birth date	November 29, 1964
birth name	Donald Frank Cheadle, Jr.
birth place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
years active	1984–present
occupation	Actor, producer, philanthropist, author
partner	Bridgid Coulter (1997–present) }}

Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films ''Out of Sight'', ''Traffic'', and ''Ocean's Eleven''. In 2004, his lead role as Rwandan hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina in the genocide drama film ''Hotel Rwanda'' earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He also campaigns for the end of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and co-authored a book concerning the issue titled ''Not On Our Watch: The Mission To End Genocide In Darfur And Beyond''. In 2010, Cheadle was named U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador.

Early life

Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Bettye (née North), a teacher, and Donald Frank Cheadle, Sr., a clinical psychologist. He has a sister, Dawn, and a brother, Colin. His family moved from city to city throughout his childhood. Cheadle graduated in 1982 from East High School in Denver, Colorado, and went on to the California Institute of the Arts, graduating with a BA in Fine Arts.

Career

He appeared in a late 1980s video (''It's The Real Thing'') with Angela Winbush as a dancer. Cheadle acted in ''Hamburger Hill'' in 1987. He also played the role of Jack in the April 1, 1988 "Jung and the Restless" episode of ''Night Court''. Although his character was supposed to be 16 years old, Cheadle was 24 at the time.

Cheadle then played the role of Rocket in the 1988 movie ''Colors''. In 1989, he appeared in a video for Angela Winbush's #2 hit single "It's the Real Thing", performing dance moves in an orange jump suit, working at a car wash. In 1990, he appeared in an episode of ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' titled "Homeboy, Sweet Homeboy", playing Will Smith's friend and Hilary's first love interest, Ice Tray. In 1992, he received a supporting role in ''The Golden Girls'' spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Although the show was highly publicized, it was canceled after one season. Cheadle subsequently played district attorney John Littleton on two seasons of ''Picket Fences''.

Cheadle first received widespread notice for his portrayal of Mouse Alexander in the film ''Devil in a Blue Dress'', for which he won Best Supporting Actor awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics and was nominated for similar awards from the Screen Actors Guild and the NAACP Image Awards. Following soon thereafter was his performance in the title role of the 1996 HBO TV movie ''Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault''. A legend among American street basketball players, Manigault is considered by many to be the best streetball player that never reached the NBA as a professional. He also starred in the 1997 film ''Volcano'', directed by Mick Jackson.

Cheadle's fame spread with a regular role as the district attorney on the television series ''Picket Fences''. Cheadle's other television credits include Emmy-nominated performances in the movies ''The Rat Pack'', ''A Lesson Before Dying'', ''Things Behind the Sun'' and in a guest appearance on ''ER''. The last of these spanned four episodes during the show's ninth season, in which he portrayed Paul Nathan, a medical student struggling to cope with Parkinson's disease. He has made appearances in films including ''Rosewood'', ''The Family Man'', ''Boogie Nights'', a cameo appearance in the film ''Abby Singer'', ''Out of Sight'', ''Traffic'', and ''Ocean's Eleven''. These last three were directed by Steven Soderbergh. In 2005, Cheadle was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Paul Rusesabagina in the film ''Hotel Rwanda''. He also starred in, and was one of the producers of ''Crash'', which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture. For his performance in ''Crash'', Cheadle was nominated for BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played the main character in the movie ''Traitor''. Cheadle starred in ''Hotel for Dogs'' by Dreamworks.

In 2007 Cheadle published a book, ''Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond'', co-authored with John Prendergast.

Cheadle was to make his directorial debut with the adaptation of Elmore Leonard's ''Tishomingo Blues''. In a July 2007 interview he stated, "'Tishomingo' is dead..."

Cheadle appeared in NFL commercials promoting the Super Bowl from 2002 to 2005. He so regularly appeared for the NFL in its Super Bowl advertising that in 2006, in a drive to have fans submit their own advertising ideas, the NFL sought his permission to reference his previous commercials to portray themselves as having no new ideas: "he quickly signed off on the idea and found it funny." Abe Sutton (along with Etan Bednarsh), one of the finalists in this NFL contest, played on this commercial by proposing an ad where an entire team of football players are Don Cheadle.

Cheadle and ''Boondocks'' creator Aaron McGruder are working together to launch a comedy show on NBC. The "project revolves around mismatched brothers who reunite to open a private security company." Cheadle will serve as an executive producer, along with McGruder, who will write the script.

In 2009, Cheadle performed in ''The People Speak'', a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's ''A People's History of the United States''.

In 2010, Cheadle assumed the role of James Rhodes in the film ''Iron Man 2'', replacing Terrence Howard, his ''Crash'' co-star.

In 2010, Cheadle was appointed, "U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador." He and Prendergast published their second book, ''The Enough Moment: Fighting to End Africa's Worst Human Rights Crimes'', in 2010.

He also appeared in Derek Water's "Drunk History" video as Fredrick Douglas.

Personal life

According to the episode of the "National Heads-Up Poker Championship" aired on NBC on April 15, 2007, Cheadle defeated noted poker champion Phil Ivey in the first round of the tournament. The two met in the "Hearts & Diamonds" bracket. Cheadle, as an amateur player, was considered a significant underdog against the professional Ivey, notorious for his stone-cold "poker face". On the episode aired April 29, 2007, in the second round of the tournament, Cheadle was defeated and knocked out of the tournament by Vegas poker pro Scott Fischman. In the same tournament in 2009, he defeated David Pham in the first round only to lose to Paul Wasicka in the round of 32.

At the 2007 World Series of Poker, Cheadle and poker player Annie Duke organized an annual charity poker tournament, "Ante Up for Africa". Many Hollywood actors were expected to play in the tournament, which had a $5,000 buy-in. Money finishers were encouraged to donate part of their winnings to the International Rescue Committee or the Enough Project. The annual tournament is one of two non-bracelet events listed on the official WSOP schedule.

In 2007, Cheadle was awarded the BET Humanitarian award of the year for his numerous humanitarian services he rendered for the cause of the people of Darfur and Rwanda.

On December 13, 2007, Cheadle and fellow actor George Clooney were presented with the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome for their work to stop the genocide and relieve the suffering of the people of Darfur. The award was presented by the World Summit of Nobel Laureates, Mikhail Gorbachev, and TheCommunity.com.

In 2008, Cheadle's family history was profiled on the PBS series ''African American Lives 2''. A DNA test shows that he may have ancestry in present day Cameroon.

Filmography

+ Filmography
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1984	''3 Days''	Angel
1985	''Moving Violations''	Juicy Burgers Worker
1986	''Punk''
1987	''Hamburger Hill''	Pvt. Washburn
1988		Rocket
1992	''Roadside Prophets''	Happy Days Manager
1993	''''	Goldilocks
1993	''Lush Life''	Jack	(TV movie)
1995	''Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead''	Rooster
1995		Mouse Alexander	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
1996	''Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault''	Earl "The Goat" Manigault	(TV movie)Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
1997		Emmit Reese
1997		Sylvester Carrier	Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
1997	''Boogie Nights''	Buck Swope	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best CastNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1998	''Out of Sight''	Maurice Miller
1998	''''	Sammy Davis Jr.
1998	''Bulworth''	L.D.	Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
1999	''''	Grant Wiggins	(TV movie)Black Reel Awards
2000		Montel Gordon
2000	''[[Mission to Mars''	Luke Graham
2000		Lt. Jimmy Pierce	(TV movie)
2000	''''	Cash
2001	''Things Behind the Sun''	Chuck
2001		Dr. David Monroe
2001		Agent J.T. Roberts
2001		Passenger
2001	''Rush Hour 2''	Kenny	(uncredited)
2001		Basher Tarr
2001		Himself
2003	''''	Pearl Madison
2004	''Ocean's Twelve''	Basher Tarr	Nominated—BET Awards
2004	''[[After the Sunset''	Henri Mooré
2004	''''	Bonny Simmons
2004	"Unchained Memories" – ''Readings From The Slave Narratives''		Film received two Emmy nominations and won the Christopher Award
2004	''Hotel Rwanda''	Paul Rusesabagina	Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Academy Award for Best ActorNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—Black Reel Award for Best CastNominated—Black Reel Award for Best ActorNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for ''Crash''Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActorNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2005		Det. Graham Waters
2006	''''	Dr. Nourmand
2006	''King Leopold's Ghost''	Narrator
2007	''Reign Over Me''	Alan Johnson
2007		Petey Greene	African-American Film Critics-Best ActorGotham Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Male LeadNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion PictureNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2007	''Ocean's Thirteen''	Basher Tarr
2007	''Darfur Now''	Himself
2008		Samir Horn
2009		Bernie
2009		Himself	Documentary
2010	''Brooklyn's Finest''	Clarence 'Tango' Butler
2010	''Iron Man 2''	Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine	(replaces Terrence Howard)
2011	''''	FBI Agent Wendell Everett

