Donnie Wahlberg shot to fame with the popular singing group New Kids on the Block, quickly winning the reputation as the group's resident bad boy, counting among his several run-ins with the law during the group's heyday an alleged arson in a Kentucky hotel (charges were subsequently dropped). While his greatest fame came with the pop group, Wahlberg followed his younger brother Mark's successful transformation from rapper to model to actor with a transition of his own, from singer to record producer to actor, somewhat surprisingly proving to be an intense and emotionally riveting screen presence. Wahlberg first appeared on screen in the forgettable direct-to-video Mickey Rourke vehicle "Bullet" (filmed in 1994 and released in 1997), the new actor featured alongside fellow music star Tupac Shakur with dark hair and a menacing visage that made him nearly unrecognizable from his teen idol days. This small role was followed by an impressive supporting turn as conscience-burdened kidnapper Cubby in Ron Howard's "Ransom" (1996). In 1997, he appeared in the little-seen independent feature "Black Circle Boys" before tackling the role of volatile Mr. Grey in ABC's remake of "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1998). That same year Wahlberg had a featured role as a lawyer in "Butter" (HBO), a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the cut-throat music industry. The actor broke through with a starring role alongside Rose McGowan and Anne Meara in "Southie" (1998), a homegrown tale of a young man who struggles to readjust to life on Boston's rough south side after some time away. The Dorchester, Massachusetts native's intuitive turn was critically acclaimed, and established Wahlberg as an actor, not just a fallen teen idol.
In 1999, Wahlberg took on the Western genre with a role in TNT's "Purgatory". Well-suited to the hard-edged, stone-faced characters prevalent in the genre, he returned to Westerns with a higher profile role in the feature "Bullfighter" (2000), starring Willem Dafoe. In the fall of 1999, Wahlberg gave a powerful performance in a pivotal cameo role in the psychodrama "The Sixth Sense", playing a disturbed former patient of Bruce Willis' child psychologist. The actor's on screen energy and intensity made him a choice candidate for roles requiring heightened emotionality in a tough guy wrapping, ensuring him a bright future as a supporting player. In 2001, Wahlberg appeared in the critically acclaimed miniseries "Band of Brothers" and in 2002 landed the lead role in the NBC drama "Boomtown," about crime in Los Angeles. A record producer and songwriter as well as actor and singer, Wahlberg worked as producer, arranger, mixer and co-songwriter on "Music for the People" and "You Gotta Believe" the 1991 and 1992 hit albums from his brother Mark's band (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch), and also worked on the successful 1999 solo releases by New Kids on the Block veterans Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight.
Profession(s):
Actor, singer, songwriter, record producer
Sometimes Credited As:
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr
2007 Cast as Capt. Horst Cali on "The Kill Point" (Spike)
2006 Starred in the Disney drama "Annapolis," directed by Justin Lin
2006 Returned for the third installment of the Saw horror series, "Saw III"
2005 Co-starred in the horror sequal "Saw II"
2003 Cast as the mentally challenged Duddits in Goldman and Kasdan's adaptation of the Stephen King alien-invasion thriller, "Dreamcatcher"
2002 Cast as Joel Stevens, an intense Los Angeles police detective in the NBC series, "Boomtown"
2001 Had regular role on the CBS police drama "Big Apple"
2001 Starred opposite Robert Forster in the independent feature "Diamond Men"
2001 Appeared in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers"
2000 Acted in "Bullfighter"
1999 Co-starred in the TNT Western "Purgatory"
1999 Had a pivotal cameo role in the Bruce Willis psychodrama "The Sixth Sense"
1998 Had a featured role in "Body Count"
1998 Played loose cannon Mr Grey in the ABC remake of the classic hostage film "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three"
1998 Starred in the music-industry set mystery thriller "Butter", aired on HBO
1998 Had leading role in John Shea's directorial debut "Southie"; film received regional release before heading to the video shelves
1997 Appeared in "Black Circle Boys"
1996 Had supporting role as one of the kidnappers in "Ransom"
1995 Feature acting debut in "Bullet" with Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur; released direct-to-video in 1997
1994 New Kids on the Block made failed comeback attempt with "Face the Music"
1991 Co-produced and co-wrote tracks on his brother's hit album "Music for the People"
1990 Release of the New Kids on the Block album "Step by Step"
1989 New Kids on the Block released the holiday album "Merry, Merry Christmas", with proceeds from the single "This One's For the Children" donated to children's charities
1988 - 1992 New Kids on the Block undertook extensive promotional world tours, winning millions of rabid fans
1986 Release of debut album, "New Kids on the Block"
1985 Along with brother Mark, joined the singing group New Kids on the Block (Mark departed from the group within six months and did not appear on any released recordings)
Raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts
