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01
On September 11, 2001, Wahlberg and some friends were originally booked on one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers. They changed plans at the last minute to charter a flight to Toronto for a film festival. He has said he still dreams about the near brush with death.
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02
His older sister Debbie passed away on September 2, 2003, leaving behind a teenage son. She died on the same day his first child, Ella Rae Wahlberg, was born.
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03
As a young teenager, Wahlberg was a drug dealer.
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04
Martin Scorsese directed Wahlberg to his first Academy Award nomination for playing Sgt. Sean Dignam in The Departed 2006. Wahlberg considers it one of his most proud roles.
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05
Twenty-five years after dropping out, Wahlberg received his high school diploma from Snowden International School in Massachusetts.
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06
While performing as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, he often wore only underpants on stage. Calvin Klein consequently asked him to model for its underwear line.
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07
As of 2008, he earned a reported $12-15 million per film plus a percentage of back-end profits.
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08
Wahlberg dropped out of school at age 13.
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09
He was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean’s Eleven 2001 but dropped out, and the role went to Matt Damon.
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10
He bought a $5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, California and moved his mother there.
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11
Wahlberg considers The Truth About Charlie 2002 his worst film.
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12
He was originally a member of New Kids on the Block but left before their big break.
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13
He has stated that his performance as Max Payne in Max Payne 2008 is his favorite role.
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14
Wahlberg was briefly sent to prison for two 1988 incidents where he attacked, beat, and yelled ethnic slurs at two Vietnamese men in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In the second attack, he permanently blinded a man in one eye.
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15
He has said he struggled with weight gain his whole life.
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16
Wahlberg is known for being nice and polite to fans who recognize him on the street.
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17
As a teenager, he spent about 60 days in the House of Correction in Massachusetts.
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18
He was the highest paid actor of 2017, earning $68 million.
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19
His father, Donald E. Wahlberg Sr., a veteran of the Korean War, passed away on February 14, 2008.
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20
He became a father for the first time at age 32 when his girlfriend now wife Rhea Durham gave birth to their daughter Ella Rae Wahlberg on September 2, 2003.
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21
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6259 Hollywood Boulevard on July 29, 2010.
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22
Through being a distant relative of Madonna, he is also a distant relative of Céline Dion.
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23
One of the ingredients in the cheeseburgers at his family restaurant is government cheese, which was provided to welfare recipients when he was a child. Wahlberg wanted the burgers to honestly reflect the working-class meals he grew up with.
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24
He has a tattoo of Bob Marley on his left shoulder.
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25
In 2014, he petitioned for a pardon as a convicted felon to become a law enforcement officer in Los Angeles, but dropped the petition in 2016.
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26
He married longtime partner Rhea Durham on August 1, 2009 at a private Catholic ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
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27
His music group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, debuted on The Arsenio Hall Show in the late 1980s.
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28
He is friends with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jimmy Butler, Sean Diddy Combs, and Will Ferrell.
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29
He became a father for the third time at age 37 when Rhea Durham gave birth to their son Brendan Joseph Wahlberg on September 16, 2008.
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30
He became a father for the fourth time at age 38 when Rhea Durham gave birth to daughter Grace Margaret Wahlberg on January 11, 2010.
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31
His older siblings include Arthur, James, Debbie, Michelle, Paul, Tracey, Robert, and Donnie Wahlberg. Half-siblings are Scott, Buddy, and Donna Wahlberg.
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32
He was a Calvin Klein underwear model in the early 1990s.
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33
He is a fan of all four major Boston sports teams: the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, and Boston Red Sox.
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34
His older brother Donnie Wahlberg was a member of New Kids on the Block.
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35
He narrated the documentary Juvies 2004 along with The Italian Job 2003 co-star Yasiin Bey.
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36
He was spoofed by Andy Samberg on Saturday Night Live, and later appeared on SNL going along with the joke.
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37
His favorite movie is Hard Times 1975 with Charles Bronson.
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38
He was friends with fellow rapper-turned-actor Will Smith in the early 1990s.
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39
In 2009, he paid $8.25 million for a 6.14-acre vacant lot in Beverly Park, Beverly Hills, to custom-build a mansion.
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40
He is brother-in-law of Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and cousin-in-law of Melissa McCarthy.
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41
His father was of half Swedish and half Irish descent; his mother’s ancestry is mostly Irish with French-Canadian, English, and Scottish roots.
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42
He was considered for the role of Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious 2001, which went to the late Paul Walker.
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43
He turned down the lead role in Assault on Precinct 13 2005, which went to Ethan Hawke.
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44
He is very close to his mother Alma Wahlberg.
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45
He was ranked #1 on VH1’s ‘Hottest Hotties of the 90’s’.
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46
He was considered and lobbied hard for the role of Neo in The Matrix, but Keanu Reeves was chosen.
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47
He was named one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
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48
He became a father for the second time at age 34 when Rhea Durham gave birth to their son Michael Wahlberg on March 21, 2006.
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49
He has a summer home in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
