The Dark Past of Mark Wahlberg
The Dark Story of Mark Wahlberg
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Behind that easy smile… there’s a seriously troubled past. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be discussing The Dark Story of Mark Wahlberg. Come along as we take a closer look at the life of this A-list celebrity to delve into some of its most upsetting chapters. Mark Wahlberg has achieved the sort of success that few dare to dream about. From his modelling and music career, he transitioned into acting, earning himself both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. In 2017, he was the highest paid actor in the world. Over the years, he’s found similar success behind the scenes as a television and film producer. Wahlberg is also the co-owner of a burger chain, Wahlburgers, which, coupled with other ventures including StockX, Aquahydrate, a Chevrolet dealership and a cricket team, makes him quite the business man. Instantly recognizable and a household name, Mark Wahlberg is just about as big as they come. What many people don’t know, however, is that Mark Wahlberg has a dark past. And we’re not talking about the sort of minor skeletons that all celebrities have in their closet. Wahlberg has made mistakes that could have ruined his life and which, by all rights, should have prevented him from ever attaining any mainstream success. Because before becoming the big screen icon and businessman he is today, Mark Wahlberg led a VERY different life. Mark Wahlberg was born on June 5th, 1971 in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood to parents Alma Elaine and Donald Edmond Wahlberg. His father was a teamster and delivery driver, his mother a bank clerk and nurse’s assistant. Mark’s upbringing was a decidedly working class one in keeping with the socio-economic situation of the Dorchester neighborhood at that time. As the youngest of nine children, you can only assume that the family’s finances were usually stretched quite thin. When he was 11, his parents got divorced, and this seemingly proved a turning point in his life for the worse. According to locals who grew up in Dorchester around the same time as Mark and his siblings, the Wahlbergs were a big presence in the neighborhood - one that people knew to steer clear of. They were described as a “tough crowd”. Mark was enrolled at Boston’s Copley Square High School, but by the age of 14, he had dropped out, and that was arguably the least of his problems. By the shockingly young age of just 13 years old, Wahlberg had already developed a serious cocaine habit, and was abusing other substances as well. As he told Vanity Fair, he thanks God that he was never exposed to heroin, because he’s certain that he wouldn’t have hesitated to try it. Many celebrities have had to struggle with addiction, and Wahlberg is not alone in having been exposed to drugs at a young age. But teenage Mark Wahlberg didn’t limit his bad behavior to self-destruction. Apart from the drug abuse, his other pastimes included stealing cars, selling drugs, mugging wealthier kids around Boston and frequently getting into fights. But this soon evolved into racially-motivated attacks. In 1986, shortly after Wahlberg’s 15th birthday, he and three friends were accused of targeting three black children. According to court documents, they threatened them, told them they were unwelcome in the neighborhood, and chased after them, throwing rocks while chanting racial slurs and murder threats. The incident only ended when the kids took refuge in a Burger King. The next day, Wahlberg and two of the three friends noticed one of the black children out on a field trip at Savin Hill Beach. They quickly picked up where they left off, harassing the 12-year old boy, yelling racial slurs, threatening him and throwing rocks. Wahlberg and his friends were brought to court for having infringed upon the civil rights of the victims. Though this might have served as a wake-up call for many, not Wahlberg. Less than two years later, in April of 1988, he assaulted two different Vietnamese men.Wahlberg beat the first over the head with a piece of wood, leaving the man unconscious. The second, he punched in the eye. Both attacks were clearly racially-motivated as he made numerous racist remarks during the attack and following his arrest. When brought to the scene of the crime, he didn’t attempt to deny it. Instead, he proudly declared: "I'll tell you now that's the mother-f***er whose head I split open." Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, but wound up instead pleading guilty to felony assault, resulting in a two year prison sentence, of which he only actually served 45 days before being released. He seemingly attempted to turn over a new leaf at this point in his life. Rather than continue to revel in a life of crime, he sought spiritual guidance from the church and began pursuing a career in modeling, acting and music. Unfortunately, even as he began to find success, he continued to do and say troubling things. In 1992, he was accused of breaking his neighbor’s jaw in an allegedly unprovoked attack. Around the same time, he voiced support for a reggae star after the latter said that homosexuals should be “crucified”. As the nineties faded into the background, so too did Mark Wahlberg’s rap sheet and the collective memory of his violence and bigotry. The new millennium saw Mark Wahlberg ascend to great heights of success. His crimes rarely came up anymore, that is until he reminded everyone of them by seeking a pardon in 2014. Critics felt that his attempt to wipe the slate clean showed a lack of ownership over his past acts of hatred. Others saw it as a symptom of the privilege enjoyed by white male celebrities. It was a major controversy. Thankfully, in 2016, Wahlberg abandoned his quest for a pardon and retroactively expressed regret over ever having ever pursued it. Mark Wahlberg’s evolution has certainly been slower and more fraught than most would like, but he has made significant efforts to become a better person over the years. Though the pardon was, by his own admission, a bad idea, it did provide him with an opportunity to meet with one of his 1988 assault victims and apologize properly. The victim, Johnny Trinh, forgave the actor, stating that “everyone deserves another chance”. And thankfully, Mark Wahlberg seems committed to making the most of his opportunities by actively seeking to be a good father to his children and giving back via his work with dozens of charities, including his own organization, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
