Background

Ethnicity: Donnie Wahlberg’s father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was of half Swedish and half Irish ancestry. Donnie’s mother, Alma Elaine (Donnelly), is of 11/16ths Irish, one eighth French-Canadian, one eighth English, and 1/16th Scottish, ancestry. One of Donnie’s first ancestors in America was William Hathorne, who emigrated from Berkshire, England to Salem, Massachusetts.

Donnie Wahlberg was born on August 17, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, the United States, to Alma Elaine (Donnelly), a nurse's aide and clerk, and Donald Edward Wahlberg, a delivery driver. His parents eventually divorced and Donnie, finding himself already in trouble, discovered a positive outlet performing in school plays and became involved in varied aspects of theater - acting, writing and directing. He is the eighth of nine children, with older siblings, Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, and Debbie, and younger brother, Mark. He also has three half-siblings from his father's first marriage: Donna, Scott, and Buddy. Maternally, he is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Wahlberg's parents divorced when he was 12 years old, and he and Mark went to live with their mother while the rest of their siblings either moved in with their father or were already out on their own as young adults.

With so many children to provide for, the Wahlbergs were often strapped for cash. Wahlberg's mother recalled, "When I think about it now, I realize how hard it was, but back then we never even realized it! We thought everyone had all these kids, everyone lived like this."

Though the family was extraordinarily close, attending church together every Sunday, arguments among siblings were frequent. Donnie was looked to as the family peacemaker. "We'd fight over clothes, or who had the prettier girlfriend, which of us was the best athlete, stuff like that," he later recalled.

Education

In the 1970s, when Donnie Wahlberg began elementary school, Boston was embroiled in fierce controversy over the mandatory busing of schoolchildren to enforce the desegregation of public schools. But busing put Wahlberg's life on a course toward fame and success.

Donnie Wahlberg attended William Monroe Totter school in Roxbury. He had to travel more than half an hour each way for the school. On these long drives, he developed a deep affection for rap music. He became friends with Danny Wood during his schooling at Roxbury. Both of them started composing rap lyrics.

He later joined Copley High School. Danny Wood also joined this school. This is where they formed the first rap group named Kool-Aid Bunch. In Copley High School, he also started performing in school plays and got involved in various aspects of theater.

Career

In 1984, at the age of 15, Donnie Wahlberg's friends persuaded him to audition for well-known music producer Maurice Starr. Starr was holding open auditions to create a new boy band of white teenagers to mirror the success of his other band, the all African-American R&B group New Edition. After watching hundreds of auditions, Starr was amazed by Wahlberg's combination of singing, dancing and rapping talent, and immediately enlisted him to form the centerpiece of the new group. Wahlberg quickly recruited brother Mark and Danny Wood, as well as another friend, Jordan Knight, and Knight's older brother, Jonathan.

However, unhappy with the band's pop-friendly artistic direction, Mark soon left the group and was replaced by another friend, Jaime Kelly. Starr didn't like Kelly's style, however, and soon replaced him with his own recruit, Joey McIntyre, to form the group's definitive lineup. They eventually decided to call themselves New Kids on the Block, a name taken from one of Donnie Wahlberg's rap lyrics. New Kids on the Block signed with Columbia Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1986. The group's first single, "Be My Girl," received almost no airplay outside of Boston, and album sales were abysmal.

With their first album a failure, the band returned to the studio with Starr, and two years later released a second album, Hangin' Tough. After a slow start, during which it appeared that the new album would go as unnoticed as its predecessor, the album's lead single, "Please Don't Go Girl," began receiving significant airplay- at first in Boston only, and then nationally. "Please Don't Go Girl" peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Singles chart.

New Kids on the Block followed up with two even more successful singles: "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," which peaked at No. 3, and "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)," which became the act's first No. 1 single. By late 1989, Hangin' Tough was the No. 1 album in the country. After a successful holiday album in 1990, New Kids on the Block released a third full studio album, Step by Step, which also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, boosted by the hit singles "Step by Step" and "Tonight." For a time, New Kids on the Block was the most popular and lucrative musical act in America.

After spending several years out of the limelight, in 1994, the group shortened its name to NKOTB, parted ways with Starr, and released a new album, Face the Music, featuring a harder and more aggressive sound. Despite a fairly positive critical reception, the album performed poorly; since the band's heyday, musical tastes had shifted toward harder-edged grunge rock and gangster acts, and NKOTB's bubble-gum image proved a tough sell. Later in 1994, the group parted ways.

Instead of pursuing a solo music career, Donnie Wahlberg decided to follow in the footsteps of his younger brother, Mark, by trying his hand at acting. At first, he landed only bit parts as drug dealers or other tough-guy types in films such as Ransom (1996) and Black Circle Boys (1997), but Wahlberg really gained notice as an actor in 1999 with an astonishing performance as the deranged ex-patient who threatens Bruce Willis in the acclaimed film The Sixth Sense. Wahlberg lost 43 pounds for the role, and audiences were shocked to discover that the emaciated, hysterical figure was the same clean-cut Donnie Wahlberg from New Kids on the Block.

Since then, Wahlberg has enjoyed a steady and successful acting career, with credits including Band of Brothers (2001), Saw II (2005), also appearing in Saw V in 2008 via archive footage from the previous films, and Blue Bloods (2010), also starring Tom Selleck.

In 2006, Wahlberg played Lieutenant Commander Burton in the military/boxing drama Annapolis. In September 2006, he played the lead role in the short-lived television drama Runaway on The CW. The show was canceled in October 2006 due to poor ratings. In 2007, he starred in the television film Kings of South Beach on A&E. Also in 2007, he starred on the TV series The Kill Point.

In 2008 Donnie Wahlberg rejoined former members of New Kids on the Block for a reunion album, The Block, which - like the group's previous projects - reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The band backed the album with a world tour, and though they weren't nearly as popular as they had been two decades before, New Kids on the Block again achieved success by reconnecting with their long-lost diehard fans.

In the summer of 2013, Wahlberg performed with the rest of NKOTB on the Package Tour to support their new album, 10. The tour also featured fellow boy bands 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men.

It might now seem almost inevitable that the multi-talented Wahlberg, who began rapping from the time he was in elementary school, would eventually become a star. However, with the clear vision of hindsight, Wahlberg now recognizes that he is incredibly lucky to live the life he lives today, because another, very different one was once possible. "I'm a dude that could easily have turned to drugs and crime," he admits. "I could have ended up in jail. I was a real mischievous, defiant kid. I learned it was best not to do that stuff when I saw what happened to my family members. One day, my mind said, 'Stop.' And I did."

Along with brothers Mark and Paul, the eldest of the young Wahlberg men, Donnie Wahlberg generated buzz in January 2014 with the premiere of a new reality series airing on A+E. Highlighting the Bostonian family's hamburger joint in Hingham, Massachusetts, Wahlburgers - where Paul serves as head chef - and shedding light on the siblings' relationships and personalities, the show quickly garnered acclaim from both fans and critics, earning praise for being unlike anything any of the Wahlberg boys had done previously.

Achievements

• 

  Donnie produced, arranged, mixed and co-wrote "Music for the People" and "You Gotta Believe" the 1991 and 1992 hit albums from brother Mark's group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch - which included a #1 hit with "Good Vibrations" and a multi-platinum album for the former. He also worked on the successful 1999 solo releases for NKOTB's Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight.
  
  He was nominated for Choice Scream at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards for his work in the Saw films. New Kids on the Block were inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 9, 2014.

Works

More photos

• documentary

  • New Kids On The Block: Coming Home

    (After 15 years, The New Kids On The Block made a triumpha...)

    2010

• movie

  • What Doesn't Kill You

    (Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo lead an all-star cast in thi...)

    2008
  • Dead Silence

    (From the writers and director of Saw comes this relentles...)

    2007
  • Bullfighter

    (A shiftless drifter fascinated with bullfighting is impli...)

    2000
  • Dreamcatcher

    (Four friends, tied together through a telepathic bond, re...)

    2003
  • Zookeeper

    (The animals at the Franklin Park Zoo decide to break thei...)

    2011
  • Saw V

    (Who continues Jigsaw's diabolical legacy? Jolts, surprise...)

    2008
  • Bullet

    (Bullet Mickey Rourke and rap music star Tupac Shakur, in ...)

    1996
  • Black Circle Boys

    (A dark underworld of drugs, pagan rituals and gothic rock...)

    1996
  • Body Count

    (A group of thieves attempt to rob an art gallery, but whe...)

    1998
  • The Sixth Sense

    (A distinguished child psychologist meets a frightened, co...)

    1998
  • Southie

    (Three years ago when Danny Quinn left Southie, a tough Ir...)

    1998
  • Righteous Kill

    (Two veteran New York City detectives (Academy-Award-winne...)

    2008
  • Saw III

    (Torture-friendly serial killer Jigsaw continues to "teach...)

    2006
  • Butter

    (Deceit, body heat and pulsing street beats converge in th...)

    1998
  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

    (Frank, a baker by trade, has been consumed by grief over ...)

    2005
  • Triggermen

    (Terry and Tommy are hit men hired to kill a prominent mob...)

    2002
  • Ransom

    (A father withholds ransom from his son's kidnappers.)

    1996
  • Saw IV

    (Jigsaw, as well as his apprentice Amanda, have died.)

    2007
  • Annapolis

    (A poor young man dreams of attending the U.S. Naval Academy.)

    2006
  • Saw II

    (Jigsaw is back. The brilliant, disturbed mastermind who w...)

