As most people know, the early years of Mark Wahlberg's life in a poor neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, weren't easy. Wahlberg was one of nine children born to parents who divorced when he was young, and he was in trouble with the law frequently during his teenage years. He was charged with race-related assault on numerous times, and by his own admission was addicted to cocaine by the age of 13. He never finished high school.
Music and acting became Wahlberg's salvation, alongside developing a stronger interest In Roman Catholicism. He first broke into music with his band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and then made moves into acting, proving to be the perfect choice for gritty gangster films like 'The Departed.' With the benefit of hindsight and maturity, Wahlberg has atoned for his earlier sins, having met with his victims to apologize to them where possible. He eventually completed his high school diploma in 2013.