Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the youngest of nine siblings, including actor-singer Donnie Wahlberg and actor Robert Wahlberg. His mother, Alma Elaine, worked as a nurse’s aide and a bank clerk, while his father, Donald E. Wahlberg, was a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982, and Mark spent his time living between their homes.
Mark's ancestry is diverse—his father was of Irish and Swedish descent, while his mother had French-Canadian, English, and Irish roots. Through his mother, he is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Raised Roman Catholic, Wahlberg attended Copley Square High School in Boston but did not graduate at the time. He later earned his high school diploma in 2013.
In the early 1990s, Wahlberg emerged as a rapper under the stage name "Marky Mark." He gained fame as the frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The group released two albums: Music for the People and You Gotta Believe. Their debut album featured the hit single “Good Vibrations,” which significantly boosted Wahlberg's early career in entertainment.
Following his music success, Wahlberg transitioned to acting. He garnered attention for his roles in 1990s films such as Boogie Nights and Three Kings. In the 2000s, he expanded his profile with performances in notable films including the biographical disaster drama The Perfect Storm, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes (2001), and Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed crime thriller The Departed.
Wahlberg has continually showcased his versatility. He starred alongside Will Ferrell in the action-comedy The Other Guys and played a central role in the biographical sports drama The Fighter. His comedic talent was on display in films like Ted, while he took on more intense roles in the war drama Lone Survivor. He also headlined the science fiction action movie Transformers: Age of Extinction, part of the popular Transformers franchise.
| Net Worth 2021: | 350 million |