+ Producer
! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
2004		Producer	Academy Award for Best PictureBlack Movie Award for Outstanding Motion PictureIndependent Spirit Award for Best First FeatureNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Film
2007		Executive producer
2007	''Darfur Now''	Producer
2008		Producer
2008		Producer	2 Episodes (2008)

+ Television
! Year	! Series	! Role	Notes
1982		Henry Lee	2 episodes
1986	''L.A. Law''	Julian Tatoon	Episode "Gibbon Take"
1986		Gang Leader	Episode "The Last Electric Knight"
1987	''Hill Street Blues''	Darius Milton	Episode "Days of Swine and Roses"
1987	''''	Carver	Episode "Small Victories"
1988	''Night Court''	Jack	Episode "Jung and the Restless"
1988	''Hooperman''	Himself	Episode "High Noon"
1989		Himself	Episode "The Pump"
1990	''China Beach''	Angel	Episode "Warriors"
1990	''''	Ice Tray	(5 episodes)
1992–1993	''Hangin' with Mr. Cooper''	Bennie	(2 episodes)
1992–1993	''''	Roland Wilson	(23 episodes)
1993–1995	''Picket Fences''	D.A. John Littleton	(38 episodes)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1995, 1996)
2000	''''	Brother Faith	Episode: "Faith Off"
2002	''''	Cousin D	(2 episodes – "Sweet Home Chicago: Parts 1 & 2"
2002		Paul Nathan
2003	''MADtv''	Perry	Episode #9.3Greys Anatomy
2011-	''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Lloyd Prescott

; Voice acting ''Iron Man 2: The Video Game'' video game (2010), Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine

; Theatre

''Topdog/Underdog'' off-Broadway performances (2001)

References

External links

Don Cheadle: The Hotel for Dogs Interview with Kam Williams

European edition of Don Cheadle's book Not on Our Watch, published by Maverick House Publishers 2007

10 Questions for Don Cheadle on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)

Don Cheadle interview

Not On Our Watch: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub

Don Cheadle Wins Sexiest Man 2009

Don Cheadle signs TV production deal

'The People Speak' (LA Times article)

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:People from Kansas City, Missouri Category:African American film actors Category:African American television actors Category:Actors from Denver, Colorado Category:Actors from Missouri Category:American film directors Category:American television producers Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners

ar:دون شيدل ca:Don Cheadle da:Don Cheadle de:Don Cheadle es:Don Cheadle fa:دن چیدل fr:Don Cheadle id:Don Cheadle it:Don Cheadle he:דון צ'ידל hu:Don Cheadle nl:Don Cheadle ja:ドン・チードル no:Don Cheadle pl:Don Cheadle pt:Don Cheadle ro:Don Cheadle ru:Чидл, Дон sq:Don Cheadle simple:Don Cheadle sr:Дон Чидл fi:Don Cheadle sv:Don Cheadle tl:Don Cheadle tr:Don Cheadle

name	Craig Ferguson
birth date	May 17, 1962
birth place	Glasgow, Scotland
medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, books
nationality	Scottish, American
active	1980–present
genre	Observational comedy, satire/political satire/news satire
subject	Everyday life, popular culture, self-deprecation, politics
website	''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''
spouse	Anne Hogarth (1983–86) (divorced)Sascha Corwin (1998–2004) (divorced) 1 childMegan Wallace-Cunningham (2008–present) 1 child
notable work	Host of ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''Nigel Wick on ''The Drew Carey Show''Glaswegian in ''One Foot in the Grave''Gobber in ''How to Train Your Dragon'' }}

Craig Ferguson (born 17 May 1962) is a Scottish American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, and producer. He is the host of ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', an Emmy Award-nominated, Peabody Award-winning late-night talk show that airs on CBS. In addition to hosting that program and performing stand-up comedy, Ferguson has written two books: ''Between the Bridge and the River'', a novel, and ''American on Purpose'', a memoir. He became a citizen of the United States in 2008.

Before his career as a late-night television host, Ferguson was best known in the United States for his role as the office boss, Nigel Wick, on ''The Drew Carey Show'' from 1996 to 2003. After that, he wrote and starred in three films, directing one of them.

Early life

Ferguson was born in the Stobhill Hospital in the Springburn district of Glasgow, Scotland to Robert and Janet Ferguson, and raised in nearby Cumbernauld, growing up "chubby and bullied". When he was six months old, he and his family moved from their Springburn apartment to a council house in Cumbernauld. They lived there as Glasgow was re-housing many people following damage to the city from World War II. Ferguson attended Muirfield Primary School and Cumbernauld High School. At age sixteen, Ferguson dropped out of Cumbernauld High School and began an apprenticeship to be an electronics technician at a local factory of American company Burroughs Corporation.

His first visit to the United States was as a teenager to visit an uncle who lived on Long Island, near New York City. When he moved to New York City in 1983, he worked in construction in Harlem. Ferguson later became a bouncer at a nightclub, Save the Robots.

Career

British career

Ferguson's experience in entertainment began as a drummer in a rock band called Exposure. He then joined a punk band called The Bastards from Hell. The band, later renamed "Dreamboys", and fronted by vocalist Peter Capaldi, performed regularly in Glasgow from 1980 to 1982. Ferguson credits Capaldi for inspiring him to try comedy.

After a nerve-wrecking, knee-knocking first appearance, he decided to create a character that was a "parody of all the über-patriotic native folk singers who seemed to infect every public performance in Scotland." The character, "Bing Hitler" (actually coined by Capaldi as Ferguson started with the monogram of "Nico Fulton" but admittedly later stole the name for his "own nefarious ends"), premiered in Glasgow, and subsequently became a hit at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A recording of his stage act as Bing Hitler was made at Glasgow's Tron Theatre and released in the 1980s; a Bing Hitler monologue ("A Lecture for Burns Night") appears on the compilation cassette ''Honey at the Core.''

Ferguson's first television appearance was as Confidence on BBC sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' during the episode "Confidence and Paranoia".

Ferguson made his starring television debut in ''The Craig Ferguson Show'', a one-off comedy pilot for Granada Television, which co-starred Paul Whitehouse and Helen Atkinson-Wood. This was broadcast throughout the UK on 4 March 1990, but was not made into a full series.

He has also found success in musical theatre. Beginning in 1991, he appeared on stage as Brad Majors in the London production of ''The Rocky Horror Show'', alongside Anthony Head, who was playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter at the time. In 1994, Ferguson played Father MacLean in the highly controversial production of ''Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom'' at the Union Chapel in London. The same year, he appeared again at the Edinburgh Fringe, as Oscar Madison in ''The Odd Couple'', opposite Gerard Kelly as Felix and Kate Anthony as Gwendolin Pidgeon, who is now much better known as Aunty Pam in ''Coronation Street''; the play, which was relocated to 1990s Glasgow, later toured Scotland.

After enjoying success at the Edinburgh Festival, Ferguson appeared on ''Red Dwarf'', STV's ''Hogmanay Show'', his own show ''2000 Not Out'', and the 1993 ''One Foot in the Grave'' Christmas special ''One Foot in the Algarve.''

In 1993, Ferguson presented his own series on Scottish archaeology for Scottish Television entitled ''Dirt Detective.'' He travelled throughout the country examining archaeological history, including Skara Brae and Paisley Abbey.

U.S. career

After cancellation of his show ''The Ferguson Theory'', Ferguson moved to Los Angeles in 1994. His first U.S. role was as baker Logan McDonough on the short-lived 1995 ABC comedy ''Maybe This Time'', which starred Betty White and Marie Osmond.

