Mark Wahlberg Biography

Summary

"Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg" (born June 5 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and television producer. He was known as "Marky Mark" in his earlier days and became famous in his 1991 debut as a rap musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

Biography

Early life

Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, he is the youngest of nine children, with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie, and Donnie Wahlberg. His mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aid, and his father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver; the two divorced in 1982. His paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, while his other ancestry includes Irish and French Canadian. Wahlberg had a Catholic upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Copley Square in Boston. The campus now houses Muriel Snowden International School.

As a young teenager, Wahlberg participated in several violent acts for which he was charged, later claiming to have been in trouble 20-25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. At 15 he harassed a group of African American school children on a field trip by throwing rocks (causing injuries) and shouting epithets. When he was sixteen (again using racist language), Wahlberg knocked one middle aged Vietnamese man unconscious with a wooden stick, and left another Vietnamese man permanently blinded in one eye. Wahlberg has said that he has no recollection of the incident because he passed out just before the police caught him. For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged for attempted murder, pled guilty to assault, and was sentenced to 2 years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days. In yet another incident when he was 21 Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.

Music career

Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block. Ironically, he had been chosen along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight as the original members of the group, but he chose to quit upon disliking the bubblegum pop squeaky-clean image they were to use. It was his departure, as well as Jamie Kelly's, that allowed Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

Wahlberg began recording as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with 'Good Vibrations' from the album "Music for the People". The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit #1 on The Billboard Hot 100. Marky Mark opened for the New Kids on the Block during their last tour. The second Marky Mark LP, "You Gotta Believe", was a relative failure. Wahlberg also collaborated musically with reggae / ragga singer Prince Ital Joe in a project featuring Marky Mark. The project combined rap and ragga vocals with strong eurodance music (as in the singles "Happy People", "United", "Life in the Streets" and "Babylon" courtesy of Frank Peterson and Alex Christensen as producers.

He briefly became embroiled in controversy when he appeared to endorse the homophobic comments made by Shabba Ranks when they appeared as guests on the British chat show "The Word". When Ranks made the statement that "gays ought to be crucified", Wahlberg remained in silence at his comments, which made the public believe he was also prejudiced. He later publicly dissociated himself from Ranks' comments, but only after widespread media coverage.

In the dedication of his 1992 book "Marky Mark", co-authored with photographer Lynn Goldsmith, Wahlberg says in the preface that 'I wanna dedicate this book to my dick'.

Advertising career

Wahlberg was known for his impressive physique. He first displayed it in the "Good Vibrations" music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein shot by Herb Ritts following it with Calvin Klein television ads. In 1992 the Calvin Klein billboard in New York's Times Square featured Wahlberg exclusively. Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for "Vanity Fair"s annual Hall of Fame issue. During concert performances, he was known for stripping to his briefs and grabbing his crotch. He also made a workout video entitled "The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness" (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

Film career

Wahlberg then began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie "The Substitute". His big screen debut came the next year, with the Danny DeVito feature "Renaissance Man". A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of the film critics after appearing in "The Basketball Diaries" in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside leading actor Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book "The Basketball Diaries".

He has earned many positive reviews after appearing in a number of successful movies like "Boogie Nights" as Dirk Diggler, "Three Kings", "The Perfect Storm", "The Italian Job", and "Four Brothers". His performance in "I ? Huckabees" was voted best supporting performance of the year in the 2004 "Village Voice" Critics Poll. Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in "Ocean's Eleven"; Matt Damon played the role instead. The two later worked together in "The Departed". Wahlberg was also originally considered for a role in the film "Brokeback Mountain". The movie was originally intended to star him and Joaquin Phoenix, but Wahlberg was uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and his role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal.

Wahlberg recently starred in the football drama, "Invincible", based on the true story of Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series "Entourage" which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a Massachusetts State Police detective in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed thriller, "The Departed" in 2006, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an NSFC Best Supporting Actor award.

Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to "The Departed", but it's still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the detective played by Wahlberg.

To prepare for his role in "Shooter", Wahlberg attended long-range shooting training at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada, and was able to hit a target at 2000 yards. He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that this was no longer the plan as 'his golf game is horrible'. He is now to star as Jack Salmon in Peter Jackson's film of "The Lovely Bones".

Personal life

Wahlberg is a practicing Catholic. He dated actress Jordana Brewster and his co-star in the film "The Big Hit", China Chow. Mark has two children, Ella Rae born Sept. 2nd, 2003, and Michael born March 22nd, 2006.

Wahlberg was a scheduled passenger on one of the hijacked flights from Boston to Los Angeles on September 11 2001, but decided instead at the last minute to attend the Toronto International Film Festival.

Wahlberg is actively involved in charity. He established the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in May 2001 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs.

Wahlberg is a fan of the Boston Red Sox.