Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971 in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts) is a Golden Globe-nominated American entertainer formerly known as a rapper and male fashion model, he is now an actor and television producer.
Read More...
Biography
Early life
Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts to Catholic parents Donald Edward Wahlberg and Alma Elaine Donnelly. His paternal grandfather, Axel Simon Wahlberg, was of Swedish descent, while the remainder of his ancestry is Irish. He graduated from Copley Square High School on Newbury Street in Boston.
According to ABC News, as a teen Wahlberg had a history of "petty crime, drug dealing and racism."
"He harassed a group of African American school kids with racist epithets, and when he was 16, again using racist language, he attacked a middle-aged Vietnamese man and left the man blind in one eye. Wahlberg was arrested for attempted murder, plead guilty to assault, and spent 45 days in jail."
Career
Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful bubblegum pop group New Kids on the Block. Mark had been hired as an original member of the group but quit before it became a success.
SKY Magazine cover from November 1993 featuring Wahlberg in his Marky Mark persona.When the New Kids' success finally ended, Mark began recording as Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with Good Vibrations from the album Music for the People. The record was produced by his brother Donnie. The second Marky Mark LP, You Gotta Believe, was a relative failure. 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. He later publicly dissociated himself from Ranks' comments, but after widespread media coverage.
Wahlberg was also 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. He also made a workout video entitled The Marky Mark Workout: Fitness, Form, Focus. Afterwards he had a few hits in the european dance scene with prince Ital Joe, which abruptly ended when the latter died in a car accident.
He then began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie The Substitute. He has earned positive reviews and appeared in a number of successful movies like Boogie Nights, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, Four Brothers, and The Italian Job.
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 thriller, The Departed in 2006. He is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama (2007) for this role.
Personal life
Wahlberg has two children, Ella Rae born on September 2, 2003, and son Michael, born on March 22, 2006.
Discography
Music for the People (1991)
You Gotta Believe (1992)
Selected filmography
The Brazilian Job (2008) ... Charlie Croker
Shooter (2007)
The Departed (2006) ... Sgt. Bryce Dignam
Life of Marlon O'Reilly (2006) ... Himself
Invincible (2006) ... Vince Papale
Four Brothers (2005) ... Bobby Mercer
I Heart Huckabees (2004) ... Tommy Corn
The Italian Job (2003) ... Charlie Croker
The Truth About Charlie (2002) ... Joshua Peters
Rock Star (2001) ... Chris 'Izzy' Cole
Planet of the Apes (2001) ... Capt. Leo Davidson
The Perfect Storm (2000) ... Bobby Shatford
The Yards (2000) ... Leo Handler
Three Kings (1999) ... Sfc. Troy Barlow
The Corruptor (1999) ... Danny Wallace
The Big Hit (1998) ... Melvin Smiley
Boogie Nights (1997) ... Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler
Traveller (1997) ... Pat O'Hara
Fear (1996) ... David McCall
The Basketball Diaries (1995) ... Mickey
Renaissance Man (1994) ... Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood
Trivia
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.
Was a scheduled passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
He has said in many interviews that he plans to retire when he is 40.
"The Touch", a song by Stan Bush, gained some notoriety when Mark Wahlberg performed it in his 1997 film Boogie Nights.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
Biography
Amazon MP30.99 USD
7digital
iTunes1.29 USD
