Before he started acting, Mark Wahlberg was best known as Marky Mark, the pants-dropping rapper who attained fame and notoriety with his group the Funky Bunch. In the tradition of Will Smith and Ice Cube, Wahlberg has made a successful transition from music to film, garnering particular early praise for his role in Boogie Nights.

Wahlberg wasn't nominated for an Oscar for his work in The Fighter but he helped lead his co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo to gold with his heartfelt performance. The film earned an impressive $130 million at the box office. Wahlberg is also a busy TV producer with four shows in various stages of production at HBO.

Born June 5, 1971, in Dorchester, MA, Wahlberg had a troubled early life. One of nine children, he dropped out of school at 16 (he would later earn his GED) and committed a number of minor felonies. After working various odd jobs, Wahlberg briefly joined brother Donnie and his group New Kids on the Block before forming his own, Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch.

As of 2015, Mark Wahlberg's fortune is valued at $225 million.