him.
Before acting, D’Onofrio worked various jobs—like being a bouncer, cab driver, and even a bodyguard for Yul Brynner and Robert Plant. A friend, actor Matthew Modine, encouraged him to audition for Stanley Kubrick’s film, which launched his career. D’Onofrio credits Kubrick for opening doors to more than 50 film roles and major TV parts, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Daredevil.
His personal life includes a daughter with actress Greta Scacchi and two sons with his now-estranged wife, Carin van der Donk. They married in 1997, separated, reconciled, but filed for divorce in 2023.
Despite looking very different today, D’Onofrio remains a respected actor. His performance in Full Metal Jacket is still considered one of the most powerful portrayals of psychological decline in film.