Appearing in over fifty films for the big screen as well as television, Vincent's acting career began at 17 when he pursued dramatic studies at the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Geneva and then in Paris. He also studied at the experimental Ecole des Amandiers de Nanterre, where he trained under famed theater and opera director Patrice Chéreau. He impressed Chéreau, who is often credited with discovering the Swiss actor. Following his work in theatre, in 1986 Vincent starred in his first film, "Gardien de la nuit".

Beginning in his teens, Vincent expressed interest in directing and put on plays with his friends. Later in drama school,  he embraced both acting and directing.  His first directorial debut was at the age of 27 with a short film called "L'echange", which was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. After a couple more short films, he made his first feature-length film in 2002 with the successful "Peau d'ange". That was followed by "The Secret" three years later and in 2012, he will direct "Alone in Berlin", based on the 1947 book by German author Hans Fallada.

One of Vincent's first passions was the camera, so at fifteen, he began studying photography at the Ecole des Art Appliques at Centre Doret in Vevey, Switzerland. Two years later he made the decision to switch to acting. Recently he has turned professional, working for French magazines, such as Premiere and Milk. On a personal level, an exhibition of his photography called "From Vladivostok to Paris" was held in Russia in 2011 and in the summer of 2012, a photo exhibition called "Matieres et Sentiments" was held at the BHV Observatory in Paris.

For four consecutive years (2007-2010), Vincent published a volume in his comic book series, "La Fôret", a children's fantasy based on Celtic tales. The series, illustrated by Tiburce Oger, was published by Casterman publishers and has been quite successful. In May of 2011, he also co-published a  travel book called "Le Paris du cinéma" which is an illustrated guide to the city's venues that have appeared in film. As a screenwriter, he wrote the script for his short film, ""L'échange" and co-wrote the script for his film, "Peau d'ange".

A fashion lover for many years, it was an easy progression to step in front of the camera for magazines. In 1992, he did a spread for Vogue Hommes and won over the editorial staff. According to the magazine, "he entered wearing the clothing like a top model, having fun, but with the seriousness of a fashion professional." Since 2010, he has worked on four ad campaigns for IKKS and is presently the face of the famous French label along with actress Virginie Ledoyen. Vincent can also be seen along the fashion runways of French designers and often wears Armani.