Born in the area of Dorchester in Boston Mark Wahlberg didn’t have the easiest of childhoods.
The youngest of nine children, raised by their mother after his parent divorced when hew was eleven, Wahlberg in his youth slipped into crime after he dropped out from high school at the age of 14.
He quickly got drawn into a life of petty crime and drugs, he made a habit of car jacking and often indulged in the drugs he was selling.
At the age of 16 though his life was turned around when he was arrested and sentenced to prison for 50 days after being convicted of assault against two Vietnamese men he had tried to rob.
After coming out of jail a new man, he, alongside his older brother Donnie, were approached to be part of a new music group being set up called New Kids On The Block. Mark refused, disagreeing with the bands squeaky clean image, but Donnie joined and the band became an enormous success.
Using his new found fame, Donnie got Mark a recording contract, despite Mark’s questionable vocal talent. The executives loved his ‘bad boy’ attitude, dance moves and physique though and made him into a hip-hop act. After finding a DJ and a dance troupe, he became the head of Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch.
After being given a couple of songs by Donnie, he soared to success, is first album being a smash hit and propelled him to stardom, although his tendency to strip down to his underwear while on stage.
With this in mind Calvin Klein made him the face of their latest underwear advertising campaign. With his, well, mainly torso, slapped across billboards world wide, Mark Wahlberg musical career had reached its high point.
News came out though about his assault convictions though, and allegations of racism on his part took his career down an unwanted path.
After also appearing to condone homophobic comments on a chat show made by rapper Shabba Ranks, his second album flopped and his appeal soon died, leaving Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch dead, all of which wasn’t helped by further charges of assault against a security guard.
Wahlberg needed a fresh start, and decided to try a career in acting. Making his debut in comedy movie Renaissance Man in 1994, playing the role of an army private.
Despite fears, he performed well, and went on to secure roles in both biopic The Basketball Diaries and Travellers before taking on his first lead role in 1996 thriller Fear alongside Reese Witherspoon.
It was a year later when he would get his break out role though as Eddie Adams in the drama Boogie Nights, a film centred around the adult movie industry. The movie saw him become an overnight hit in the acting world, and he began to get much bigger roles, with him securing lead roles in Three Kings, The Perfect Storm and the remake of The Italian Job over the next few years.
As his acting career took off, so did his personal life.
After setting up the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in 2001 to help build youth programs to stop what happened to him happening to many more children, the actor has gone on to become a father three times with model Rhea Durham, who he married in August last year, and they are currently expecting their forth child together.
Now settled down, his greatest role came a few years later in Boston based crime movie The Departed. Directed by master of the genre Martin Scorsese, The Departed cast Wahlberg as tough Boston cop Dignam, a role which he excelled in.
Going back to his native routes, Wahlberg’s aggressive acting style suited the character perfectly, making him easily a match for either Leonardo DiCaprio of Matt Damon in the film, earning him both an Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his acting.
Whilst excelling in supporting roles such as Dignam, or in ensemble casts such as Three Kings, Wahlberg still has to convince as a genuine Hollywood leading man.
When given the main roles, Wahlberg’s often been hugely disappointed, something not helped by some simply awful role choices. Whilst he turned down the lead role for Brokeback Mountain, he’s made such disasters as remake of Planet of the Apes, The Happening and most recently, Max Payne.
With his upcoming performance in The Lovely Bones, he’ll hope to dispel the doubts around him and take himself to the next level as an actor. But with such a strong cast as this film has, and so far only Stanley Tucci getting nominated at the Golden Globes for his supporting role, perhaps this might not be the solo break that Wahlberg needs.
That might just come with next years Fighter though. Starring as boxer Mickey Ward, the biopic might just be the role he’s been waiting for, bringing his aggressive charm to the front again.
With comedy cop film The Other Guys out as well next year, the future looks good for the man who at one point used to be bricklayer.
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