Mark Wahlberg biography
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA-winning American actor, Rapping and producer of film and television. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years 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, Massachusetts neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, he is the youngest of nine children, with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert Wahlberg, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie, and Donnie Wahlberg. His mother, Alma Elaine (married and maiden names McPeck), was a bank clerk and nurse's aid, and his father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamsters who worked as a delivery driver; the two divorced in 1982. 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 teenager, Wahlberg participated in several acts of violence and vandalism. He later claimed to have been in trouble 20-25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. By the age of thirteen Wahlberg had developed a serious addiction to cocaine and other substances. At fifteen 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) after robbing a pharmacy under the influence of Phencyclidine, Wahlberg knocked a middle aged Vietnamese people unconscious, left another Vietnamese man permanently blinded in one eye, and attacked a security guard. In yet another incident, the 21-year-old 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 and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark, at age thirteen, had been one of the group's original members, along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. Uninterested in the group's bubblegum pop and squeaky-clean image, however, he soon quit. It was his departure that eventually allowed Joey 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 (Marky Mark song)" from the album
Music for the People. The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit 1 on The Billboard Hot 100, later becoming certified as a Platinum Single single. In the video, widely broadcast on music video channels, Mark was shown boxing, lifting weights and showing off his bare, well-muscled torso. The second single, "Wildside," peaked at 5 on
Billboards Hot Singles Sales chart and at 10 on The Billboard Hot 100.. It was certified as a Gold Single single. 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 talk show
The Word (TV series). When Ranks made the statement that
"homosexuals ought to be crucified", Wahlberg remained in silence at his comments, which made the public believe he agreed with them. He later publicly dissociated himself from Ranks' comments, but only after widespread media coverage.
Mark's cocky, street-wise persona contributed to his fame. During concert performances, he was known for stripping to a pair of white briefs, gyrating his hips and rubbing his crotch. 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 cock.". 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. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair (magazine) annual Hall of Fame issue. He also made a workout video entitled
The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness (ISBN 1-55510-910-1). Although Wahlberg made several sexual references in the video, it was passed as exempt from classification because he was able to disguise them with hip hop culture language. Notably, he says to a female participant before doing an exercise, "If I get diesel (muscular), maybe I'll get some skins" (a reference to or of the labia). He also says "I can't get no coochie (a reference to a woman's vagina) without no Gucci", which was a phrase that Mark heard from a toilet attendant during his visit to London.
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 (film). Wahlberg was also considered for a role in the film
Brokeback Mountain. It 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 American football drama,
Invincible (2006 film), based on the true story of bartender Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series
Entourage (TV series) which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a foul-mouthed 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 National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actor award.
Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to
The Departed, but it is still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.
To prepare for his role in
Shooter (2007 film), 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 on his first day, a feat which took his instructor about six months to achieve. 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 the latter 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 (film). In 2007 he starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in
We Own the Night, a movie about a family of police officers in New York City. The movie also stars Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes.
Wahlberg will play the drug kingpin Jon Roberts in the remake of the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys, which chronicles the story of the largest cocaine trafficker in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s, and he has persuaded Leonardo DiCaprio to play the supporting role.
He also will appear in the title role of the upcoming movie
Max Payne (film), based on a video game of the Max Payne.
He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's
The Happening (2008 film) as Eliot Moore, which premiered in movie theatres on June 13, 2008.
Video game career
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch had their own video game in the
Marky Mark: Make My Video game series on the Sega Mega-CD. Using various effects, the player is supposed to produce new versions of the videos to Marky Mark songs like "Good Vibrations" and "I Need Money". PC World.ca listed it as the eighth worst video game of all time. Recently, Wahlberg was revealed to be playing the titular character in the
Max Payne (film) film based off of the games. Even though he is playing the character in the film, however, he has stated that he is not going to play the games.
Personal life
Wahlberg is a practicing Roman Catholic and credits his Catholic faith and a priest from his childhood for helping him turn his life around and recognize the seriousness of his faith. He dated actress Jordana Brewster and his co-star in the film
The Big Hit, China Chow. Mark and model Rhea Durham have been together since 2001. He has two children with Durham—Ella Rae born September 2, 2003 and Michael born March 22, 2006. They are expecting their third child, a boy, in September 2008. Though no formal announcement has been made, Mark does plan on marrying Rhea sometime in the summer of 2009. He has been heard in interviews and at The Happening premier calling her his future wife and fiance. It was revealed on his E! True Hollywood Story that he dated actress Reese Witherspoon during and after the making of their 1996 film
Fear (film). He has also been spotted with Rebecca Scheffer on double dates with his brother Arthur and Patty Allred.