His breakthrough in the U.S. came when he was cast on ''The Drew Carey Show'' as the title character's boss, Mr. Wick, a role that he played from 1996 to 2003. He played the role with an over-the-top posh English accent "to make up for generations of English actors doing crap Scottish accents." In his comedy special "A Wee Bit O' Revolution", he specifically called out James Doohan's portrayal of Montgomery Scott on Star Trek as the foundation of his "revenge". (At the end of one episode, though, Ferguson broke the fourth wall and began talking to the audience at home in his regular Scottish accent.) His character was memorable for his unique methods of laying employees off, almost always "firing Johnson", the most common last name of the to-be-fired workers. Even after leaving the show in 2003, he remained a recurring character on the series for the last two seasons, and was part of the 2-part series finale in 2004.

During production of ''The Drew Carey Show'', Ferguson devoted his off-time as a cast member to writing, working in his trailer on set in-between shooting his scenes. He wrote and starred in three films: ''The Big Tease'', ''Saving Grace'', and ''I'll Be There'', which he also directed and for which he won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia film festivals. He was named Best New Director at the Napa Valley Film Festival. These were among other scripts that, "... in the great tradition of the movie business, about half a dozen that I got paid a fortune for but never got made." His other acting credits in films include ''Niagara Motel'', ''Lenny the Wonder Dog'', ''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'', ''Chain of Fools'', ''Born Romantic'', ''The Ugly Truth'', ''How to Train Your Dragon'', ''Kick-Ass'' and ''Winnie the Pooh''.

Ferguson has been touring the United States and Canada with a stand-up comedy show, and performed at Carnegie Hall on 23 October 2010.

''The Late Late Show''

In December 2004, it was announced that Ferguson would be the successor to Craig Kilborn on CBS's ''The Late Late Show''. His first show as the regular host aired on 3 January 2005. By May 2008, Ben Alba, an American television historian and an authority on U.S. talk shows, said Ferguson "has already made his mark, taking the TV monologue to new levels with an underlying story. But he is only just starting ... He is making up his own rules: It's the immigrant experience."

''The Late Late Show'' averaged 2.0 million viewers in its 2007 season, compared with 2.5 million for ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. In April 2008, ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' beat ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' for weekly ratings (1.88 million to 1.77 million) for the first time since the two shows went head-to-head with their respective hosts.

By the end of 2009, Craig Ferguson topped Jimmy Fallon in the ratings with Ferguson getting a 1.8 rating/6 share and Fallon receiving a 1.6 rating/6 share.

Ferguson's success on the show has led at least one "television insider" to say he is the heir apparent to take over David Letterman's role as host of ''The Late Show''.

Television and appearances

Craig Ferguson has made guest appearances on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', ''Late Show with David Letterman'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', ''Rachael Ray'', ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'', ''The Howard Stern Show'', ''The Daily Show'', ''The View'', ''Loveline'', ''Real Time with Bill Maher'', ''The Soup'', ''The Talk'' and ''The Dennis Miller Show''. He also co-hosted ''Live with Regis & Kelly'' with Kelly Ripa.

On 4 January 2009 Ferguson was a celebrity player on ''Million Dollar Password''.

thumb|272px|Ferguson in April 2008

In 2009, Ferguson made a cameo live-action appearance in the episode "We Love You, Conrad" on ''Family Guy''. Ferguson hosted the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards on 10 January 2006. ''TV Guide'' magazine printed a "Cheers" (Cheers and Jeers section) for appearing on his own show that same evening. From 2007 to 2010, Ferguson hosted the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on 4 July, broadcast nationally by CBS. Ferguson was the featured entertainer at the 26 April 2008 White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, DC.

Ferguson co-presented the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama with Brooke Shields in 2008. He has done voice work in cartoons, including being the voice of Barry's evil alter-ego in the "With Friends Like Steve's" episode of ''American Dad''; in ''Freakazoid!'' as Roddy MacStew, Freakazoid's mentor; and on ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' as the robot vampire NOS-4-A2. Most recently, he was the voice of Susan the boil on ''Futurama'', which was a parody of Scottish singer Susan Boyle. He makes stand-up appearances in Las Vegas and New York City. He headlined in the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and in October 2008 Ferguson taped his stand up show in Boston for a Comedy Central special entitled ''A Wee Bit o' Revolution'', which aired on 22 March 2009.

British television comedy drama ''Doc Martin'' was based on a character from Ferguson's film ''Saving Grace'' – with Ferguson getting writing credits for 12 episodes. On 6 November 2009 Ferguson appeared as himself in a ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' special titled ''SpongeBob's Truth or Square''. He hosted Discovery Channel's 23rd season of ''Shark Week'' in 2010. Ferguson briefly appeared in Toby Keith's ''"Red Solo Cup"'' music video released on 10 October 2011.

Literature

Ferguson's novel ''Between the Bridge and the River'' (ISBN 9780811853750) was published on 10 April 2006. Ferguson appeared at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, as well as other author literary events. "This book could scare them", Ferguson said. "The sex, the violence, the dream sequences and the iconoclasm. I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with that. I understand that. It was very uncomfortable to write some of it." ''Publishers Weekly'' called it "a ''tour de force'' of cynical humor and poignant reverie, a caustic yet ebullient picaresque that approaches the sacred by way of the profane." His novel ''Between the Bridge and the River'' is dedicated to his son and to his grandfather, Adam. Ferguson revealed in an interview that he is writing a sequel to the book, to be titled "The Sphynx of the Mississippi". He also stated in a 2006 interview with David Letterman that he intends for the book to be the first in a trilogy.

Ferguson signed a deal with HarperCollins to publish his memoirs. The book, entitled ''American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot'', focuses on "how and why [he] became an American" and covers his years as a punk rocker, dancer, bouncer and construction worker as well as the rise of his career in Hollywood as an actor and comic. It went on sale 22 September 2009 in the United States. On 1 December 2010 the audiobook version was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy.

In July 2009, Jackie Collins was a guest on ''The Late Late Show'' to promote her new book ''Married Lovers''. Collins said that a character in her book, Don Verona, was based on Ferguson because she was such a fan of him and his show.

Personal life

As mentioned on ''The Late Late Show'' on 3 August 2009, Ferguson holds an FAA Private Pilot's License issued 31 July 2009. Ferguson announced on the 8 April 2011 broadcast that he is pursuing an instrument rating.

Ferguson is also a fan of Scottish football team Partick Thistle F.C. as well as the British television show Doctor Who.

Ferguson has three tattoos: his latest, the Join, or Die political cartoon on his right forearm; a Ferguson family crest with the Latin motto ''Dulcius ex asperis'' ("Sweeter out of [or from] difficulty") on his upper right arm in honour of his father; and the Ingram family crest on his upper left arm in honour of his mother. He has often stated that his ''Join, or Die'' tattoo is to signal his patriotism.

Family

In an episode of ''The Late Late Show'' that aired 8 December 2008, a sombre Ferguson talked about his mother, Janet (3 August 1933 – 1 December 2008). He ended the program by playing her favourite song, "Rivers of Babylon" by Boney M.

Ferguson has two sisters (one older and one younger) and one older brother. His elder sister's name is Janice and his brother's name is Scott. His younger sister, Lynn Ferguson Tweddle, is also a successful comedienne, presenter, and actress, perhaps most widely known as the voice of Mac in the 2000 stop-motion animation film ''Chicken Run''. She is currently a writer on ''The Late Late Show''.

Ferguson has married three times and divorced twice as a result of what he describes as "relationship issues". His first marriage was to Anne Hogarth from 1983 to 1986, during which time they lived in New York. From his second marriage (to Sascha Corwin, founder and proprietor of Los Angeles' SpySchool), he has one son, Milo Hamish Ferguson, born in 2001. He and Corwin share custody of Milo, and live near each other in Los Angeles. On 21 December 2008, Ferguson married art dealer Megan Wallace-Cunningham in a private ceremony on her family's farm in Chester, Vermont. Ferguson announced 14 July 2010 on Twitter that they were expecting a child. He wrote: "Holy crackers! Mrs F is pregnant. How did that happen? ... oh yeah I know how. Another Ferguson arrives in 2011. The world trembles." The child, a boy named Liam James, was born 31 January 2011.

