Vince Vaughn's Transformation: From High School To 54 Years Old

With his lanky six-five frame and rakish demeanor, Vince Vaughn emerged as a major Hollywood star in the mid-1990s. Shifting between drama and comedy, he came to be defined by the latter during the 2000s, starring in a string of box office hits such as "Old School," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," and "Wedding Crashers." His versatility as an actor has been on display in recent years as he's continued to veer between comedic and dramatic roles, ranging from playing a prison inmate in "Brawl in Cellblock 99," to his role as a serial killer dubbed "the Butcher" in the horror-comedy "Freaky," to Larry David's golfing buddy Freddy Funkhouser in "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Even more recently, Vaughn raised questions about his political leanings (in the past, he'd been a staunch Libertarian who supported Ron Paul's presidential bid) when he was among the celebrities to attend President Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration, a group that included the likes of Kid Rock and his "Curb" co-star (and wife of cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) Cheryl Hines, who has been known to rock some scandalous outfits.

A hot new TV show has led to a resurgence in his career, and the second half of the 2020s promises to hold even further success for this Hollywood star. To find out how he got to where he is, read on to experience Vince Vaughn's transformation from high school to 54 years old.

Vince Vaughn was born in 1970 and raised in Lake Forest, a suburb of Chicago. He gravitated toward acting at a young age; as he told ESPN, as a child of two working parents, he was placed in various after-school and summer vacation activities, one of which was a drama program. "For me, that was very good as a kid," he explained. 

Interviewed by Rolling Stone, Vaughn recalled how it all began. "My mom was always a big fan of theater, and there was a local community theater that would put on musicals — a bunch of kids 10 and under doing 'The King and I.' I'd be there morning till night — almost like day care. I really loved it," he said.

Vaughn's interest in acting resurfaced in high school when a friend booked an audition in Chicago for an industrial film, and he decided to tag along to get a taste of the experience. While he wasn't intending to participate, fate intervened. "The casting director asked if I wanted to read some lines and try out for the part," he told Chicago Magazine. "I did, and that's how I got my first job and an agent."

Thanks to that fateful trip to the city, a world of possibilities opened up for Vince Vaughn as he began pursuing acting gigs. Looking back, Vaughn considers his big break to be a 1988 TV commercial that changed everything. "I got a national Chevrolet commercial," Vaughn recalled during a 1997 appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." "Coming from totally removed from the entertainment industry and getting a chance to do a national commercial for Chevy was a big deal." 

Figuring he'd hit the big time, he packed his bags and made the move to Hollywood at age 18, figuring stardom was just around the corner. He called up a talent agency, figuring his national commercial would be his ticket to the big time, but was turned down flat. Eventually, he did land an agent, but to say his success didn't come overnight is putting it mildly. "I'd have an audition for three lines on 'Who's the Boss?' and I'd say, 'What am I doing?'" he told Rolling Stone.

Slowly but surely, Vaughn began booking roles on TV, starting with a bit part on "China Beach." More jobs followed, including a role in the acclaimed movie "Rudy," his big-screen debut. Still, the big break that seemed right around the corner proved to be elusive. He was in the running to play Chandler Bing on "Friends," losing the role to tragic, tormented actor Matthew Perry. Then, he was cast as a lead in a revival of the hit early-1960s TV series "77 Sunset Strip" for the fledgling WB network. Unfortunately, the pilot bombed with test audiences, and The WB took a pass.

While making "Rudy," Vince Vaughn met Jon Favreau, another actor in the film. Both Chicago natives, the two struggling young actors became fast friends. With neither deluged with offers, they focused on getting a script Favreau had written made into a modest indie film. "It was this small movie that we were hell-bent to make," Vaughn told Cigar Aficionado. "It cost $250,000 and took 21 days."

That movie was "Swingers," picked up by Miramax for $5 million and released in 1996. The buddy comedy connected with both critics and moviegoers. Suddenly, Vaughn had catapulted from a nobody to one of Hollywood's hottest young actors. "I remember we were in New York walking around after it was released — and we were getting recognized, which we thought was crazy," he recalled.

Pretty much immediately, Steven Spielberg offered him a major role as a swashbuckling photojournalist in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," which raised his profile even higher. Starring roles followed, sending him in a darker, more dramatic direction. This included playing maniacal innkeeper Norman Bates in a 1998 remake of "Psycho," and the 2001 thriller "Domestic Disturbance," among others. None of his films, however, were box-office hits and didn't exactly impress critics. It would be a shift to comedy, however, that would herald his biggest success and send his career skyrocketing in a whole new direction.

