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Here Are Some Things You Didn't Know About Mark Wahlberg On His 45th Birthday

Here Are Some Things You Didn't Know About Mark Wahlberg On His 45th Birthday

Happy birthday Marky Mark!

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

It's hard to believe but Marky Mark Wahlberg turns 45 (June 5, 1971) today! So we thought it was the perfect time to remember some of the crazy sh*t he's got up to over the years.

Bad beginnings

Wahlberg was the youngest of nine children born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Troubled as a teenager, he was arrested anywhere between 25 and 30 times by the police and had also developed a serious cocaine problem by the age of 13.

He also spent 45 days in prison after pleading guilty to attempted assault after beating up a Vietnamese shopkeeper with a stick.

His time behind bars convinced him to change his ways and since then, his career has gone from strength to strength.

Musical Madness

Wahlberg's older brother Donnie is famous for being part of New Kids on the Block, but what most people don't know is that Mark was also part of the original line-up of the group before quitting after just three months.

He is also distantly related to Madonna and Titanic songstress Celine Dion.

He continued in music as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, producing one major hit Good Vibrations.

What many don't know, however, is that he also starred in a computer game. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: Make My Video gave Mega CD owners the chance to edit their own music video starring the group. Game Informer gave it 0 out of 10 while PC World ranked it in their list of the 10 worst games ever made.

It was around that time Wahlberg also released the 1992 memoir Marky Mark, a book he genuinely dedicated to his penis in the preface. Shockingly, he regrets it now.

Movie Mayhem

Though his film debut came with Renaissance Man, Wahlberg's big breakthrough role was as Mickey in the Basketball Diaries alongside a young Leonardo DiCaprio. They would later become good friends even though DiCaprio didn't actually want Wahlberg in the film.

In his younger days, Wahlberg was a fan of marijuana and still boasts a Bob Marley tattoo on his left shoulder. He decided to quit smoking after becoming a father.

Wahlberg's other tattoos include Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird on his left ankle. Oh, and he also has a third nipple.

Dirking Around

He starred as Dirk Diggler in the 1997 movie Boogie Nights and the prosthetic penis used in the film was made out of plaster and had a special 'merkin' designed to match his pubic hair.

He kept hold of the prosthetic, keeping it in a desk drawer and occasionally bringing it out to slap friends with. Because what else would you do with a prosthetic penis?

The bulge seen in his trousers in the film was created using a woman's stocking filled with bird seed. Despite this information all being public knowledge, he's still often followed into the toilet.

Movie Misses

Wahlberg was all set to play the role of Linus Caldwell in Ocean's 11 before he was forced to drop out. Matt Damon took his place. He also came close to playing the part of Captain Kirk's dad in JJ Abram's Star Trek reboot.

Though he is proud of his performance as Sergeant Dingam in The Departed he once claimed that his favourite performance was in Max Payne.

Later Years

The actor and several friends were due to board doomed flight United 93 from Boston to LA on September 11th 2001 but, at the last moment, decided to hire a charter flight to go to a film festival in Toronto.

In December 2001, Wahlberg bought his mother a $5 million mansion based in Beverley Hills.

Muscle Man

He has his own two-story gym built into his house featuring a boxing ring and state-of-the-art sound system. It was previously an airport hangar.

The gym would have come in useful during preparations for Pain and Gain where Wahlberg ate 10 meals a day and drank mass gainers to get ready for the role. By the time filming began, he could bench-press 335 pounds.

David Beckham

He was not keen on the idea of David Beckham joining Major League Soccer at all.

I'm just not sure why he came to America in the first place. Man, we don't want your soccer. There's no way Americans are going to buy the idea of 90 minutes of running around without much happening. Thanks for trying guys, but we'll stick to baseball and basketball.

You may not like Becks but we still like you. Happy birthday, Marky Mark!

@JackBeresford86

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Mark Wahlberg