Alcohol problems

A recovering alcoholic, Ferguson has been sober since 18 February 1992. Because of this, he declared he wouldn't mock Britney Spears' much-publicized alcohol problems in 2007. He said he had considered committing suicide on Christmas Day 1991, but when offered a drink by a friend for celebrating the holiday, he was distracted from jumping off Tower Bridge in London as he had planned.

Citizenship

Holding dual citizenship, Ferguson is both a naturalized citizen of the United States and a British citizen.

During 2007, Ferguson, who at the time held only British citizenship, used ''The Late Late Show'' as a forum for seeking honorary citizenship from every state in the U.S. He has received honorary citizenship from Nebraska, Arkansas, Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey, Tennessee, South Carolina, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and was "commissioned" as an admiral in the tongue-in-cheek Nebraska Navy. Governors Jon Corzine (New Jersey), John Hoeven (North Dakota), Mark Sanford (South Carolina), Mike Rounds (South Dakota), Rick Perry (Texas), Sarah Palin (Alaska) and Jim Gibbons (Nevada) sent letters to him that made him an honorary citizen of their respective states. He received similar honors from various towns and cities, including Ozark, Arkansas; Hazard, Kentucky; and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Ferguson became an American citizen on 1 February 2008 and broadcast the taking of his citizenship test as well as his swearing in on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1992	''The Bogie Man''
1998	''Modern Vampires''	Richard
1999	''The Big Tease''	Crawford Mackenzie	Writer
2000		Melander Stevens
2000	''Born Romantic''	Frankie
2000		Matthew Stewart	Writer
2002	''Life Without Dick''	Jared O'Reilly
2002	''Prendimi l'anima'' (''The Soul Keeper'')	Richard Fraser
2003		Paul Kerr	Director, Writer
2004	''Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events''	Person of Indeterminate Gender
2004	''Lenny the Wonder Dog''	Dr. Wagner
2005		Fisherman
2006	''Niagara Motel''	Phillie
2007		Ted Truman
2008	''Craig Ferguson: A Wee Bit O' Revolution''
2009		Himself
2010	''The Hero of Color City''
2010		Gobber	Voice only
2010		Himself
2011			Voice only
2011	''Totally Framed''	Jeffrey Stewart
2012		Lord Macintosh	Voice only
2012		David	Post-production
2014	''How to Train Your Dragon 2''	Gobber	Voice only

+Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1988	''Red Dwarf''	Confidence
1989	''The Big Gig''	Himself	Regular Comic
1993	''One Foot in the Grave''	Glaswegian beach bully	Christmas Special "One foot in the Algarve"
1994	''The Dirt Detective: A History of Scotland''	Travel documentary series	Host
1994	''The Ferguson Theory''	Himself	Host
1995–1996	''Maybe This Time''	Logan McDonough	18 episodes
1995–1997	''Freakazoid!''	Roddy MacStew	7 episodes
1996–2004	''The Drew Carey Show''	Nigel Wick	170 episodes
2000	''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command''	NOS 4 A2	Voice only, 5 episodes
2005		Oliver Davies	1 episode
2005–present	''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''	Himself	Host
2006	''American Dad!''	Evil Barry	Voice only, Episode: ''With Friends Like Steve's''
2009	''Family Guy''	Himself	Episode: ''We Love You, Conrad''
2009	''SpongeBob's Truth or Square''	Himself	TV movie
2010	''Futurama''	Susan Boil	Episode: ''Attack of the Killer App''
2010	''Shark Week''	Himself	Host
2010	''Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon''	Gobber	Voice only, TV short film

Bibliography

''Between the Bridge and the River''. Chronicle Books, 2006. ISBN 0811853756, ISBN 0811858197.

''American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot''. HarperCollins, 2009. ISBN 0061719544.

Comedy specials

''A Wee Bit o' Revolution'' (Comedy Central) 2009

''Does This Need to Be Said?'' (EPIX, Comedy Central) 2011

Discography

''Live At The Tron'' (as Bing Hitler). Jammy Records, 1986. Catalogue number JRLP 861.

References

External links

Craig Ferguson on Twitter

Craig Ferguson Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

Craig Ferguson and Megan Wallace Cunningham

''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson''

Category:1962 births Category:American aviators Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American memoirists Category:American novelists Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American screenwriters Category:American television actors Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Glasgow Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People with nocturnal enuresis Category:Scottish comedians Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States Category:Scottish memoirists Category:Scottish novelists Category:Scottish screenwriters Category:Scottish television actors Category:People from Cumbernauld Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors from Los Angeles, California

de:Craig Ferguson es:Craig Ferguson fr:Craig Ferguson it:Craig Ferguson ja:クレイグ・ファーガソン no:Craig Ferguson pl:Craig Ferguson ru:Фергюсон, Крейг simple:Craig Ferguson fi:Craig Ferguson sv:Craig Ferguson zh:克雷格·费格斯

name	Jimmy Kimmel
birth name	James Christian Kimmel
birth date	November 13, 1967
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, USA
medium	Radio, television, film
nationality	American
active	1989–present
genre	Observational comedy,Current events, Insult comedy
subject	American culture, Everyday life, Celebrities
influences	David Letterman, Howard Stern
spouse	Gina Kimmel (1988–2003) (divorced); 2 children
domesticpartner	Sarah Silverman (2002–2007; 2008–2009) Molly McNearney (2009–present)
notable work	Creator and Host of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' (ABC) Creator and Co-Host of ''The Man Show''co-host of ''Win Ben Stein's Money'' (Comedy Central)co-host of ''Crank Yankers''

}} James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, television host, and comedian.. He is the host of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's ''The Man Show'' and ''Win Ben Stein's Money''. Kimmel is also a television producer, having produced shows such as ''Crank Yankers'', ''Sports Show with Norm Macdonald'', and ''The Andy Milonakis Show''.

Early life

Kimmel was born in the Mill Basin neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the eldest of three children of Joann (née Iacono), a homemaker, and James Kimmel, an IBM executive. He is Roman Catholic and, as a child, served as an altar boy. Kimmel is of German and Irish descent on his father’s side and Italian descent on his mother’s side. His uncle, Frank Potenza, appeared on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' as a regular from 2003 until his death in 2011.

The family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was nine years old. He graduated from Ed W. Clark High School and then attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas for one year before attending Arizona State University for two years without completing a degree.

Career

Radio career

Kimmel began working in the radio industry while in high school, hosting a Sunday night interview show on UNLV's college station KUNV. While attending Arizona State University, he became a popular caller to the KZZP-FM afternoon show hosted by radio personalities Mike Elliott and Kent Voss in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1989, Kimmel landed his first paying job alongside Voss as morning drive co-host of ''The Me and Him Show'' at KZOK-FM in Seattle, Washington. Ten months later, Kimmel and Voss were fired by KZOK (for reasons unknown) and were fired again a year later at WRBQ-FM in Tampa, Florida. Kimmel went from Tampa to host his own show at KCMJ in Palm Springs, California, where Kimmel convinced a young Carson Daly to drop out of college and become his intern. After a morning stint at KRQQ In Tucson, Arizona, Kimmel landed at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, California. He spent five years as "Jimmy The Sports Guy" for the Kevin and Bean morning show. During this time he met and befriended a struggling comedian named Adam Carolla.

Comedy Central

Kimmel began his television career as the comedic counterpart to Ben Stein on the game show ''Win Ben Stein's Money'', which began airing on Comedy Central in 1997. His quick wit and loutish everyman personality were counterpoints to Stein's monotone performing style and patrician demeanor. The combination earned the pair an Emmy award for Best Game Show Host.

In 1999, during his time with ''Win Ben Stein's Money'', Kimmel was also co-host with Adam Carolla and co-creator (with Daniel Kellison) of Comedy Central's ''The Man Show''. Kimmel permanently left ''Win Ben Stein's Money'' in 2001, replaced by comedian Nancy Pimental, who was eventually replaced by Kimmel's cousin Sal Iacono. ''The Man Show'''s success allowed Kimmel, Carolla and Kellison to create and produce, under the banner Jackhole Industries, ''Crank Yankers'' for Comedy Central (on which Kimmel plays the characters "Elmer Higgins", "Terrence Catheter", "The Nudge", "Karl Malone" and himself), and later ''The Andy Milonakis Show'' for MTV2. Kimmel also produced and co-wrote the feature film ''Windy City Heat'', which won the Comedia Award for Best Film at the Montreal Comedy Festival.

