Favorite Birthday Boy for June 5th

Mark Wahlberg
From: Favorite Hunks & Other Things

 Marky Mark Wahlberg whose torso I still strive for turns 43 today. 

 Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, producer, model, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, becoming famous for his 1991 debut as front man with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He later transitioned to acting, and is now known for his roles in films including Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Rock Star (2001), The Italian Job (2003), The Departed (2006), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, The Other Guys (2010), The Fighter (2010), Ted (2012) and Lone Survivor (2013). He has also served as executive producer of three HBO series: Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, and How to Make It in America.

 Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of nine children, with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died in 2003 at age 43), and Donnie. Wahlberg's mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and Wahlberg's father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982 and from that moment he divided his time between them. His father was of half Swedish and half Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Irish, English, and French Canadian descent. Maternally, Wahlberg is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Wahlberg had a Roman Catholic upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Boston. He received his high school diploma in June 2013.

 In the early 1990s, Wahlberg dated former child actress Soleil Moon Frye. Wahlberg has been in a relationship with model Rhea Durham since 2001 and they were married on August 1, 2009 at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. The couple have four children, Ella Rae (born September 2, 2003), Michael Robert (born March 21, 2006), Brendan Joseph (born September 16, 2008)[46] and Grace Margaret (born January 11, 2010). In a 2011 interview with USA Weekend, Wahlberg stated that he had taken his children to visit his old Dorchester neighborhood: "I want them to know that not everyone is as fortunate and how important it is to work hard and give back."

 Wahlberg's father, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on February 14, 2008.

 Wahlberg is a committed Roman Catholic and attends church daily. His wife converted from Baptist to Catholic. Wahlberg said, "Rhea grew up Baptist but she wanted to be baptized and confirmed as Catholic before we got married, which took some time. Also, we wanted to get married here in California but we wanted Fr Flavin from Boston to do it, so we had to work out that timing. Then there were my movie commitments. Then Rhea got pregnant and she didn’t want to do it when she was bigger so we had to wait till the dress fitted again… it was a number of factors really." While he is impressed with Pope Francis, whom he calls "awesome", he has said he does not agree with the church's view on gay marriage, which he supports.

 Actively involved in charity, Wahlberg established the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in May 2001 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs. Wahlberg is also active with The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children. In an interview, Mark said that it's important to let the homeless know that people care about them and are working to help the impoverished get back on their feet. Wahlberg served on the Honorary Board of Jerry Sandusky's The Second Mile children's charity before Sandusky's 2011 arrest on child sex abuse charges.

 Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists, including Paul Timman. The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety Bird in his mouth on his ankle, a design of his initials on his upper right arm, and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his upper left arm. The final tattoo, which Wahlberg holds as his most meaningful, is the rosary tattooed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart. On January 9, 2012, Wahlberg was a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman. He spoke about his tattoos and stated he is in the process of having them removed. Initially he was told it would take 8–10 laser treatments, however he required over 30 treatments and is still in the process of getting them removed. He cited his career and children as the reason for the removal of the tattoos. His first tattoo was as a young teenager and it was of a shamrock. As it was not professionally done, he said the shamrock was not straight and had the Tweety Bird tattoo placed over it after arriving in Los Angeles.