In 2003, Vince Vaughn co-starred with Luke Wilson and Will Ferrell in "Old School," a rowdy, raucous R-rated comedy about a trio of married 30-something guys who attempt to recapture their youth by starting a fraternity. The film proved to be a hit with viewers, soaring to more than $87 million at the box office. "People want to laugh, people want to look at stuff that feels a little bit like it's, you know, dangerous or pushing the envelope," he observed to The Hollywood Reporter about the film's popularity.

"Old School" proved to be an ideal showcase for Vaughn's humorous bent and catapulted him to becoming one of Hollywood's go-to comedic leading men. In 2004, he co-starred with Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller for a comedy remake of the '70s TV cop show "Starsky & Hutch," following up with the hit comedy "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." Both were massive hits, each doubling the box office of "Old School," with "Starsky" raking in $170 million in ticket sales while "Dodgeball" took in $168 million.

Those kinds of numbers are difficult for Hollywood to ignore and set the stage for the movie that would become the biggest and most popular of Vaughn's entire career.

In 2005's "Wedding Crashers," Vince Vaughn co-starred with Owen Wilson as sleazy lotharios who sneak into weddings so they can coast on the romantic vibes and take advantage of tipsy, single women. The R-rated comedy proved to be another comedy bullseye for Vaughn, bringing in a blockbuster $288 million at the box office. 

A huge part of the film's success comes from the hilarious dialogue, much of which was improvised on the spot by Vaughn and Wilson. "The improvisations yield other new ideas that get rescripted into the scene," director David Dobkin told The Ringer. Discussing the possibility of a sequel, Vaughn's co-star, Isla Fisher, gushed about the film's leading men when speaking with E! News. "Vince and Owen have such an incredible chemistry and you just feel it from the screen," she said. "It's palpable and it's its own hilarious beast."

Another reason why "Wedding Crashers" proved to be a star vehicle for Vaughn was that he didn't have to search too far afield to connect with his character, recalling that he connected with his character's attitude toward women right away.

In 2005, Vince Vaughn signed on to star in a rom-com, "The Break-Up." His co-star: wildly popular "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston. During filming, sparks flew, and Aniston — who'd recently split up with her first husband, Brad Pitt — began dating her co-star. "She's awesome," Vaughn told People at the time. "She has just a wonderful warmth and likability about her." 

As is usually the case when two Hollywood stars align, the tabloids swooped in on the couple the media had dubbed "Vaughniston." As paparazzi followed their every move, scurrilous reports emerged that he was cheating on her, and they'd split. As The Associated Press reported, Vaughn fired back by preparing to sue the media outlets that went with that story: the Daily Mail, the New York Post, the Daily Mirror, and The Sun. "Ms. Aniston and Mr. Vaughn had not ended their relationship either at the material time or since ... The suggestion that he was having a passionate embrace and kiss, or has ever been unfaithful to Ms. Aniston, are false," read a statement from Vaughn's lawyers.

There was no lack of irony when at the end of 2006 — just six months after the release of "The Break-Up" — Vaughn and Aniston broke up. "After Jennifer's trip to London several weeks ago, Jennifer and Vince mutually agreed to end their relationship but continue to be good friends today," noted a statement issued to People.

While Vince Vaughn's celebrity romance with Jennifer Aniston was as high-profile as they get, he's preferred to keep his personal life to himself. "I always try to keep my relationships quiet and my work at the forefront," Vaughn told Parade in 2008, sharing the key attribute he looks for in a partner. "For me, the biggest foundation always is that you can laugh with each other, that you have fun with each other, because life really is made up of all the little moments," he explained.

He wound up finding his soulmate not long after that, meeting future wife Kyla Weber — of all places — at a wedding. A native of Canada who'd worked as a realtor, Weber captured Vaughn's heart like nobody before. He popped the question in 2009, with reports of their engagement first emerging in a Canadian newspaper. The following year, the couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in his hometown of Lake Forest, Illinois, in January 2010, joined by a few dozen friends and family members. 

The newlyweds wasted little time starting a family; that December, they welcomed their first child, daughter Locklyn Kyla Vaughn. In 2013, she was joined by a little brother, Vernon Lindsay Vaughn.

As the 2000s segued into the 2010s, Vince Vaughn continued cranking out big-screen comedies — albeit with diminishing returns. Truth be told, his cinematic output during the early part of the decade — "The Dilemma," "The Watch," "Delivery Man," "The Internship," "Unfinished Business" — never matched the success he'd experienced earlier neither creatively nor commercially. At a certain point, fans likely wondered why they weren't hearing much from Vaughn anymore.