''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''

In January 2003, Kimmel permanently left ''The Man Show'' to host his own late-night talk show, ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on ABC. ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'' was briefly also broadcast on Irish digital TV channel 3e. In the April 2007 issue of Stuffmagazine.com, Kimmel was named the "biggest badass on TV". Kimmel said it was an honor but clearly a mistake.

Since the show's second season, it has not actually been broadcast live. This is due to an incident during the 2004 NBA Finals in Detroit, when Kimmel appeared on ABC's halftime show to make an on-air plug for his show. He suggested that if the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, "they're gonna burn the city of Detroit down ... and it's not worth it." Officials with Detroit's ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV, immediately announced that night's show would not air on the station. Hours later, ABC officials pulled that night's show from the entire network. Kimmel later apologized. The incident led ABC officials to force Kimmel to tape his show an hour before it airs in most of the country to check for offending content.

Kimmel usually ends his show with, "My apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time." When Matt Damon did actually appear on the show to be interviewed, he walked in and sat down only to be told just a few seconds later by Kimmel, "Sorry, but once again we are completely out of time." Damon seemed to become angry.

In February 2008 Kimmel showed a mock music video with a panoply of stars called, "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck", as "revenge" after his then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon recorded a similar video, "I'm Fucking Matt Damon". Silverman's video originally aired on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', and became an "instant YouTube sensation." Kimmel's "revenge" video featured himself, Ben Affleck, and a large lineup of stars, particularly in scenes spoofing the 1985 "We Are the World" video: Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Dominic Monaghan, Benji Madden and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, Lance Bass, Macy Gray, Josh Groban, Huey Lewis, Perry Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Pete Wentz, Meat Loaf, Rebecca Romijn, Christina Applegate, Dom Joly, Mike Shinoda, Lauren Conrad and Joan Jett, among others. After this Jimmy's sidekick, Guillermo, appeared in a spoof of The Bourne Ultimatum, which starred Damon. He was then chased down by Damon as Matt cursed about Kimmel being behind all this. Guillermo also stopped Damon on the red carpet one time and before he could finish the interview he said, "Sorry we are out of time." The most recent encounter was titled "The Handsome Men's Club" which featured Kimmel, along with other "Handsome Men" including Matthew McConaughey, Rob Lowe, Lenny Kravitz, and many more, speaking about being handsome and all the jobs that come with it. At the end of the skit Kimmel has a door slammed in his face by none other than Matt Damon, stating that they had run out of time and then Damon continues with a sinister laugh.

As a tradition, celebrities voted off ''Dancing with the Stars'' appear on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', causing Kimmel to describe himself as "the three-headed dog the stars must pass on their way to No-Dancing Hell". In the 2008 season of his show, Kimmel started another tradition of ceremonially burning the dancers' shoes after they were voted off ''DWTS''.

Other television work

In Spring 1996, Kimmel appeared as "Jimmy the Fox Guy" in promos on the Fox network.

Kimmel's other television work included being the on-air football prognosticator for ''Fox NFL Sunday'' for four years. He has had numerous appearances on other talk shows including, but not limited to, ''Live with Regis and Kelly'', ''The Howard Stern Show'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', and ''The Late Show with David Letterman''. Kimmel has appeared on ''The Late Show'' five times, most recently on April 21, 2008. Kimmel served as roastmaster for the New York Friars' Club Roast of Hugh Hefner and Comedy Central Roasts of ''Pamela Anderson''. He has appeared on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, along with his parking lot security guard Guillermo.

In August 2006, ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel would be the host of their new game show ''Set for Life''. The show debuted on July 20, 2007. On April 6, 2007, Kimmel filled in for Larry King on ''Larry King Live''. That particular show was about the paparazzi and Kimmel reproached Emily Gould, an editor from Gawker.com, about the web site's alleged stalking of celebrities. On July 8, 2007, Kimmel managed the National League in the 2007 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game in San Francisco. He played in the game in 2004 and 2006 (Houston and Pittsburgh). On July 11, 2007, Kimmel along with basketball player LeBron James, hosted the 2007 ''ESPY Awards''. The show aired on ESPN on July 15, 2007. Kimmel hosted the American Music Awards on ABC four times, in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Kimmel guest hosted ''Live with Regis and Kelly'' during the week of October 22, 2007 – October 26, 2007, commuting every day between New York and Los Angeles. In the process, he broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest distance () travelled in one work week.

Kimmel has performed in several animated films, often voicing dogs. His voice appeared in ''Garfield'' and ''Road Trip'', and he portrayed Death's Dog in the ''Family Guy'' episode "Mr. Saturday Knight"; ''Family Guy'' creator Seth McFarlane later presented Kimmel with a figurine of his character on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!''. Kimmel also did voice work for ''Robot Chicken''. Kimmel's cousin "Sal" (Sal Iacono) has accepted and won a wrestling match with WWE superstar Santino Marella. On January 14, 2010, in the midst of the 2010 Tonight Show host and time slot conflict, Kimmel was the special guest of Jay Leno on ''The Jay Leno Show'''s "10 at 10" segment. Kimmel derided Leno in front of a live studio audience for taking back the 11:35 pm time slot from Conan O'Brien, and repeatedly insulted Leno. He ended the segment with a plea that Leno "leave our shows alone," as Kimmel and O'Brien had "kids" while Leno only had "cars".

Kimmel also made a brief appearance in the TV commercial "There's A Soldier In All Of Us" promoting the 2010 video game ''Call of Duty: Black Ops'', along with Kobe Bryant. He is seen taking cover from bullets, then firing an RPG-7 with the words ''PROUD N00b'' on it, with the aftershock from the weapon sending him tumbling backwards.

Personal life

Kimmel and his then fiancée, Gina, married in June 1988. They have two children, Katie (born 1991) and Kevin (born 1993). Katie Kimmel is an art student in Chicago. The marriage ended in separation in early 2002. Kimmel then dated comedian Sarah Silverman for five years, splitting with her in March 2009. He started dating current girlfriend, Molly McNearney, in October 2009. McNearney is also a co-head writer for ''Jimmy Kimmel Live''.

Kimmel plays the bass clarinet. He got a chance to showcase his talent during a July 20, 2008, concert in Costa Mesa, California, featuring the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, when he took the stage and played bass clarinet on their hit song "The Impression That I Get."

Kimmel has spoken publicly of being a narcoleptic.

Kimmel co-founded the annual LA Feast of San Gennaro, which celebrates Italian culture through entertainment, music and cuisine. The festival also honors outstanding members of the Los Angeles community and raises funds to aid needy children and families in the city. He hosted Los Angeles' eighth annual feast of San Gennaro from September 28 to 30, 2009. Kimmel served as Master of Ceremonies for the National Italian American Foundation's 34th Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C., on October 24, 2009.

He resides across the street from actor John Krasinski (known for his role as Jim Halpert on ''The Office'') and his wife, actress Emily Blunt.

Awards

References

External links

ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live website

JimmyKimmel.Net

Jimmy Kimmel appears on Michael Eisner's talkshow on CNBC

Jimmy Kimmel interview

Appearance on HGTV's ''Designer's Challenge''

Jimmy is Maxim's #2 Dudeliest Dude 2007

Category:1967 births Category:Actors from New York City Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American radio personalities Category:American television actors Category:American television producers Category:American television writers Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Radio personalities from the Las Vegas metropolitan area Category:University of Nevada, Las Vegas alumni

ar:جيمي كاميل de:Jimmy Kimmel fi:Jimmy Kimmel fr:Jimmy Kimmel he:ג'ימי קימל id:Jimmy Kimmel it:Jimmy Kimmel no:Jimmy Kimmel pl:Jimmy Kimmel pt:Jimmy Kimmel ru:Киммел, Джимми simple:Jimmy Kimmel th:จิมมี คิมเมล

name	Wesley Trent Snipes
birth date	July 31, 1962
birth name	Wesley Trent Snipes
birth place	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
occupation	Actor, martial artist, film producer
years active	1987–2010
spouse	April Dubois (1985–1990) Nikki Park (2003–present) }}

Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film series, amoung various other high profile roles. Snipes formed a production company, Amen-Ra Films, in 1991 and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for film and television. Snipes has been training in martial arts since age 12, earning a high ranking 5th dan black belt in Shotokan Karate and 2nd dan black belt in Hapkido. He has also trained as a student of Capoeira under Mestre Jelon Vieira and in a number of other disciplines including various styles of kung fu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Snipes is serving a prison sentence for misdemeanor failure to file U.S. federal income tax returns.

Early life

Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, the son of Marian, a teacher's assistant, and Wesley R. Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up in the Bronx, New York City. He attended P.S. 132, an elementary school in the Bronx. Snipes graduated from I.S. 131, a middle school in the Bronx, and also attended the famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing, but moved back to Florida before he could graduate. After graduating from Jones High School in Orlando, Snipes returned to New York and attended the State University of New York at Purchase, before being asked to leave his junior year. Snipes also attended Southwest College in Los Angeles

Career

Acting and Rise to Fame

At age 23, Snipes was discovered by an agent while performing in a competition. He made his film debut in the 1986 Goldie Hawn vehicle ''Wildcats''. Later that year he appeared on the TV show ''Miami Vice'' as a drug-dealing pimp in the episode "Streetwise" (first aired December 5, 1986). In 1987, he appeared as Michael Jackson's nemesis in the Martin Scorsese-directed music video "Bad" and the feature film ''Streets of Gold''. That same year, Snipes was also considered for the role of Geordi La Forge in the TV series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''.

Snipes' performance in the music video "Bad" caught the eye of director Spike Lee. Snipes turned down a small role in Lee's ''Do the Right Thing'' for the larger part of Willie Mays Hayes in ''Major League'', beginning a succession of box-office hits for Snipes. Lee would later cast Snipes as the jazz saxophonist Shadow Henderson in ''Mo' Better Blues'' and as the lead in the interracial romance drama ''Jungle Fever''. He played the drug lord Nino Brown in ''New Jack City'', which was written specifically for him by Barry Michael Cooper. He also played a drug dealer in the 1994 film ''Sugar Hill''.

Although Snipes is better known for his roles in action films like ''Passenger 57'', ''Demolition Man'' (with Sylvester Stallone), ''Money Train'', ''The Fan'', ''U.S. Marshals'' and ''Rising Sun'', he has also had success in comedies like ''White Men Can't Jump'', and ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' where he played a drag queen alongside Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. Snipes has also received critical acclaim for his performances in dramas like ''The Waterdance'' and ''Disappearing Acts''.

In 1997, he won the Best Actor Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for his performance in New Line Cinema's ''One Night Stand''. In 1998, Snipes had his largest commercial success with ''Blade'', which has grossed over $150 million worldwide. The film turned into a successful series. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, SUNY/Purchase.

Most of his latest films have been released straight-to-DVD. His latest films are ''The Shooter'' (also known as ''The Contractor''), filmed in Bulgaria and the UK, with Charles Dance, Lena Heady and Eliza Bennett, ''Gallowwalker'', released in 2009, and ''Game Of Death'' with Ernie Hudson, Robert Davi, Zoe Bell, and Gary Daniels.

Snipes was originally slated to play one of the four leads in Spike Lee's 2008 war film ''Miracle at St. Anna'' but had to leave the film due to his widely publicized tax problems; his role eventually went to Derek Luke.

Snipes made a comeback performance in ''Brooklyn's Finest'' as Caz, a supporting character. He also had to turn down the part of Hale Caesar in ''The Expendables'' because he was not allowed to leave the United States without the court's approval. He was also offered the role of Nick Curran in ''Basic Instinct'' but turned it down because of commitments on another film. He is currently in talks with Sylvester Stallone about a part in a sequel to ''The Expendables''.

Other ventures

In the late 1990s, Snipes and his brother started a security firm called the Royal Guard of Amen-Ra, dedicated to providing VIPs with bodyguards trained in law enforcement and martial arts.

In 2000, the business was investigated for alleged ties to the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors. It emerged that Snipes had spotted of land with the intention to buy and use for his business academy, which were close to the aforesaid compound in Putnam County, Georgia. Both Snipes' business and the groups used Egyptian motifs as their symbols.

Ultimately, Snipes and his brother did not buy the land, instead establishing their company in Florida, Antigua, and Africa. The compound was raided in 2002 and their leader was convicted. Later the conviction was overturned.

In 2005, Snipes was in negotiations to fight ''Fear Factor'' host Joe Rogan.

Personal life

Snipes has been romantically linked to a number of women, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Sanaa Lathan, Halle Berry and Jennifer Lopez. He has been married twice, first to April Snipes, with whom he has a son, Jelani Asar Snipes, born in 1988. Jelani had a cameo role in Snipes's 1990 film ''Mo' Better Blues''. In 2003, Snipes married painter Nakyung "Nikki" Park, with whom he has four children: son Akhenaten Kihwa-T Snipes, daughter Iset Jua-T Snipes (born July 31, 2001), son Alaafia Jehu-T Snipes (born May 26, 2004), and son Alimayu Moa-T Snipes (born March 26, 2007). Snipes spends a lot of time in Park's home country of South Korea, which he calls his "second home."

Snipes, who was raised a Christian, converted to Black Nation Of Islam in 1978 but left the Black Nation Of Islam in 1988.

Snipes's apartment was destroyed by the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers during the September 11 attacks. He was on the west coast at the time. During his time in New York Snipes was trained in fighting by his friend and mentor Brooke Ellis.

Legal troubles

New Line lawsuit

In 2005, Snipes sued New Line Cinema, and David S. Goyer, director of ''Blade: Trinity'', which Snipes also produced. He claimed that the studio did not pay his full salary, that he was intentionally cut out of casting decisions, and that his character's screen time was reduced in favor of co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel.

Snipes contends that Goyer, his fellow producers, and New Line kept him out of the project's decision process, and that this alleged misconduct ended up harming the film's box office performance (it made just $52 million, compared to the previous installments' respective grosses of $70 million and $82 million). He says that a portion of his salary—$3.6 million—was withheld as punishment. Neither Goyer nor New Line has commented on these allegations. The suit is still pending.

Incident involving South African passport

In 2005, Snipes was detained at OR Tambo International Airport for attempting to leave South Africa using a fraudulent South African passport .

Federal tax convictions

On October 12, 2006, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn, and Douglas P. Rosile were charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States under and one count of knowingly making or aiding and abetting the making of a false and fraudulent claim for payment against the United States, under and . Snipes was also charged with six counts of willfully failing to file federal income tax returns by their filing dates under . The conspiracy charge against Snipes included allegations that he filed a false amended return, including a false tax refund claim of over US$4 million for the year 1996, and a false amended return, including a false tax refund claim of over US$7.3 million for the year 1997. The government alleged that Snipes attempted to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using a tax protester theory called the "861 argument" (essentially, an argument that the domestic income of U.S. citizens and residents is not taxable). The indictment said Snipes used accountants who already had a history of filing false returns to obtain refund payments for their clients. The government also charged that Snipes sent three worthless, fictitious "bills of exchange" to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amounts of $1,000,000 (on November 30, 2000), $12,000,000 (January 18, 2001), and $1,000,000 (September 10, 2002), each accompanied by an IRS tax payment voucher coupon.

Snipes was a client of American Rights Litigators, which Kahn operated. As a client, Snipes gave a percentage of his tax refunds to Kahn's organization. The government also charged that Snipes failed to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.

In a December 4, 2006, letter from Snipes in response to his indictment, he declared himself "a non-resident alien" of the United States; in reality, Snipes is a U.S.-born citizen. Snipes said he was being made an example of and was unfairly targeted by prosecutors because of his fame in connection with the federal tax fraud investigation. He attempted unsuccessfully to get the trial moved away from Ocala, Florida, on the ground that racist attitudes in that town would prejudice his chance for a fair trial. Snipes faced the possibility of serving up to 16 years in prison and paying substantial fines if convicted on all the charges. The trial began on January 14, 2008, in Ocala, Florida, with opening statements beginning on January 16, 2008. On February 1, 2008, Snipes was acquitted on the felony count of conspiracy to defraud the government and on the felony count of filing a false claim with the government. He was, however, found guilty on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns (and acquitted on three other "failure to file" charges). His co-defendants, Douglas P. Rosile and Eddie Ray Kahn, were convicted on the conspiracy and false claim charges in connection with the income tax refund claims filed for Snipes.

