Mark Wahlberg

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For the actor and television game show host, see Mark L. Walberg.
Mark Wahlberg

Wahlberg at the Shooter premiere in London, March 2007
Born Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
June 5, 1971 (1971-06-05) (age 37)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Other name(s) Marky Mark
Monk D
Years active 1993 - present
Marky Mark
Birth name Mark Robert Wahlberg
Also known as Monk D
Born June 5, 1971 (1971-06-05) (age 37)
Origin Boston, Massachusetts
Genre(s) Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper
Actor
Years active 1991 - 1997
Label(s) Interscope Records
Atlantic Records
Ultraphonic Records
Associated acts The Funky Bunch
Prince Ital Joe
Donnie Wahlberg
New Kids on the Block

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA-winning American actor, former rapper 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.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, he is the youngest of nine children,[1] 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.[2][3][4] Wahlberg is of Swedish, Irish and French Canadian descent.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] At fifteen he harassed a group of African American school children on a field trip by throwing rocks (causing injuries) and shouting epithets.[7] When he was sixteen (again using racist language) after robbing a pharmacy under the influence of PCP, Wahlberg knocked a middle aged Vietnamese man unconscious, left another Vietnamese man permanently blinded in one eye, and attacked a security guard.[8][9][4] Wahlberg has said that he has no recollection of the incident because he passed out just before the police caught him.[4] For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged for attempted murder, pled guilty to assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days.[8][10] In yet another incident, a 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.[11]

[edit] 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 Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

SKY Magazine
SKY Magazine

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. In the video, widely broadcast on music video channels, Mark was shown boxing, lifting weights and showing off his bare, well-muscled torso. [12] 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 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.[13] 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".[4]

[edit] Advertising career

Wahlberg was known for his impressive physique.[4] He first displayed it in the Good Vibrations music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein[14] 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.[4] Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss.[15][16] Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair's annual Hall of Fame issue.[17] He also made a workout video entitled The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

[edit] 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.[4] A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of critics after appearing in The Basketball Diaries in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book of the same name.

He has earned many positive reviews after successful movies like Boogie Nights as Dirk Diggler, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, The Italian Job, and Four Brothers.[4] 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.[18] 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.[19]

Wahlberg recently starred in the American football drama, Invincible, based on the true story of bartender 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.[20]

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.[21]

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.[22] He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood[23] and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that this was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible".[24] He is now to star as Jack Salmon in Peter Jackson's film of The Lovely Bones.[25] 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 starred in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening as Eliot Moore, which was released on June 13th, 2008.

[edit] 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.[26]

[edit] Personal life

Wahlberg is a practicing Roman Catholic.[27][4] 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. They broke up for 3 months after their daughter was born in 2003. He has two children—Ella Rae born September 2, 2003 and Michael born March 22, 2006. He is expecting his third child, a boy, due in September 2008.[28] 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. 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.[29]

Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman[30]. The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety in his mouth on his ankle and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his left arm.

His father, Donald E. Wahlberg, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008.[31]

Mark Wahlberg is left-handed. He has been spotted using his left hand to write in many of his movies including Shooter and The Italian Job.

[edit] Discography

[edit] With the Funky Bunch

Album Information
Music for the People
  • Released: 1991
  • Chart Positions: #21 US, #1 Heatseekers
  • Last RIAA certification: Platinum
  • Singles: "Good Vibrations", "Wildside", "I Need Money", "Peace"
You Gotta Believe
  • Released: 1992
  • Chart Positions: #67 US, #66 R&B/Hip-Hop
  • Last RIAA certification: Gold
  • Singles: "You Gotta Believe", "Gonna Have A Good Time"

[edit] With Prince Ital Joe

Album Information
Life in the Streets
  • Released: 1994
  • Chart Positions:
  • Last RIAA certification: Gold
  • Singles: "Life in the Streets", "United", "Happy People"
The Remix Album

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Renaissance Man Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood
1995 The Basketball Diaries Mickey
1996 Fear David McCall first lead acting role
1997 Traveller Pat O'Hara
Boogie Nights Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler
1998 The Big Hit Melvin Smiley
1999 The Corruptor Danny Wallace
Three Kings SFC Troy Barlow
2000 The Yards Leo Handler
The Perfect Storm Bobby Shatford
2001 Planet of the Apes Capt. Leo Davidson
Rock Star Chris 'Izzy' Cole
2002 The Truth About Charlie Joshua Peters
2003 The Italian Job Charlie Croker
2004 I Heart Huckabees Tommy Corn
2005 Four Brothers Bobby Mercer
2006 Invincible Vince Papale
The Departed SSgt. Sean Dignam Oscar Nominated
2007 Shooter Bob Lee Swagger
We Own the Night Capt. Joseph Grusinsky
2008 The Happening Elliot Moore
Max Payne Max Payne post-production
2009 The Lovely Bones Jack Salmon post-production
The Fighter Micky Ward pre-production

[edit] References

  1. ^ cbs4denver.com/entertainment/entertainment_story_078124235.html.
  2. ^ movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800024619/bio.
  3. ^ www.filmreference.com/film/35/Mark-Wahlberg.html.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Inside the Actors Studio - Mark Wahlberg (Pt. 1). Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  5. ^ www.boston.k12.ma.us/schools/rc633/rc633sb.htm.
  6. ^ http://www.markwahlbergfan.com/article_vanityfair.htm
  7. ^ Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Michael Guilfoyle, Derek Furkart, and Mark Wahlberg. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  8. ^ a b Criminal Complaint In the Suffolk County Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1988. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  9. ^ Commonwealth v. Mark R. Wahlberg. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  10. ^ abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2509542&page=1.
  11. ^ Crehan vs. Mark Wahlberg and Derek McCall. Retrieved on 2007-09-29.
  12. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnzgNAzquCw.
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qp-Gx9JylE.
  14. ^ www.davidtoc.com/ck/ckmodel.cfm?Model_ID=14.
  15. ^ www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h0S80qdjOI.
  16. ^ www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1RlmYKJbWw.
  17. ^ www.jossip.com/category/annie-leibovitz/.
  18. ^ www.filmfodder.com/archive/oceans11.
  19. ^ www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/02/28/brokeback_mountain_script_creeped_out_ma.
  20. ^ www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/awards.
  21. ^ http://movies.ign.com/articles/761/761346p1.html IGN.com article about Departed 2 problems. Accessed 2007-02-09.
  22. ^ Shooter interview.
  23. ^ Actor Mark Wahlberg says he plans to retire at age 40.
  24. ^ HBO interview.
  25. ^ Cardy, Tom. "Lovely Bones' Gosling in shock exit", Dominion Post, 23 October 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-23. 
  26. ^ http://www.pcworld.ca//news/column/e77c835a0a0104080187a604de11aeb4/pg0.htm
  27. ^ www.adherents.com/people/pw/Mark_Wahlberg.html.
  28. ^ Mark Wahlberg to Become Third-Time Dad
  29. ^ markwahlbergyouthfoundation.com.
  30. ^ Dunlop Tires (November 1, 2005). "Sunset Strip Artist To Ink Dunlop Treads At SEMA Show". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
  31. ^ Donald E. Wahlberg - BostonHerald.com

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Wahlberg, Mark Robert Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mark, Marky
SHORT DESCRIPTION Academy Award-nominated American actor, television producer and rap musician
DATE OF BIRTH June 5, 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH