Vincent Cassel is a French actor. He was born Vincent Crochon in Paris, the son of Sabine Litique, a journalist, and French actor Jean-Pierre Cassel. He is married to Italian actress Monica Bellucci with whom he has a daughter, Deva Cassel, born September 12, 2004, in Rome, Italy. His brother, Mathias Rockin' Squat, is the leader of the French rap group Assassin. His sister, Cécile is an actress. He has a passion for Capoeira and displayed his talent in the movie Ocean's Twelve.

His breakthrough role was in Mathieu Kassovitz's critically acclaimed film La Haine where he played a troubled youth from the decrepit outskirts of Paris. Cassel has gone on to act in a variety of films such as the moody L'Appartement, the violent Dobermann, genre-bending Le Pacte des Loups (in English, Brotherhood of the Wolf) and in the highly controversial Irréversible.

Cassel has also done a number of English language films, such as Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, Derailed, Birthday Girl, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, Elizabeth, Eastern Promises, and Shrek (as the voice of Monsieur Hood). In 2006, he appeared in Sheitan, in which he played a shepherd who carries out satanic rituals. In 2008, he appears in two movies about Jacques Mesrine who was the public enemy n°1 in France in the seventies.

An early appearance on British television was as Nicole's boyfriend in the 1994 Renault Clio advert which was used in the UK.

In October 2008, L'Oréal signed Cassel to be the face of a new Yves Saint Laurent men's fragrance. The new fragrance, which name is not yet known, will be launched worldwide in March 2009.