On April 24, 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for willful failure to file federal income tax returns under . Kahn was sentenced to 10 years in prison and Rosile was sentenced to four and half years in prison. In April 2009, the ''Los Angeles Wave'' reported that Snipes has refused to answer certain questions in connection with a talent agency lawsuit in which the agency claims that Snipes owes over $1.4 million in commissions. Snipes is reported to have taken the position that his answers could incriminate him in a federal tax investigation. Lawyers for the talent agency stated that Snipes' lawyer advised the lawyers for the talent agency that "Snipes and his [ . . . ] companies are under an additional investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and Snipes would be asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and would not answer any questions at his deposition." On May 22, 2008, the trial court ruled that Snipes could remain free while his appeal is being considered.

On July 16, 2010, in a 35-page decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Snipes's convictions. At the conclusion of its decision, the Court of Appeals stated:

On November 19, 2010, the United States District Court in Ocala, Florida, denied motions for permission to interview jurors and motions for a new trial which had been filed by attorneys for Snipes. The Court ordered that the judgment of commitment be enforced. In the 17-page order, the Court also granted the prosecution's motion to revoke the bail for Snipes. Until December 9, 2010, Snipes remained free on bail to work, even traveling internationally, while he appealed his conviction.

Imprisonment

On December 9, 2010, Snipes reported to the McKean Federal Correctional Institution near Lewis Run, Pennsylvania. In a television appearance on December 7, 2010, Snipes was asked by CNN's Larry King if he was nervous about going to prison, and he admitted his trepidation about doing time. "I think any man would be nervous," Snipes said. "Given the length of time that they are suggesting that I be away from my family, away from my profession, away from my ability to provide for my family and for those who have depended upon me to contribute to society ... I think anyone would be nervous about that."

On June 6, 2011, the United States Supreme Court dismissed Snipes' appeal. Snipes' projected date of release is July 19, 2013.

Awards and nominations

!	! Category	! Title	! Result
	Best Fight
Best Villain
Best Screen-duo	''White Men Can't Jump''
Best Villain	''New Jack City''
Best Kiss	''White Men Can't Jump''
Venice Film Festival	Best Actor (Volpi Cup)
Hollywood Walk of Fame	7020 Hollywood Blvd
Independent Spirit Awards	Best Supporting Actor	''The Waterdance''	Nominated
	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series	''America's Dream''
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture	''New Jack City''
CableACE Awards	Best Actor in a Dramatic Series	''Vietnam War Story''
	Favorite Duo - Action/Adventure		Nominated
Favorite Actor - Horror
	Best Actor (Motion Picture)
Network/Cable - Best Actor	''Disappearing Acts''
WorldFest Houston	Gold Special Jury Award - Best Actors (shared)	''The Waterdance''

Filmography

''Vietnam War Story II'' ''Major League (film) ''Mo' Better Blues'' ''New Jack City'' ''The Waterdance'' ''Boiling Point (1993 film) ''Sugar Hill (1994 film) ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything ''The Fan (1996 film) >''America's Dream'' ''U.S. Marshals (film) ''The Black And The White'' ''The Art of War (film) ''Liberty Stands Still'' ''Unstoppable (2004 film) ''7 Seconds (film) ''Hard Luck'' ''The Contractor'' ''The Art of War II: Betrayal'' ''Brooklyn's Finest''

Year
rowspan="2"	1986	Wildcats (film)>Wildcats''	Trumaine
''Streets of Gold (film)	Streets of Gold''	Roland Jenkins
1988	|	Young Soldier	Direct-to-video
1989	Major League'' ||	"Willie Mays" Hayes
rowspan="2"	1990	|	Shadow Handerson
''King of New York''	Thomas Flanigan
rowspan="2"	1991	|	Nino Brown	Nominated- MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
''Jungle Fever''	Flipper "Flip" Purify
rowspan="3"	1992	|	Raymond Hill
''White Men Can't Jump''	Sidney "Syd" Deane
''Passenger 57''	John Cutter
rowspan="3"	1993	Boiling Point'' ||	Jimmy Mercer
''Rising Sun (film)	Rising Sun''	Lt. Webster "Web" Smith
''Demolition Man (film)	Demolition Man''	Simon Phoenix
rowspan="2"	1994	Sugar Hill'' ||	Roemello Skugs
''Drop Zone (film)	Drop Zone''	Pete Nessip
rowspan="3"	1995	Julie Newmar''	Noxeema Jackson
''Money Train''	John
''Waiting to Exhale''	James Wheeler
rowspan="1"	1996	The Fan'' ||	Bobby "Bob" Rayburn
rowspan="3"	1997	|	George Du Vail	TV
''Murder at 1600''	Detective Harlan Regis
''One Night Stand (1997 film)	One Night Stand''
rowspan="4"	1998	U.S. Marshals'' ||	Mark J. Sheridan/Warren/Roberts
''Blade (film)	Blade''	Blade (comics)>Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker
''Futuresport''	Obike Fixx
''Down in the Delta''	Will Sinclair
rowspan="1"	1999	|	Dominic Robdal
rowspan="2"	2000	The Art of War'' ||	Neil Shaw
''Disappearing Acts''	Franklin Swift
rowspan="4"	2002	|	Joe
''Blade II''	Blade (comics)>Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker
''ZigZag''	David "Dave" Fletcher
''Undisputed (film)	Undisputed''	Monroe "Undisputed" Hutchens
rowspan="2"	2004	Unstoppable'' ||	Dean Cage	Direct-to-DVD
''Blade: Trinity''	Blade (comics)>Blade/Eric Brooks/The Daywalker
rowspan="2"	2005	7 Seconds'' ||	Jack Tulliver	Direct-to-DVD
''The Marksman''	Painter
rowspan="3"	2006	|	Lucky	Direct-to-DVD
''Chaos (2006 film)	Chaos''	Jason York/Scott Curtis/Lorenz
''The Detonator''	Sonni Griffith
2007	|	James Dial	Direct-to-DVD
2008	|	Neil Shaw	Direct-to-DVD
rowspan="3"	2010	|	Casanova "Caz" Phillips	Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor>Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actor
''Game of Death (2010 film)	Game of Death''	Agent Marcus
''Gallowwalker''	Aman

TV series

''Vietnam War Story'' ''A Man Called Hawk'' ''H.E.L.P.'' ''Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child ''The Bernie Mac Show''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Episode
1986	''Miami Vice''	Silk
1987	|	Young Soldier	An Old Ghost Walks the Earth
rowspan="2"	1989	|	Nicholas Murdock	Choice of Chance
''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd''	Hood
1990	|	Lou Barton	Series lead
1997	Happily Ever After'' ||	The Pied Piper	The Pied Piper
2002	|	Duke	Rope-a-Dope

Other

''Waiting to Exhale'' ''Masters of the Martial Arts presented by Wesley Snipes'' ''Play It to the Bone''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1987	Critical Condition (film)>Critical Condition''	Ambulance Driver
1995	|	James Wheeler	uncredited
rowspan="2"	1998	|	Himself	Documentary
''Jackie Chan: My Story''	Himself
1999	|	Ringside Fan	Cameo appearance

References

External links

Picture of Snipes' fake South African Passport

The Snipes Trial - a website by commentator J.J. MacNab on the criminal tax trial of Wesley Snipes

Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:African American film actors Category:People from Alpine, New Jersey Category:Actors from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Orlando, Florida Category:American people convicted of tax crimes Category:American prisoners and detainees Category:American tax resisters Category:American television actors Category:State University of New York at Purchase alumni Category:American former Muslims Category:American wushu practitioners Category:American hapkido practitioners Category:American karateka Category:American capoeira practitioners Category:American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government

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birthname
birth date	June 05, 1971
birth place	Boston, Massachusetts, US
othername	Marky Mark Monk D
occupation	ActorProducerRapper (former)
yearsactive	1989–present
spouse	Rhea Durham (2009–present; 4 children)
url	Official site }}

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No.1 on VH1's ''40 Hottest Hotties of the 90's''. He is well known for his roles in films such as ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Three Kings'' (1999), ''The Perfect Storm'' (2000), ''Planet of the Apes'' (2001), ''The Italian Job'' (2003), ''I Heart Huckabees'' (2004), ''Four Brothers'' (2005), ''The Departed'' (2006), ''Invincible'' (2006), ''Shooter'' (2007), and ''The Fighter'' (2010). He has also served as the executive producer of the TV series ''Entourage'' and ''Boardwalk Empire''.