He made a bold move with a big shift to dark drama, playing a gangster in the second season of HBO's "True Detective," starring Irish actor Colin Farrell, whose transformation has truly been a staggering sight. Critical responses to Vaughn's performance were not kind. "'True Detective' is not going to reinvent Vince Vaughn," read a review in Uproxx. "It may, however, ruin him." Bustle's review covered similar terrain, declaring, "There's no use beating around the bush, so let's cut right to the chase: Vince Vaughn is awful on 'True Detective' Season 2." Even USA Today couldn't muster up any love for him but placed the blame on the show's writers and producers rather than on Vaughn himself.

However, Vaughn bounced back the following year with a far more solid dramatic performance in "Hacksaw Ridge," playing a tough-as-nails drill sergeant in the WWII movie directed by actor-turned-director Mel Gibson, whose personal life has boasted more than its fair share of scandalous details. "Like the film as a whole, Vaughn's work is strong, smart and manages to avoid most of the usual war movie cliches," wrote Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com. "The result is one of the best performances that he has given to date."

In 2016, Vince Vaughn discovered a new passion in the form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Ardently studying the martial art, he began by earning his white belt. "It was fun! I enjoyed it," said Vaughn in a video shot at Gracie University, where he was being trained. According to Vaughn, he'd first been introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he began taking classes with his daughter as a way to teach her self-defense techniques that would quell bullying, and he wound up getting hooked himself. 

Vaughn kept at it, and in 2018, he achieved another milestone. "Vince Vaughn earned his blue belt," his trainer, Rener Gracie, told BJJ News. "He began with us in Feb. 2016 and he's been training consistently for two years. Occasionally, he would need to travel to film a movie, but he always finds a place to train on the road. Vince is one of the kindest people I've ever met and always takes time to connect with other students on and off the mat. We're honored to train him and his kids, and if I had to bet I'd say he's in it for life!"

Over the years, Vince Vaughn has had the occasional brush with the law. Back in 2001, he, fellow actor Steve Buscemi, and screenwriter Scott Rosenburg were part of a violent barroom brawl that resulted in four arrests (including Vaughn's) and Buscemi's hospitalization. 

Vaughn was arrested again in 2018 under very different circumstances. This time, he was pulled over at a DUI checkpoint, where he was arrested. Another passenger in the vehicle was also placed under arrest for public intoxication. Vaughn entered a plea of no contest and was subsequently convicted on a charge of reckless driving. He got off lightly; his sentence consisted of three years of unsupervised probation, in addition to mandatory attendance of a three-month alcohol education program. During sentencing, Vaughn was also warned that if he did drive while under the influence and was to cause the death of another person, he would be charged with murder. 

Vince Vaughn marked a very specific Tinseltown milestone in the summer of 2024 when he was presented with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. On the big day, Vaughn was joined by his wife, who was accompanied by his two kids. Also in attendance were Vaughn's close pal and producing partner Peter Billingsley (best known for playing Ralphie in "A Christmas Story"), TV producer Bill Lawrence, and his "Hacksaw Ridge" director Mel Gibson. 

"I was raised and born in the Midwest, but I feel like I grew up here in California. This is where I came of age," said Vaughn in his speech. Looking back at his early years as an aspiring actor, Vaughn recalled that walking the streets of Hollywood "was an inspiration that things were possible. Hollywood at its best has always been a city of dreams, and stories, and imagination, and I hope that that may long continue."

After the ceremony, Vaughn spoke with "Extra," sharing his thoughts about having his own star on the sidewalk. "Just nice to be included in the fabric of the city, and definitely fell in love with storytelling, so it's a nice honor," he said.

Coinciding with Vince Vaughn receiving his Hollywood Walk of Fame star was the debut of "Bad Monkey," a comedic crime series for Apple TV+. Set in the Florida Keys, Vaughn plays disgraced Miami police detective Andrew Yancy, who'd been demoted to a restaurant inspector and then finds himself embroiled in a murky criminal caper that he hopes to solve and hopefully get his old job back. 

Created by producer Bill Lawrence (also responsible for such series as "Scrubs," "Ted Lasso," and "Shrinking"), the show was a hit with critics and viewers, often regarded as a return to form for its star, a role ideally suited to his particular talents. "What I love about this [series] is the stakes are real, the crime is real — but the personalities are complicated and fun," Vaughn told Forbes. 

For Vaughn, "Bad Monkey" represented the right project at the right time and fit with his professional philosophy of mixing things up so they never feel stale. "I think that you want to feel excited to do something — you want to challenge yourself," he added. "It's fun to do different types of things — different genres. You kind of want to ride all the rides at the amusement park. You don't want to just stay in one area."