Who plays Private Leonard Lawrence, an overweight, clumsy Marine recruit in the 1987 film "Full Metal Jacket"?

Vincent D'Onofrio as Private Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence, an overweight, slow-minded recruit, is the subject of a great deal of mockery. D'Onofrio heard from actor Matthew Modine of the auditions for the film. D'Onofrio recorded his audition using a rented video camera and was dressed in army fatigues. According to Kubrick, Pyle was "the hardest part to cast in the whole movie"; Kubrick, however, quickly responded to D'Onofrio audition and cast him in the part. D'Onofrio was however required to gain 70 pounds (32 kg) to get the role.

Though he established his career in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous film roles, Vincent D'Onofrio (b. June 1959 in Bensonhurst, New York, NY) became a household name thanks to his nine-season run as the intelligent, but imposing Detective Robert Goren on the long-running procedural drama, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-2011). Prior to the acclaim and stardom he obtained from his TV role, D'Onofrio had made a quick jump from unknown actor to breakout star as the mentally unstable and put-upon Marine cadet in Kubrick's film "Full Metal Jacket".

Before he had performed any film roles, D'Onofrio studied at the Actors Studio and the American Stanislavski Theatre. He worked hard and has now become known as an "actor's actor". His career has allowed him to play a wide variety of roles and has earned himself a good reputation as a very versatile actor.