Early life

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 44), and Donnie. He is of Irish, English, Swedish, and French Canadian ancestry, and is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne. His mother, Alma Elaine ( Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and his father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982. Wahlberg had a Roman Catholic upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Boston.

Assaults and conviction

Wahlberg claims to have been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. By the age of 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances. At 15, he harassed a group of black school children on a field trip by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.

When he was 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious (while calling him "Vietnam fucking shit"). He also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving him permanently blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard (again using racist language).

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days. In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack. Commenting in 2006 on his past crimes, Wahlberg has stated: "I did a lot of things that I regretted and I have certainly paid for my mistakes." He said the right thing to do would be to try to find the blinded man and make amends, and admitted he has not done so, but added that he was no longer burdened by guilt: "You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn't until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don't have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning."

After landing in prison following this assault he decided to change his ways. According to Wahlberg, "As soon as I began that life of crime, there was always a voice in my head telling me I was going to end up in jail. Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count. Finally I was there, locked up with the kind of guys I'd always wanted to be like. Now I'd earned my stripes and I was just like them and I realized it wasn't what I wanted at all. I'd ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine and I never wanted to go back. First of all I had to learn to stay on the straight and narrow." Wahlberg first relied on the guidance of his parish priest to turn his back on crime. He told his street gang that he was leaving them and had "some serious fights" with them over it. The actor commented in 2009: "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life and I've done bad things. But I never blamed my upbringing for that. I never behaved like a victim so that I would have a convenient reason for victimizing others. Everything I did wrong was my own fault. I was taught the difference between right and wrong at an early age. I take full responsibility."

Career

Music

Name	Mark Wahlberg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
Alias	Marky MarkMonk D
Born	June 05, 1971
Origin	Boston, Massachusetts, US
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, actor, producer
Years active	1989–present
Associated acts	New Kids on the BlockMarky Mark and the Funky Bunch }}

Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark, at age thirteen, had been one of the group's original members, along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. However, he soon quit. It was his departure that eventually allowed Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

Wahlberg began recording as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with "Good Vibrations" from the album ''Music for the People''. The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit No.1 on The Billboard Hot 100, later becoming certified as a Platinum single. The second single, "Wildside," peaked at No.5 on ''Billboards'' Hot Singles Sales chart and at No.10 on The Billboard Hot 100. It was certified as a Gold Single. Marky Mark opened for the New Kids on the Block during their last tour. The second Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch LP, ''You Gotta Believe'', was not as successful as the prior, yielding only a minor hit single in the title track. Wahlberg later collaborated with the late reggae / ragga singer Prince Ital Joe on the album ''Life in the Streets''. The project combined rap and ragga vocals with strong eurodance music (as in the singles ''Happy People'', German No.1 hit ''United'', ''Life in the Streets'', and ''Babylon'') courtesy of Frank Peterson and Alex Christensen as producers.

He was also featured in the Black Label Society music video for "Counterfeit God", as a stand-in for the band's bassist.

Advertising

Wahlberg was known for his impressive physique. He first displayed it in the ''Good Vibrations'' music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein shot by Herb Ritts, following it with Calvin Klein television ads. Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for ''Vanity Fair'''s annual Hall of Fame issue. He also made a workout video titled ''The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness'' (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

Film

Wahlberg then began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie ''The Substitute''. His big screen debut came the next year, with the Danny DeVito feature ''Renaissance Man''. A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of critics after appearing in ''The Basketball Diaries'' in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book of the same name. He also starred in the 1996 James Foley thriller ''Fear''.

He has earned many positive reviews after successful movies like ''Boogie Nights'' as Dirk Diggler, ''Three Kings'', ''The Perfect Storm'', ''The Italian Job'', and ''Four Brothers''. His performance in ''I ♥ Huckabees'' was voted best supporting performance of the year in the 2004 ''Village Voice'' Critics Poll. Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in ''Ocean's Eleven''; Matt Damon played the role instead. The two later worked together in ''The Departed''. Wahlberg was also considered for a role in the film ''Brokeback Mountain''. It was originally intended to star him and Joaquin Phoenix, but Wahlberg was uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and his role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal. Wahlberg starred in the American football drama, ''Invincible'', based on the true story of bartender Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series ''Entourage'' which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a foul-mouthed Massachusetts State Police detective in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed thriller, ''The Departed'' in 2006, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an NSFC Best Supporting Actor award. Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to ''The Departed'', but it is still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.

To prepare for his role in ''Shooter'', Wahlberg attended long-range shooting training at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada, and was able to hit a target at 2000 yards on his first day, a feat which took his instructor about six months to achieve. He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that the latter was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible". He played Jack Salmon, a leading role in Peter Jackson's film of ''The Lovely Bones''. In 2007 he starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in ''We Own the Night'', a movie about a family of police officers in New York City. The movie also starred Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes.

Wahlberg will play the drug kingpin Jon Roberts in the remake of the 2006 documentary ''Cocaine Cowboys'', which chronicles the story of the largest cocaine trafficker in Miami in the 1970s and 1980s, and he has persuaded Leonardo DiCaprio to play the supporting role.

He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Happening'' as Eliot Moore, which premiered in movie theatres on June 13, 2008. The same year, he played the title role in ''Max Payne'', based on a video game of the same name. While promoting ''Max Payne'', Mark became involved in a feud with Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and threatened to "crack that big fucking nose of his." Samberg had done an impression of Wahlberg in a Saturday Night Live skit titled "Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals." However, Wahlberg later appeared in a follow-up skit parodying both the original skit, Samberg's impression of Wahlberg, and his own threats to Samberg.

Personal life

Family and relationships

In the early 90s Wahlberg dated former child actress Soleil Moon Frye. Wahlberg and model Rhea Durham have been together since 2001 and got 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) and Grace Margaret (born January 11, 2010).

His father, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on Saint Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008.

Religion

Wahlberg is a committed Roman Catholic, who attends daily Mass, credits his faith and a priest from his childhood for helping him turn his life around, and recognizes the seriousness of his faith.

Charity work

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.

Tattoos

Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman. The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety in his mouth on his ankle, a tattoo of his initials MW with Wahlberg through them 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 tattoed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart.

Discography

Filmography

+ List of acting performances in film and television
Title	Year	Role	Notes
''''		Ryan Westerberg	Credited as "Marky Mark"
! scope="row"		Private Tommy Lee Haywood	Minor role
''''		Mickey
! scope="row"		David McCall	Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Villain
! scope="row"		Pat O'Hara
''Boogie Nights''		Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler	Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
''''		Melvin Smiley
''''		Detective Danny Wallace
! scope="row"		Troy Barlow
''''		Leo Handler
''''		Robert "Bobby" Shatford
! scope="row"		Captain Leo Davidson
! scope="row"		Chris "Izzy" Cole
''''		Joshua Peters
''''		Charlie Croker	Main role
''I Heart Huckabees''		Tommy Corn	Village Voice Film Poll – Best Supporting PerformanceNominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
! scope="row"		Robert "Bobby" Mercer	Main role
! scope="row"			Main role
''''		SSgt. Sean Dignam
! scope="row"		GySgt. Bob Lee Swagger	Main role
''We Own the Night''		Captain Joseph "Joe" Grusinsky
''''		Elliot Moore
! scope="row"		Max Payne
''''		Jack Salmon
''Date Night''		Holbrooke Grant
''''		Detective Terry Hoitz	Lead role
''''		"Irish" Micky Ward
! scope="row"			''post-production''
! scope="row"		John	''filming''

+ List of acting performances in film and television
Title	Year	Role	Notes
''Juvies''		Producer	Documentary
''We Own the Night''		Producer
! scope="row"		Executive producer	45 episodes
''In Treatment''		Executive producer	43 episodes
''Boardwalk Empire''		Executive producer	Ten episodes
''How to Make It in America''		Executive producer	Eight episodes
''''		Producer
! scope="row"		Producer	''post-production''

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American rappers Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American television producers Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Living people Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:American people of French-Canadian descent Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:American people convicted of assault

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