Ever since he gunned the engine and roared into our lives in the very first Fast and Furious movie, Vin Diesel has been a solid fixture in all of our hearts. It wasn't even his first role in a blockbuster film — maybe you're familiar with a little movie called Saving Private Ryan (1998), in which Diesel played Private Caparzo?The Fast and the Furious (2001) was the first time Vin accelerated his way into our good graces, though. In his role as Dominic Toretto, Diesel earns viewers' allegiance as a thief. It's a lot harder to do than most people realize. Dom is the car-boosting ringleader the police are searching for during the first movie, but it's his love of family that puts audiences firmly on his side — and keeps them there through the rest of the franchise.In real life, Diesel is also devoted to his friends and family. The death of his Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker in 2013 hit Diesel especially hard. The actor has said that his new movie, The Last Witch Hunter, helped him cope with Walker's death. It's touching to see an action star open up about his feelings in such an open and honest way.That's just one of the many surprising things you discover when you start to explore the complexities of Vin Diesel. Most people may know him as a marquee movie star, but in reality, he puts the diesel in our engines for so many other reasons. Here are 15 of them. Vroom vroom.