Vincent D’Onofrio is best known for his memorable role as the clumsy Marine recruit in Stanley Kubrick’s movie Full Metal Jacket. However, his popularity decreased after that.
The ruggedly handsome actor, who turned 64 on June 30, 2023, had to change his appearance drastically for the role. This change made women, who once loved his curly dark hair and athletic build, less interested in him.
D’Onofrio has a long and varied career. He always gives his best to every role, transforming completely into his characters, making people forget who he really is.
Born in Brooklyn, D’Onofrio started in stage productions, both off-Broadway and on. He had many side jobs to support his acting dreams, including working as a bodyguard for Yul Brynner and Robert Plant.
In his early days, he worked as a nightclub bouncer, delivered flowers, hung drapes, and drove a cab to make ends meet.
After acting in a few low-budget films, his friend Matthew Modine suggested he send an audition tape to Stanley Kubrick, who was casting for his next big movie.
The 6-foot-3 D’Onofrio, who was very fit at the time, won the role of Leonard, a fat, dim-witted character, but had to meet some tough conditions.
Working with Kubrick was a life-changing experience for D’Onofrio, allowing him to fully dive into his character and push his acting limits in a challenging environment.
At 24, D’Onofrio had to shave his head and gain 70 to 80 pounds for the role, the most weight any actor has gained for a role.
Kubrick initially asked if he was okay with gaining weight, and after D’Onofrio gained 30 pounds, Kubrick felt he still looked too strong. So, D’Onofrio ended up gaining about 80 pounds, going from 200 to 280 pounds.
Gaining weight for the role was tough for D’Onofrio, especially when he had to perform the intense boot-camp scenes in the movie. Normally, obstacle courses would have been easy for him with his athletic build, but they were very challenging at 280 pounds.
D’Onofrio’s incredible performance as the chubby, dim-witted, and mentally disturbed Leonard earned him a lot of praise from critics. However, some fans started confusing him with his character.
“People treat you differently when you’re that size,” D’Onofrio said. “My head was shaved, so I looked completely different from my usual long, lanky self. I turned into this big, burly guy with a bald head. It was a very strange life change.”
He added, “It changed my life. Women didn’t look at me anymore; I mostly saw their backs as they ran away. People even talked to me slowly, thinking I was stupid.”
A year after filming Full Metal Jacket, Vincent D’Onofrio had a full head of hair again and his body returned to its original size.
Today, the New York-born director, producer, screenwriter, and actor, who wrote the 2023 book “Pigs Can’t Look Up,” credits his long career to Stanley Kubrick.
“Stanley made my career, there’s no question about that. I’ve done over 50 films because of him and that part,” D’Onofrio said. He has had many roles in both film and TV, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011) and Marvel’s Daredevil (2015-2018). His movies include Dying Young, The Break-Up, and Jurassic World.
D’Onofrio’s life was greatly impacted by his parents’ divorce when he was a child. His mother remarried George Meyer, a well-known American producer and writer, and the family moved to Hialeah, Florida. As a child, D’Onofrio was quiet and often spent time alone in his room, deep in thought.
While living in Florida, he became interested in magic and learned sleight of hand from Cuban performers who ran a small magic store.
In the early 1990s, Vincent D’Onofrio was romantically involved with actress Greta Scacchi. They appeared together in several films, including The Player and Fires Within. They have a daughter named Leila George, born around 1991 or 1992, who has also become an actress.
In 1997, Vincent D’Onofrio married Carin van der Donk, a Dutch model. They had their first son in 1999. However, their relationship had problems in the early 2000s, leading to a separation. They later got back together and had a second son in 2008.
In June 2023, D’Onofrio filed for divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court, ending his 26-year marriage with Carin van der Donk.
D’Onofrio appeared with Sandra Bullock in the 2021 film The Unforgivable and will be in the upcoming comedy Dumb Money.
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?
Why Prince William was ‘concerned’ over Meghan Markle’s wedding outfit
It’s hard to believe that Prince William and Kate Middleton have been married for more than a decade. The couple’s royal wedding was naturally grand, and years later, William got to see his brother, Prince Harry, tie the knot with Meghan Markle.
