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Women ran from Vincent D’Onofrio after break-through role

Vincent D’Onofrio. Credit / Getty Images

Vincent D’Onofrio is probably best remembered for his iconic role as the chubby, inept Marine recruit in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.

But after that, his popularity took a dive.

The ruggedly handsome actor, who turned 64 on June 30, 2023, said the role required a dramatic physical transformation, which resulted in him repelling the women who once swooned over his curly dark hair and athletic build.

Vincent D’Onofrio’s résumé is as lengthy as it is diverse. He always puts 200% into every part, and he is always able to become the character to the point you forget who he is.

The Brooklyn-born actor got his start in stage productions, some off-Broadway others on, and held numerous side hustles, like being a bodyguard to Yul Brynner and Robert Plant, to support his dreams of being an actor.

In his early days, he earned himself a living as a nightclub bouncer, delivering flowers, hanging drapes and driving a cab.

But after appearing in a couple of low-budget films, D’Onofrio’s friend, actor Matthew Modine, urged him to send an audition tape to Stanley Kubrick, who at the time was casting for his next big hit.

The 6-foot-3 D’Onofrio, who was incredibly fit, won the role of the fat, dim-witted Leonard, but it came with a few conditions.

Working with Kubrick was a transformative experience for D’Onofrio, as it allowed him to immerse himself deeply in his character and explore his acting abilities in a challenging and intense environment.

The father of three, now 64, had to shave his gorgeous full head of hair, and gain 70 to 80 pounds, which to this date is the most weight gained by any actor for a role.

33 years old.
I’m glad I’m not that guy anymore. He was dumb. pic.twitter.com/xAYMCfklJJ

— Vincent D’Onofrio (@vincentdonofrio) January 1, 2021

“[Kubrick] asked me early on would I be all right with gaining this weight and I went over there and gained about 30 pounds, and I remember him seeing it and saying that I only look like I could kick everybody’s a**. He thought some more weight would be needed.” Speaking of the role he played when he was 24, D’Onofrio continued, “I think it went up to 80 pounds…from 200 to 280.”

Gaining the weight was not an easy task for D’Onofrio, who was then faced with the gruelling demands of the movie’s boot-camp scenes.

Obstacle courses would have been easy with his athletic build but it was particularly taxing for someone weighing in at 280 pounds.

D’Onofrio’s impressive portrayal of the chubby, dumb and mentally disturbed Leonard earned him a lot of praise from critics but he also had to deal with fans who mistook the actor for the character.

“People treat you differently when you’re that size you gotta remember my head was shaved so it was like a completely different persona from me being this long lanky actor to a big burly guy with a bald head…it was a very strange life change.” The Broken Horses star continued, “It changed my life. Women didn’t look at me, most of the time I was looking at their backs as they were running away. People used to say things to me twice, because they thought I was stupid.”

One year later, the Magnificent Seven star had a full head of hair and his body was back to his earlier size.

Today, the New York-born director, producer, screenwriter and actor, who authored the 2023 book “Pigs Can’t Look Up,” credits his lengthy career to Kubrick.

“Stanley made my career, there’s no question to that I’ve done over 50 films, because of him. Because of that part.” D’Onofrio was referring to his numerous roles in both film and TV, most notably as a series regular on Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001 to 2011) and Marvel’s Daredevil (2015 to 2018). His films include starring roles in Dying Young, The Break-Up and Jurassic World.

Vincent D’Onofrio wife and children

D’Onofrio’s life was greatly affected by his parents’ divorce when he was a child. His mother re-married George Meyer, a renowned American producer and writer.

As a result, the family moved to the Hialeah, Florida area. During his childhood, D’Onofrio was a reserved boy who often retreated to his room, lost in his thoughts.

While residing in Florida, he developed an interest in magic and the art of sleight of hand, skills he acquired from Cuban performers who operated a small magic store.

During the early 1990s, Vincent D’Onofrio was romantically involved with actress Greta Scacchi. They appeared together in multiple films during this time, such as The Player and Fires Within. From their relationship, they have a daughter named Leila George, who was born around 1991 or 1992, and she has since pursued a career as an actress.

In 1997, Vincent D’Onofrio tied the knot with Carin van der Donk, a Dutch model.

Together, they welcomed their first son in 1999. However, their relationship faced difficulties in the early 2000s, leading to a separation. They later reconciled and had a second son in 2008.

In June 2023, D’Onofrio initiated divorce proceedings in Manhattan Supreme Court, marking the end of the 26-year-long marriage with Carin van der Donk.

D’Onofrio can be seen with Sandra Bullock in 2021 film The Unforgivable and the soon-to-be released 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?

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Colon cancer cells can now be transformed into normal colon cells thanks to new technology

Even though many cancer therapy technologies have been developed, all modern cancer medicines aim to eradicate cancer cells. However, this strategy has serious drawbacks, including as the potential for cancer cells to become resistant and reappear, as well as serious adverse effects from the death of healthy cells.

On December 20, KAIST (represented by President Kwang Hyung Lee) declared that a research team headed by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering had created a novel treatment for colon cancer that can prevent side effects by transforming cancer cells into a state similar to healthy colon cells without killing them. Advanced Science published the research.

The study team concentrated on the finding that normal cells regress along their differentiation trajectory during the oncogenesis process. Building on this realisation, scientists created a method to produce a digital replica of the gene network linked to normal cells’ differentiation trajectory.

The group methodically found master molecular switches that promote normal cell differentiation using simulation research. Molecular and cellular research, as well as animal studies, have proven that when these switches were administered to colon cancer cells, the cancer cells returned to a normal-like condition.

