Mark Wahlberg is an Oscar-nominated actor with a whopping $400 million net worth. But his rise to fame and fortune wasn't an easy one. Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts and is the youngest of nine children. His mother, Alma Elaine was a bank clerk and a nurse's aide, and his father, Donald Edmond Wahlberg Sr. was a delivery driver and an army veteran. By age 13, the Boogie Nights star had developed an addiction to drugs. He did not receive his high school diploma until June 2013, at the age of 42.In June 1986, a 15-year-old Wahlberg and three friends chased and racially harassed three black children. The following year, Wahlberg perpetrated another racist assault. He was just 16 when he assaulted a middle-aged Vietnamese-American man on the street. Later the same day, Wahlberg attacked another Vietnamese-American, punching him in the eye. He was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to felony assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail. But he only served 45 days of his sentence. In August 1992, Wahlberg fractured the jaw of his neighbor "without provocation or cause" according to court documents.In 2006, Wahlberg said the right thing for him to do would be to meet with the Vietnamese man who he punched in the eye. He apologized to victim Johnny Trinh who publicly forgave him. The Hollywood star was raised Catholic and cites his faith for turning his life around - Wahlberg prays and reads the Bible daily. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that he goes to church twice on Sundays. "Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life," he told the Catholic Herald.
Mark Wahlberg Hosted A Ceremony For Pope Francis
In 2015, Mark Wahlberg made an appearance at the World Meeting of Families in September, which Pope Francis attended. During the festival in Philadelphia, Wahlberg made a joke about his raunchy movie Ted.
Bobby Hill, 14, of the Keystone State Boychoir performed an opera solo, and told the actor that he liked his performance in the movie about an angry talking teddy bear.
"He whispered in my ear that he liked the movie 'Ted,'" Wahlberg said. "I told him that was not appropriate for his age. Holy Father, please forgive me." Wahlberg joked.
In an interview with Adweek, the actor said that while he was honored to meet Pope Francis, but doesn’t think the feeling was necessarily mutual. “He’s not one to watch television or go to the movies, so I don’t think he knew who I was,” Wahlberg, 51, told the magazine. “It’s nice to meet somebody who doesn’t want to ask you a bunch of questions. He was probably annoyed by me, but it was an honor.”
Wahlberg later called the experience “very, very, very special,” and revealed that he had his personal rosary blessed by Francis. “You talk about a busy guy,” Wahlberg told Adweek. “I’ve been around presidents and everybody else, and there’s never been so many people from so many walks of life so excited to just get a glimpse of somebody. It was really amazing.”
Mark Wahlberg Starts Off His Day 'Praying On His Hands On Knees'
Mark Wahlberg spoke to religious website Grotto about his Catholic faith and how it shapes his everyday life.
"It’s a process. That’s why I start my day by getting on my hands and my knees and starting a time of prayer and reading. I feel like I can go out there and conquer the world. I left school at an early age. I quit school at 13, ended up getting into a lot of trouble. I mean, incarcerated, tried as an adult at 16, 17. When I heard the jail doors close behind me, I started praying right away," he revealed.
"We all make mistakes. God knows I’ve made many mistakes, but you have to keep moving forward. God is so good, so forgiving. You have to have faith in yourself and that you can turn the situation around. We’re always going to deal with heartache, and struggle, and loss, and failure, and disappointment, and those things, but having faith and knowing the big picture, I mean, even a hundred years is a very short time, so the idea and the promise of eternity in heaven is a very beautiful thing to me."
Mark Wahlberg Is Making Up For His Past Mistakes
At the age of 16, Mark Wahlberg robbed a convenience store, resulting in a conviction of assault and theft. It was that time in jail that prompted him to make a change by turning his attention to his faith.
"I had to make the choice personally, and then I had to focus on my faith." he explained. "And my faith has really allowed me to overcome a lot of things. And hard work. You know, nothing comes easy especially when you've got your back against the wall and you've got a lot going against you. But I wanted to prove to people through my actions, and not my words, that I was going to change."