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Early life -

Mark Wahlberg was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 5, 1971. He grew up in a blue collar neighborhood in a large Irish Catholic family. He was the youngest of nine children.

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Leaving school -

Wahlberg fell into bad habits at a young age and dropped out of school when he was 13. He got involved with criminal activities like stealing cars and selling drugs.

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Dark times -

Wahlberg says this was the darkest period of his life. He was involved with a gang, had multiple run-ins with the law, and he even says he was addicted to cocaine during that time.

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The assault -

It came to a head when he was 16 years old, and allegedly attacked two Vietnamese men without provocation. It was a violent attack, and one of the men was blinded in the altercation.

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Attempted murder charges -

Wahlberg was arrested and initially charged with attempted murder. The charge was later reduced to criminal contempt, to which he pled guilty. He could have received a maximum sentence of 10 years, but was ordered to spend two years in prison.

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Sentenced to two years -

Wahlberg was sent to the Deer Island House of Correction, one of Boston’s worst prisons. In the end, he only served 45 days of his two-year sentence before being released, but it was enough to convince him that he needed to change his life.

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Turning to religion -

Religion was a huge part of Wahlberg’s new path, and he’s still a devout Catholic to this day. His older brother, Donnie Wahlberg, also gave him a helping hand into a new career path.

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New Kids on the Block -

Donnie Wahlberg had found success in the music industry as a member of boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark Wahlberg joined the group initially, but left before they really hit the big time.

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Becoming Marky Mark -

Wahlberg worked as a bricklayer while he formed his own hip-hop group: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. His brother helped him get his first record deal, and the group released their first album in 1991.

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Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch -

The song ‘Good Vibrations’ was a smash hit and went straight to number one. What Wahlberg lacked in singing ability, he made up for with his charisma and good looks! His first album went platinum.

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The famous body -

Wahlberg had always taken a lot of pride in his physique, and frequently discarded all of his clothes while performing on stage.

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Modeling for Calvin Klein -

Within a short time, Wahlberg had diversified and signed a two-year contract to model underwear for Calvin Klein. He was a rising star, and his bad boy persona only added to his mystique.

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Offensive behavior -

In addition to his growing fame, Wahlberg was also developing a reputation for questionable behavior. It’s alleged that he used an offensive slur towards someone in Madonna’s entourage at a Hollywood party, which led to a highly-publicized altercation.

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Further scandals -

There was another scandal when Wahlberg appeared on a British talk show. A fellow guest on the show, Shabba Ranks, made blatantly homophobic comments, which Wahlberg was seen to condone.

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Time for a change -

Given his past incidents, Wahlberg’s reputation was in serious danger. He was 22 years old at this point, and he made another major career change into acting. He started out with a few small roles in TV movies.

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'The Basketball Diaries' (1995) -

In 1994, director Scott Kalvert cast him in the movie ‘The Basketball Diaries’ alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. It was a small but critically acclaimed film based on the early life of poet-musician Jim Carroll.

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A rising star -

Kalvert said it was Wahlberg’s exceptional charisma that attracted his attention. This would prove to be Wahlberg’s defining characteristic.

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'Boogie Nights' (1997) -

Wahlberg played a few smaller roles in significant ‘90s movies like ‘Fear’ (1996), but he solidified himself as a serious actor when he was cast as the lead in ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997). It was an instant classic with a star-studded cast including Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

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'Three Kings' (2000) -

Between 1998 and 2003, Wahlberg starred in eight different movies. He starred alongside George Clooney twice in the movies ‘Three Kings’ (1999) and ‘The Perfect Storm’ (2000).

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'Entourage' -

In 2004, Wahlberg tried his hand at producing a TV show, 'Entourage,’ which was based on his own experiences in Hollywood. The show got picked up by HBO and was a massive success.

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Producing with HBO -

This helped Wahlberg develop a relationship with HBO that allowed him to work as a producer on other projects. He also worked on the award-winning show ‘Boardwalk Empire’ starring Steve Buscemi.

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'The Departed' (2006) -

In 2006, his career as an actor reached new heights. He was cast as one of the main characters in Martin Scorsese’s gritty crime drama ‘The Departed,’ alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. His performance earned him his first Oscar nomination.

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'The Fighter' (2010) -

Wahlberg earned critical acclaim again in 2010 with the movie ‘The Fighter.’ He starred as Mickey Ward, an Irish Catholic from a poor family trying to make it as a boxer in Boston. The movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and Wahlberg was nominated for a Golden Globe.

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Comedy success -

A few years later, Wahlberg tried his hand at comedy with major success. He starred in the Seth McFarland comedy ‘Ted’ (2012). It was the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time.

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Finding love -

In 2009, Wahlberg married his long-time girlfriend, Rhea Durham. Durham is a professional model he met in New York. According to Wahlberg, he asked her to go to church with him for their first date.

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The Wahlberg family -

The couple have now been together for more than 10 years and have four children together: Ella, Michael, Brendan, and Grace.

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Wahlberg shares his secrets -

Wahlberg has been known for his impressive physique throughout his long career. He’s managed to maintain the look of a bodybuilder for over 30 years! Naturally, fans were curious about how he does it. Luckily, social media makes it a lot easier to share.

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The viral daily routine -

Wahlberg’s insane daily routine went viral when he shared it on Instagram in 2018. Get this: it starts at 2:30 am. He wakes up, prays for half an hour, then starts an incredible cycle of meals and workouts.

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The viral daily routine -

He eats seven times a day, works out two or three times, attends to his work obligations like meetings and phone calls, gets in a round of golf and a quick spell in his cryochamber, makes sure to include some family time in the evening, and then goes to bed at 7:30 pm. Maybe that level of dedication explains the success he has achieved in all aspects of his life!

Sources: (Biography) (Business Insider) (BBC) (Distractify) 

See also: Hilariously embarrassing celebrity parents

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