Mark's Story
Mark's Story
About Mark
Actor and former rapper Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born on June 5, 1971, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Wahlberg grew up the youngest of nine children in a working-class family.
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Wahlberg's career began as the lead singer in the band, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Its debut album, Music for the People, featured two hit singles "Good Vibrations" and "Wildside", which catapulted the album to platinum status.
Boogie Nights and Film Stardom
Soon after, Wahlberg transitioned to acting, with his screen debut in Renaissance Man (1993) and his first starring role in Fear (1997). He received critical praise for his performance in Boogie Nights. In 2001, he ventured into big budget action-oriented movies such as Planet of the Apes and The Italian Job. In 2005, he appeared in the neo-crime drama The Departed, for which he earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
For the biographical sports drama The Fighter (in which he also starred as the lead), Wahlberg achieved an Academy Award nomination as Producer for Best Picture. In the 2010s, he landed successful comedy roles with Ted and its sequel and became the protagonist in the Transformers franchise. Wahlberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 29, 2010. Wahlberg has also served as executive producer of four HBO series: the comedy-drama Entourage (2004–2011), the period crime drama Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014), and the comedy-dramas How to Make It in America (2010–2011) and Ballers (2015–present).
In 2014, Wahlberg launched another small screen project, appearing as himself, along with brothers Donnie and Paul, on Wahlburgers. Airing on A&E, the show focuses on (and takes its name from) the Wahlberg family's hamburger restaurant in Hingham, Massachusetts. In 2016, Wahlberg took on a role that hit close to home in Patriots Day, about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. He remained busy into 2017, battling machines from space again in Transformers: The Last Knight and sparring with Will Ferrell in Daddy's Home 2.
Professional Ventures
Mark Wahlberg recorded his highest-ever payday thanks to soaring fees for movies such as Daddy's Home 2 and Transformers: The Last Knight. His movies have grossed $5.3 billion worldwide, but he's not limited to the big screen: He and his family appears on A&E in Wahlburgers, a reality show based on their fast-food restaurants, which are located in 17 states.
He's honed his body and his craft to be unstoppable. Now, that fit-to-survive philosophy has paved the way for a 30+ year career in Hollywood and several business endeavors – including PI Nutrition. Frustrated with the prevalence of synthetic ingredients and the lack of results, Mark teamed up with Tom Dowd to create an affordable line of all-natural whey protein powders, sports nutrition bars, and training supplements to help people perform at their highest level. In addition to Performance Inspired Nutrition, Mark also owns a high-performance water brand called Aqua Hydrate.
The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation
Established in May 2001 by Mark and Jim Wahlberg, lifelong members and advocates of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation was established for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs, which assist in making the dreams and ultimate potential of inner city youth become a reality. The mission of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation is to ensure that no child is limited or prevented from attaining their lifetime goal or dream due to financial circumstances. Our goal is to remove and eliminate barriers that prevent youth from succeeding. Help me make a difference.