The two siblings were once the greatest of friends, but we all know things have soured in recent years. It’s even said that Harry and Meghan’s marriage caused a lot of friction between the former and the future king.
The wedding of Harry and Meghan was unique for many reasons. Firstly, there was the fact that it was a former TV star from the US who was set to join the Royal Family. And remember how King Charles (then Prince Charles) walked Meghan down the aisle? It was a day to remember, that much is sure.
And yet for Prince William it reportedly wasn’t a day filled only with joy. A new bombshell claim reveals he was concerned over Meghan’s wedding attire, relating to Princess Diana.
Prince William & Meghan Markle – relationship
At that point, neither William, Kate, nor Prince Harry knew what the future would hold, or who Harry would meet just a few years later.
Harry met Meghan Markle for a blind date in 2016, and it didn’t take long before she was introduced to his family. The fact that Meghan and Kate Middleton didn’t have the best relationship has been well-documented. It’s also been claimed that Prince William and the Duchess had issues forming a good relationship, though they’re said to have gotten along well in the beginning.
In their book Finding Freedom, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed many things about William and Meghan’s relationship.
Scobie and Durand claimed that before William and Meghan’s first meeting, the Suits star was “self-aware enough” to understand that both the future king and his brother were “wary of women who were more interested in their titles than their well-being.”
Therefore, Meghan pictured her first meeting with William as being a “grilling.” However, that’s not how it turned out.
“William first said to her, ‘I was looking forward to meeting the girl who has put that silly grin on my brother’s face,’” the authors wrote.
William could see that his brother had found the one. Sadly, Meghan was subjected to harsh treatment and harassment from the press, forcing Harry to release a statement in November 2016 —less than a year after they had begun dating— outlining in no uncertain terms that it was unacceptable.
“Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl”
At the time, Prince William supported his brother and Meghan, releasing his own statement shortly after. Yet while the future king showed public support for Harry and Meghan, he simultaneously “privately voiced concerns,” according to Scobie and Durand.
He was said to be worried that Harry’s relationship with Meghan was developing too fast. The authors wrote that William even discussed this with his brother, telling him: “Don’t fell you need to rush this” and, “Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.”
Scobie and Durand continued by saying that Harry was “pissed off” that William even asked him to take it slow, while the phrase “the girl” bothered him.
Harry had little time to get Meghan up to speed with how things worked in the royal sphere. For example, the Suits actress didn’t know how to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II in private, and even though the family welcomed her, Meghan felt isolated.
In the now-infamous Oprah Winfrey interview from 2021, Meghan explained that she “didn’t fully understand” the job.
“There was no way to understand what the day to day was going to be like,” she said at the time.
For Harry, things quickly grew frustrating. In a 2022 interview with Fox, royal expert and author Katie Nicholl, who had just released The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown, explained that the Duke felt Prince William and Kate Middleton hadn’t done their part in helping Meghan settle in.
“It was certainly Harry’s feeling that William and Kate hadn’t rolled out the red carpet as much as they might have done,” Nicholl said. “You know, there wasn’t this sort of instant welcoming of Meghan into the royal fold.”
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle – wedding
“I say in the book that William was the first to meet Meghan. And actually, he was really thrilled that Harry had met someone who he’d really fallen for. He was overjoyed when Meghan came into his life, and he fell in love with this woman,” she added.
Moreover, a friend of Harry’s told Nicholl: “Harry felt William wasn’t rolling out the red carpet for Meghan and told him so. They had a bit of a fallout, which was only resolved when Charles stepped in and asked William to make an effort.”
No matter what had happened though, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were deeply in love. In November 2017, the couple announced that they had gotten engaged, and in 2018 they tied the knot in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
As with any royal wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Susses were celebrated with a huge, costly ceremony. But Meghan’s weeks leading up to the grand day were quite stressful.
Days before the ceremony, the Daily Mail revealed that her father, Thomas Markle, had coordinated with a paparazzi photographer to stage several photos, including one where he was getting fitted for a suit before the wedding, one where he was seen reading a book about Britain, and another as he surveyed pictures of Meghan and Harry.
The pictures reportedly sold for over £100,000 ($137,000). Meghan was furious.
