Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American film actor and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before experiencing wider recognition with the 1996 movie, Swingers. He has since appeared in a number of Hollywood comedies.

Vince Vaughn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Vernon Lindsy Vaughn, a salesman for a meat company, and Sharon Eileen (née DePalmo), a Canadian-born real estate agent and stockbroker once ranked as one of the United States' top money managers by Bloomberg Wealth Manager magazine. He has two older sisters, Valerie and Victoria. He was raised "both Protestant and Catholic" by his Catholic mother and Protestant father. He has Italian, Irish, Polish, German and Lebanese ancestry. His parents divorced in 1991. He grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois where he played football and wrestled. He then moved to Lake Forest, Illinois, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988, with award winning writer Dave Eggers, sports agent Rob Pelinka (represents stars such as Kobe Bryant), fellow actor Don Tiffany and photographer, Michael Stahlschmidt . He developed an interest in theater at a young age. He decided to become an actor in 1987, after being involved in a car accident which derailed his chance at athletic success.

In 1988, Vaughn was cast in a Chevrolet television commercial, and subsequently moved to Hollywood. Although he appeared in the 1989 season of the television series, China Beach and in three CBS Schoolbreak Specials (in 1990), he was a struggling actor and faced many rejections. His first film role was 1993's Rudy, but Vaughn did not receive wider success until his role in 1996's Swingers. Swingers was released in July 1996, and became a successful independent film. Afterwards, director Steven Spielberg cast Vaughn in the blockbuster The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which gave him increased exposure. From there, Vaughn went on to appear in several films of varied success, including playing Norman Bates in the 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 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 movie South of Heaven, West of Hell.