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|''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]''||Jack Salmon|| filming
|''[[The Lovely Bones (film)|The Lovely Bones]]''||Jack Salmon|| filming
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|rowspan="2"| ''2009'' ||''[[The Fighter]]''||[[Micky Ward]]|| pre-production
|rowspan="3"| ''2009'' ||''[[The Fighter]]''||[[Micky Ward]]|| pre-production
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|''[[The Brazilian Job]]''||[[Charlie Croker]]|| announced
|''[[The Brazilian Job]]''||[[Charlie Croker]]|| announced
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||''[[Friday The 13th]]'' ||[[Ricky]]|| announced
|''[[Friday The 13th]]'' ||[[Ricky]]|| announced
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Revision as of 01:16, 19 February 2008

For the actor and television game show host, see Mark L. Walberg.
Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg at the Shooter premiere in London
Born
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
Other namesMarky Mark
Monk D
PartnerRhea Durham
ChildrenElla Rae (b.2003)
Michael (b. 2006)
AwardsBSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor
2006 The Departed
NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor
2006 The Departed
NBR Award for Best Cast
2006 The Departed

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 one 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.[5][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.[6]

As a young teenager, Wahlberg described himself as a troubled child who 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. By the age of 13 Wahlberg had developed a serious addiction to cocaine and other substances.[7] At 15 he harassed a group of African American school children on a field trip by throwing rocks (causing injuries) and shouting epithets.[8] When he was sixteen, Wahlberg knocked a middle aged Vietnamese man unconscious with a wooden stick, left another Vietnamese man permanently blinded in one eye, and attacked a security guard.[9][10][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 2 years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days.[9][11] In yet another incident when he was 21 Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.[12]

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.

File:Skycover.jpg
SKY Magazine cover from November 1993 featuring Wahlberg in his Marky Mark persona.

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 agreed with them. 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".[4]

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[13] 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.[14][15] Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair's annual Hall of Fame issue.[16] During concert performances, he was known for stripping to his briefs and grabbing his crotch.[17] 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.[4] 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 of the same name.

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.[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 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.[19]

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.[20]

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 Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.[21][22]

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.[23] He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood[24] and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that this was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible".[25] He is now to star as Jack Salmon in Peter Jackson's film of The Lovely Bones.[26]

Personal life

Wahlberg is a practicing Roman Catholic.[27][28][4] He dated actress Jordana Brewster and his co-star in the film The Big Hit, China Chow. Mark has two children—Ella Rae born September 2, 2003 and Michael born March 22, 2006[29] with Rhea Durham. 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.

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.[30]

His father, Donald, died on Valentines Day in 2008.[31]

Discography

With the Funky Bunch

Album Information
Music for the People
  • Released: 1991
  • Chart Positions: #21 US
  • 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"

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

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Renaissance Man Pvt. Tommy Lee Haywood
1995 The Basketball Diaries Mickey
1996 Fear David McCall
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 ♥ Huckabees Tommy Corn
2005 Four Brothers Bobby Mercer
2006 Invincible Vince Papale
The Departed Sgt. Sean Dignam oscar nominated
2007 Shooter Bob Lee Swagger
We Own the Night Capt. Joseph Grusinsky
2008 The Happening Elliot Moore post-production
Max Payne Max Payne pre-production
The Lovely Bones Jack Salmon filming
2009 The Fighter Micky Ward pre-production
The Brazilian Job Charlie Croker announced
Friday The 13th Ricky announced

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 Stated in interview at Inside the Actors Studio
  5. ^ "www.wargs.com/other/wahlberg.html".
  6. ^ "www.boston.k12.ma.us/schools/rc633/rc633sb.htm".
  7. ^ http://www.markwahlbergfan.com/article_vanityfair.htm
  8. ^ "Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Michael Guilfoyle, Derek Furkart, and Mark Wahlberg". Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  9. ^ a b "Criminal Complaint In the Suffolk County Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1988". Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  10. ^ "Commonwealth v. Mark R. Wahlberg". Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  11. ^ "abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2509542&page=1".
  12. ^ "Crehan vs. Mark Wahlberg and Derek McCall". Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  13. ^ "www.davidtoc.com/ck/ckmodel.cfm?Model_ID=14".
  14. ^ "www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h0S80qdjOI".
  15. ^ "www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1RlmYKJbWw".
  16. ^ "www.jossip.com/category/annie-leibovitz/".
  17. ^ "www.youtube.com/watch?v=ron0kFPbQdM".
  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://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21263043.shtml Article about Wahlberg confirming The Departed 2 in the works. Accessed 2007-02-09.
  22. ^ http://movies.ign.com/articles/761/761346p1.html IGN.com article about Departed 2 problems. Accessed 2007-02-09.
  23. ^ "Shooter interview".
  24. ^ "Actor Mark Wahlberg says he plans to retire at age 40".
  25. ^ "HBO interview".
  26. ^ Cardy, Tom (23 October 2007). "Lovely Bones' Gosling in shock exit". Dominion Post. Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "www.adherents.com/people/pw/Mark_Wahlberg.html".
  28. ^ "www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21271373.shtml".
  29. ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1175924,00.html
  30. ^ "markwahlbergyouthfoundation.com".
  31. ^ Donald E. Wahlberg

External links

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