Instead of depending on chance findings, this study shows that cancer cell reversion can be methodically accomplished by examining and applying the digital twin of the cancer cell gene network.

The results have great potential for creating reversible cancer treatments that can be used to treat different kinds of cancer. “It is a remarkable phenomenon that cancer cells can be transformed back into normal cells,” said Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho. This work demonstrates that it is possible to systematically generate such reversion.

He added, “By turning cancer cells back into healthy cells, this study presents the innovative idea of reversible cancer treatment. Through the methodical examination of typical cell development trajectories, it also creates the fundamental technology for determining targets for cancer reversion.

The National Research Foundation of Korea and the Ministry of Science and ICT provided funding for the study through the Basic Research Laboratory Program and the Mid-Career Researcher Program. The research results have been turned over to BioRevert Inc., which will use them to create useful cancer reversion treatments.

Our knowledge of mitochondrial function and how it affects health and illness can be improved by measuring cellular oxygen consumption rates, or OCR. Making sure OCR measurements are accurate is essential for lab managers in charge of mitochondrial research. OCR measurements can be distorted by factors including cell count, mitochondrial mass, and media components, which might mean the difference between ground-breaking discoveries and false findings.

Recent technological developments have made it possible to detect OCR in living cells during the course of an experiment in a long-term, high-throughput manner. This ability can offer fresh perspectives on how cells divide, metabolise, differentiate, and react to stress in dynamic environments.

This white paper offers a thorough overview of OCR normalisation techniques, including as flow cytometry, protein-based, DNA content, and microscopy methods. In order to account for factors and uncover significant differences from your data, it discusses both internal and external normalisation strategies. Your lab can improve the accuracy of OCR measurements and gain a better understanding of mitochondrial function and its role in both health and illness by implementing these best practices.

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4th daughter dies after mom’s alleged murder-suicide

A fourth child from the same family has passed away days following an apparent murder-suicide involving Wyoming mother Tranyelle Harshman.

Tragic reports previously detailed how Harshman allegedly shot her four daughters before turning the gun on herself on February 10, 2025.

Brailey Blackmer, 9, Brooke and Jordan Harshman, both 2, and Tranyelle herself died from their injuries. 7-year-old Olivia Blackmer was airlifted to a hospital in Salt Lake City, with people all over the world praying for her recovery when the story gained international attention.

Sadly, father Quinn Blackmer posted to Facebook on Sunday, February 16, that Olivia had lost the battle for her life.

“I know this isn’t the update people were hoping for and we are absolutely gutted to make it, but we needed time to process what had happened before we let the world know of the tragic passing of Olivia yesterday (February 15) afternoon at 3:44 pm,” Quinn wrote.

“The amount of devastation we feel and are going through is so much. Please give all famlies involved our time time and space during this extremely difficult time in our life.”

Quinn added that he was taking some small amount of solace in the fact that his daughters are together.

“The peace I find is knowing that my babies don’t have to be apart from each other and they can also be with their other sisters,” he said.

According to reports, Tranyelle Harshan, 32, was suffering from postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. On the day of the alleged murders, she called the police to confess to having shot her daughters, warning them that she planned to then do the same to herself.

Tranyelle’s partner, Cliff Harshman, told the Cowboy State Daily that she had been suffering greatly.

“My wife was not a monster,” he said.

Of her health battles, he shared: “Most people don’t understand how that affects the brain. It’s a chemical imbalance. And it can be exacerbated by trying to fix it with medication.”

Rest in peace to the poor children taken from this world too soon.

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Father charged with murder after wife gives birth to twins

There is nothing more exciting for a young couple than to welcome a child they have been waiting months for. This young couple outwardly did not seem any different.

They were expecting twins and had one child already. No one suspected the parents were anything but over-the-moon. But then when the father was left alone with the newborn, he did something unthinkable. Keep reading to learn about his heinous actions.

The mother Savannah Bliss talked to the media and explained that her newborn son was injured while he was in his father’s care. According to Savannah, her husband was watching little Gunner and their older one year old child while she was visiting Gunner’s twin sister in the NICU at WakeMed.

The mother shared that Gunner and his twin Madelyn were both born premature at 34 weeks. The babies had not yet been released from the hospital when Gunner was injured.

22-year-old Noah Benjamin Bliss from Harnett County was arrested at WakeMed in Raleigh. He was charged with the first-degree murder of his 3-week-old son Gunner Bliss. He also faced charges of child abuse and inflicting serious bodily injury on the baby, from the incident that occurred on October 6, this year.

“I want justice for my son,” Savannah Bliss said. “I trusted my husband to watch Gunner while I was taking care of his sister in the ICU. He was sweetest boy with most beautiful blue eyes … he was the best baby [and] for him to be taken so soon is so wrong.”

The family was living temporarily at the WakeMed’s Heart Center Inn. The place is a hotel-like space for families who have loved ones receiving care downstairs in the hospital.

According to the mother Savannah Bliss, nursing staff said the injuries Gunner had indicated that he had been shaken vigorously by his father.

The staff told Savannah Bliss that Gunner had no external injuries or any broken bones, but that the infant had suffered from head trauma, in particular brain bleeding and swelling which deprived him of oxygen.

On Monday night, the newborn was taken off life support.

Noah Bliss appeared in front of a court on Tuesday where he was sent to jail with no bond. His next court date is scheduled for the coming month.

As for Savannah, she is still trying to piece together what happened. The young mother said, “He seemed happy … like a proud father,” adding, “I never thought this would have happened … I trusted him, that was his daddy … he loved his babies.”

This is such an unfortunate situation to have happened. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Savannah as she grieves this heartbreaking loss.