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 has five tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman. The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety in his mouth on his ankle, a tattoo of his initials MW with Wahlberg through them on his upper right arm, and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his upper left arm. The final tattoo, which Wahlberg holds as his most meaningful, is the Holy Rosary, tattoed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart.
His father, Donald E. Wahlberg, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008.
Discography
With the Funky Bunch
With Prince Ital Joe
Mark Wahlberg in the news
Not Family Friendly? Cheetah Girls Out of the Thanksgiving Day Para...
Not Family Friendly? Cheetah Girls Out of the Thanksgiving Day ParadeFOXNews - 18 hours agoSo after having worked with Boston boy Mark Wahlberg on "Max Payne" and then Ben Affleck on the upcoming "Extract," Mila was given a great education of the ...
read moreMark Wahlberg Laments Lack of Role Models for Daughter - Celebrity ...
Celebrity Baby BlogMark Wahlberg Laments Lack of Role Models for DaughterCelebrity Baby Blog, NY - 7 hours agoMark Wahlberg tries to do the best that he can with everything in his life, but the one thing that he doesn't want to fail at is being a father to Ella Rae, ...
read moreBoogie Nights - Washington City Paper
Boogie NightsWashington City Paper, DC - 2 hours ago... Burt Reynolds and signaling the leading-man arrival of Mark Wahlberg, who ends the film with the damnedest helicopter scene this side of Apocalypse Now. ...
read moreWahlberg pleased with boys to men transition - Calgary Herald
Calgary HeraldWahlberg pleased with boys to men transitionCalgary Herald, Canada - Nov 18, 2008Donnie's brother Mark Wahlberg was briefly in the group as well, but quit when he didn't care for its musical direction. The five New Kids soon became an ...
read moreKeeping up with Tom and Gisele - Boston Globe (registration)
Keeping up with Tom and GiseleBoston Globe (registration), United States - Nov 18, 2008Not for actor and "Entourage" producer Mark Wahlberg, who is upset about people pestering him at church. "I go to church and people ask me if they can be on ...
read moreWahlberg returns to the dark side - Journal Live
Wahlberg returns to the dark sideJournal Live, UK - Nov 18, 2008Mark Wahlberg revisits his dark side in his latest video-game-inspired movie. Albertina Lloyd meets up with the former friend of the funky bunch. ...
read moreWahlberg gives life to dark hero - BBC News
BBC NewsWahlberg gives life to dark heroBBC News, UK - Nov 14, 2008By Michael Osborn Mark Wahlberg talks about his role in Max Payne, the latest in a long line of video games to be given a new lease of life by Hollywood. ...Mark Wahlberg stars in Max Payne ITNStars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Olga Kurylenko, Chris "Ludacris ... Northern EchoMax Payne and A Streetcar Named Desire - reviews Telegraph.co.ukThe Epoch Times - DVDTimes.co.ukall 37 news articles
read moreKate Moss not a fan of Mark Wahlberg...and vice versa - Boston Herald
Kate Moss not a fan of Mark Wahlberg...and vice versaBoston Herald, United States - Nov 15, 2008By Herald Wire Services Kate Moss didn’t have many nice things to say about her ’90s Calvin Klein underwear ad co-star Mark Wahlberg. ...
read moreMax battles the baddies - Fermanagh Herald (registration)
Max battles the baddiesFermanagh Herald (registration), UK - 15 hours agoMark Wahlberg plays the title character of an New York cop who is hell-bent on bloody (and deadly) revenge after his partner and family are killed by ...
read moreActress Mila Kunis says career highlight is battering Mark Wahlberg...
Hackney GazetteActress Mila Kunis says career highlight is battering Mark WahlbergGlasgow Sunday Mail, UK - Nov 16, 2008STUNNING Mila Kunis has won a string of high-profile acting roles - but says her career highlight is battering Mark Wahlberg in new movie Max Payne. ...Mark Wahlberg: Kate Moss looked like my nephew Marie Claire.co.ukReview: Max Payne Mirror.co.ukMax Payne film review Den Of GeekBarking & Dagenham Recorder - Boxwishall 23 news articles
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