Thomas then initially lied to Meghan and Harry, saying that he hadn’t been involved in the staging of the photos. Ultimately, he claimed he was too embarrassed to attend the wedding, and suffered from subsequent heart troubles.
Why King Charles led Meghan Markle down the aisle
Harry and Meghan had told him explicitly not to speak to the media before their union, but Thomas didn’t listen. In the end, Meghan stated that her father would not be in attendance because he had undergone heart surgery.
As her father wasn’t in attendance, he couldn’t lead Meghan down the aisle. That’s when then-Prince Charles stepped up.
According to royal biographer Robert Hardman, Charles asked Meghan if she wanted him to escort her down the aisle. In his book Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II, Hardman wrote that Charles got a quick answer, but it wasn’t what he expected.
Meghan surprised the now-king, asking him to meet her halfway down the aisle. She wanted to make her big entrance into the chapel on her own.
“Feeling for his future daughter-in-law, the Prince of Wales offered to step in, saying he would be honored to escort Meghan up the aisle of St George’s Chapel to the altar. The reply, according to one friend, was not quite what he was expecting: ‘Can we meet halfway?’” Hardman wrote.
“Here was an indicator that this was no blushing bride, but a confident, independent woman determined to make a grand entrance on her own.”
In 2018, in the BBC documentary Prince, Son, and Heir, Harry spoke about his father, Charles, offering to walk his wife down the aisle. Harry initially said he had asked his father about it, and Charles immediately agreed.
Prince William had concerns over Meghan Markle’s wedding outfit
“I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming, and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you.’” Harry recalled. “For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know, he’s our father, so of course, he’s going to be there for us.”
Harry proposed to Meghan with a custom three-stone ring. It featured diamonds from his late mother, Princess Diana’s jewelry collection. However, one year later, for the wedding, the fact that Meghan had already worn something from Diana’s jewelry collection left one person concerned: Prince William.
In his book, Spare, Harry recalled tensions between him and his brother when he and Meghan were planning the wedding. Moreover, in Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, author Robert Jobson claimed that the relationship between Harry and William had deteriorated, and even though William had been confirmed as the best man, the bond between them had “worsened.”
Prince William was allegedly not the only one in the Royal Family who felt Harry and Meghan’s relationship had developed too fast. William, it’s said, decided to reach out to his grandmother to ask for a very special assurance.
“I have been told that, still concerned about the match, he’d sought assurances from the Queen that Harry’s bride would not be wearing any of Princess Diana’s jewellery, even though his own wife was allowed to wear it,” Jobson wrote in Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, per the Mirror.
Meghan Markle “shocked” over Prince William & Kate Middleton’s latest move
“Despite sharp digs and thin skins on both sides, the wedding at Windsor in May 2018 was a spectacular success,” Jobson continued. “In public, the Royal Family were all smiles, though privately they were at daggers drawn.”
As we all know, the relationship between the Sussexes and the Waleses is far from great today. Harry and William don’t even speak to each other, and it’s safe to assume the same goes for William and Meghan.
The Duke and Duchess have focused on their business ventures in the US, but could soon get company across the pond.
According to OK!, Prince William and Kate Middleton have taken the first steps towards launching themselves in the United States. The Prince and Princess of Wales reportedly have submitted an official document to the United States Patent and Trademark Office as they aim to establish their Royal Foundation charity in the US.
According to documents seen by the news outlet, in May 2023, William and Kate initially bid to land a trademark – and Meghan isn’t happy.
“Meghan was quite shocked when she found out that Kate and William plan to do more work in America after trademarking their foundation’s brand with authorities,” the source told OK!.
“It just feels like another blow,”
“Although they have made a couple of trips to the US, it’s not really part of their territory, and now Meghan feels they could be moving in on her turf.”
According to the source, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s inclusion of “healthcare services relating to mental health” in their trademark application could lead to a ‘turf war’ with the Sussexes.
“For Meghan, it just feels like another blow, as Harry is making more of a life for himself in America and doing big events without her, like the one he did in New York last week,” the insider told OK!.
“And she already knows how popular Kate and William are in the US and with their own Hollywood popularity seemingly dwindling, she doesn’t feel comfortable with them making any trips across the pond right now because they will no doubt be a huge fanfare.”
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