Mark Wahlberg does on 5th June - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 44, at the end of this feature.
Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!
Sunday 31st May
- Clint Eastwood - Born 1930, turns 85 - Actor | Director | Producer | Composer | Songwriter
- Colin Farrell - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actor | Producer
- Tom Berenger - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Writer
- Brooke Shields - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actress | Producer
- Heidi Klum - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actress | Producer | Writer
- Morgan Freeman - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actor | Producer
- Robert Powell - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
- Brian Cox - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Producer
- Jonathan Pryce - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor
- Powers Booth - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actor
- Wentworth Miller - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor | Writer
- Kevin Feige - Born 1973, turns 42 - Producer
- Zachary Quinto - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
- Dominic Cooper - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actor
- Liam Cunningham - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor
- Dennis Haysbert - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
- Stacy Keach - Born 1941, turn s74 - Actor | Producer | Director
- James Purefoy - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor
- Imogen Poots - Born 1989, turns 26 - Actress
- Angeline Jolie - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actress | Producer | Director
- Russell Brand - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Producer
- Sean Pertwee - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor
- Bruce Dern - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
- Geoffrey Palmer - Born 1927, turns 88 - Actor | Television Personality
- Mark Wahlberg - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor | Producer | Singer
- Kathleen Kennedy - Born 1953, turns 62 - Producer
- Sandra Bernhard - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actress | Writer | Singer
- Jonathan Nolan - Born 1976, turns 39 - Writer | Producer | Director
- Jason Isaacs - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actor | Producer
- Robert Englund - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor | Director
- Paul Giamatti - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts to mother Alma Donnelly, a bank clerk and nursing assistant, and father Donald Edward Wahlberg, a Teamster and delivery driver. He is the youngest of nine children, with his siblings being Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (who died in 2003) and Donnie. Brothers Robert and Donnie are also film and television Actors. The family had a Roman Catholic upbringing and the young Mark attended Copley Square High School in Boston but dropped out at 13 years of age and so never graduated. He subsequently gained his High School Diploma in 2013.
As a young lad, Wahlberg had been on the wrong side of the law countless times involving serious run-ins with the Boston PD. By 13 he had a cocaine habit, and at 15 civil actions were brought against him for racist attacks on local citizens for which he showed no remorse. At 16, on the same day he viciously attacked two Vietnamese men on separate occasions, and subsequently was convicted with attempted murder, and pleaded guilty to assault. He was sentenced to two year jail time, but served only 45 days. Following in the footsteps of three of his brothers and a sister in prison, upon release he saw the error of his ways and sought to better his life, make amends and accept full responsibility for his actions.
Wahlberg's first brush with fame came with his brothers boy band 'New Kids on the Block' for which Mark was part of the original line up. After three months he quit and in 1990 formed his own band 'Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch' which garnered two hit singles 'Good Vibrations' and 'Wildside' off the 'Music for the People' debut album.
His acting debut came in 1993 on the TV film 'The Substitute'. A year later his big screen break came in 'The Renaissance Man' with Danny DeVito, and then in 1995 with Leonard DiCaprio in 'Basketball Diaries'. It was really 'Boogie Nights' in 1997 though as Dirk Digger in Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed film featuring an all star cast, that brought him to prominence.
He closed out the decade with 'Three Kings' with George Clooney before lurching into 'The Yards' with Joaquin Phoenix and Charlize Theron; 'The Perfect Storm' again with George Clooney, and 'The Planet of the Apes' reboot courtesy of Tim Burton in 2001. Another remake followed in 2003 with 'The Italian Job' with Wahlberg reprising the role of Charlie Croker made famous back in 1969 by Michael Caine. This in turn led to 'I heart Huckabees' a year later, then 'Four Brothers' with gridiron drama 'Invincible' before his acclaimed role in 'The Departed' for Martin Scorsese in 2006 and co-starring Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. For this he received nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe amongst others.
'The Shooter' came next with another cop drama that same year in 2007 with 'We Own the Night' before the critically panned 'The Happening' for M. Night Shyamalan, and the equally average 'Max Payne'. In between his Middle Earth exploits Peter Jackson Directed Wahlberg on 'The Lovely Bones' in 2009 before his next acclaimed role in 'The Fighter' with Christian Bale which garnered further award nominations.
2013 was a busy year with four new releases off the back of 'Ted' for Seth MacFarlane and 'Contraband' that gave us 'Broken City', 'Pain & Gain', '2 Guns' and then 'Lone Survivor'. Last year Michael Bay re-energised the hugely successful but flagging 'Transformers' franchise with Wahlberg at the helm this time around with 'Age of Extinction' which grossed over US$1.1B, and then the early 70's James Caan remake of 'The Gambler' also in 2014.
Due for release in 2015 is 'Mojave', with 'Ted 2' and 'Entourage' due this year soon. 'Daddy's Home' and 'Deepwater Horizon' both currently filming, and 'Patriot's Day' is rumoured for sometime thereafter. Throughout all of this there was also the hugely successful 'Entourage' TV Series built around Wahlberg's early life experiences in Hollywood - this has now spawned a spin-off movie due for imminent release in which he has both acting and Producer credits.
Wahlberg has 44 acting credits to his name, 22 Producer credits and numerous singer/songwriter credits. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards for 'The Fighter' and 'The Departed', two Golden Globes for the same, a BAFTA win for 'Entourage' in 2004, and numerous Primetime Emmy Awards giving a total career award wins tally of 21 to date, and a further 52 nominations.
He has been with fashion model Rhea Durham since 2001 and they married in mid-2009. They have four children - Ella Rae (born 2003), Michael (born 2006), Brendan Joseph (born 2008) and Grace Margaret (born 2010). He is a devout Roman Catholic and attends Church every day. He established the 'Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation' in 2001 to raise funds for youth services, and he is active in 'The Good Shepherd Centre' for homeless women & children.
Mark Wahlberg - a Bostonian, often typecast in tough guys roles, always looks like he's giving 110%, deeply Religious (although his dialogue rarely indicates this), an accomplished Actor, Producer, Singer and Songwriter, occasionally outspoken and controversial, but able to open a movie carrying a giant epic blockbuster or mainstream independent offering, and clearly bankable, watchable and dependable - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