    2005

• music

  • Hangin' Tough 1988
  • Merry, Merry Christmas 1989
  • Step By Step 1990
  • Face The Music 1994
  • The Block 2008
  • 10 2013
  • No More Games/The Remix Album 1990
  • New Kids On The Block 1986
  • Greatest Hits 1999
  • Super Hits 2001
  • NKOTBSB 2017
  • Thankful 2017

• TV series

  • Boston's Finest

    (Centering on the men and women of the Boston Police Depar...)

    2013
  • Kill Point

    (This testosterone-fueled drama finds a group of hardened ...)

    2007
  • Blue Bloods

    (Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family ...)

    2010
  • Band of Brothers

    (This landmark ten-part HBO miniseries recounts the remark...)

    2001

• TV show

  • Donnie Loves Jenny

    (In Donnie Loves Jenny, fan favorites Donnie Wahlberg and ...)

    2015
  • Rock This Boat

    (Fans take the vacation of a lifetime when they board a cr...)

    2015
  • Wahlburgers

    (The American dream is alive and well in Boston, Massachus...)

    2014

Politics

In February 2016, Wahlberg endorsed Marco Rubio for President of the United States.

Views

Donnie Wahlberg supports children with autism. He often takes part in Autism Awareness Month and raises money for autistic children and their families.

Quotations: "Everyone can celebrate in times of glory, but when something horrific happens, when something unspeakable happens, that's not when cities come together, that's when families come together."

“There is only one thing that motivates me, inspires me, fulfills me, humbles me and gets me on to that stage every single night - LOVE!“

Personality

In 1991, Wahlberg was charged with first-degree arson for setting a fire at the historic Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Authorities stated that Wahlberg, then known as the "bad boy" of the boy band New Kids on the Block, was partying with fellow band member Danny Wood and fans in the early morning hours when Wahlberg dumped vodka on a hallway carpet and set it on fire. Wahlberg was facing up to 20 years in prison, but the charge was later reduced to misdemeanor criminal mischief, and eventually dismissed after Wahlberg agreed to participate in public service videos on fire safety, drug abuse, and drunk driving.

Interests

• bass fishing, chess

• Politicians

  Marco Rubio

• Sport & Clubs

  Boston Celtics

• Athletes

  Paul Pierce

• Music & Bands

  Michael Jackson, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell, Carole King

Connections

Wahlberg married Kim Fey in 1999, after nine years together, the couple divorced in 2008. They have two sons, Xavier and Elijah. In 2013 Wahlberg began dating TV personality, Jenny McCarthy. McCarthy announced their engagement on The View in April 2014 and the couple wed in August.

Father:

Donald Edmond Wahlberg Sr.

Mother:

Alma Donnelly Wahlberg

Donnie is very close to his mother Alma. For her birthday, he said “I can write 7 million words to describe you, honor you, praise you and thank you. Instead, I’ll save some of those for the foreword of your upcoming book.“

Spouse:

Jenny McCarthy

Jenny McCarthy got engaged to Walhberg after 13 months of dating. They decided not to have kids together.

Sister:

Deborah “Debbie” Donnelly-Wahlberg

Sister:

Michelle Wahlberg

Brother:

Arthur E. Wahlberg

Brother:

Paul Wahlberg

Although also an actor like his brothers, Paul is a professional chef and functions primarily as the head chef in the family’s restaurant called The Wahlburgers, established by him, Donnie and Mark.

Brother:

James Wahlberg

Sister:

Tracey Marcarelli

Brother:

Robert Wahlberg

Brother:

Mark Wahlberg

Although Mark is the youngest child in the Wahlberg family, he is the most celebrated, most popular and most financially prominent member of the household. At first, he was a member of NKOTB, his brother’s boy band, albeit for a short period. He then became a rapper with his own crew, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and releasing hit song Good Vibrations in 1991.

half-sister:

Donna Wahlberg

Half-brother:

Buddy Wahlberg

Half-brother:

Scott Wahlberg

ex-spouse:

Kim Fey

Kim Fey was a recording studio engineer during her early adult years and she met Donnie while she was working with his brother Marky Mark. They started dating in 1991 and only got married after dating for 8 years. Their divorce is officially due to irreconcilable differences but allegedly a result of Donnie's infidelity. Together they are parents to 2 kids.

Son:

Xavier Alexander Wahlberg

In 2008, Xavier grew out his hair, joined a death metal band and became a roadie. His father supported his decision and even offered to finance his band but he refused.

Son:

Elijah Hendrix Wahlberg

Elijah currently lives with his mother after she won custody of him during her divorce proceedings with Donnie.

Step-son:

Evan Joseph Asher

Evan was born to Jenny and her then-husband actor and director John Asher. Evan suffers from autism. It inspired Donnie to raise awareness about this disease and to start raising money for other autistic children.

colleague:

James Franco

colleague:

Peter Dinklage

colleague:

Sylvester Stallone

colleague:

Adam Sandler

colleague:

Vera Farmiga

References

• Donnie & Mark Wahlberg