Biographic - Sunday August 21, 2005 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

BIOGRAPHIC e-mail: mac@stevemcgarry.com www.stevemcgarry.com 2005 Steve McGarry, Dist. by Universal Press Syndicate Mark Wahlberg, written and illustrated by Steve McGarry Mark Wahlberg was born in Boston on June 5, 1971, the youngest of nine children. As a young teen, he was offered an escape route from his tough environment when he and brother Donnie were recruited to join a pop band that was being formed. But life in New Kids on the Block was not to Mark's liking, and he soon quit. While Donnie went on to enjoy worldwide fame and fortune with the group, Mark dropped out of high school and straight into trouble. As Mark's brushes with the authorities escalated in seriousness, Donnie threw him a lifeline. He helped his troubled kid brother land a record deal, produced the music and helped whip up media coverage for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The single "Good Vibrations" was a 1991 international hit, and Mark was catapulted to stardom, thanks in no small part to his good looks and the buff physique that he unveiled at every opportunity, including spearheading a massive campaign for Calvin Klein underwear! by 1993, however, the hits were beginning to dry up and Mark had his sights set on another goal. He began to make his first forays into acting, appearing in the TV movie "the Substitute" and on the big screen in "Renaissance Man." He earned plaudits for his performance opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in 1995's gritty "the Basketball Diaries," and starred in the movies "Fear" and "Traveller." He starred in the likes of "Three Kings" and "The Perfect Storm," and with vehicles as diverse as "Planet of the Apes" and "Rock Star," demonstrated range and versatility. With "the Italian Job," he proved his ability to carry a box office hit, and he showed a flair for comedy in "I Heart Huckabees." The HBO series "Entourage" established his credentials as a producer, and with the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, he has demonstrated a commitment to give disadvantaged kids escape routes from the kinds of environment that once threatened to swallow him whole.

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