Donnie Wahlberg

Donald Edmond "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television. Donnie has had featured roles in the Saw films, The Sixth Sense, Boomtown and Righteous Kill, also appearing in the award-winning World War II miniseries Band of Brothers. He is also known for currently starring in the critically successful series Blue Bloods.

Early life

Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, as the eighth of nine children, with older siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died 2003) and younger sibling Mark Wahlberg. He also has three half-siblings from his father's first marriage- Donna, Scott and Buddy. His mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and his father, Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Sr. (died 2008) was a teamster who worked as a delivery driver; the couple divorced in 1982. He is of Irish, English, Swedish, and French Canadian ancestry.

Personal life

Wahlberg married Kim Fey on August 20, 1999. He has two children with Fey, Xavier Alexander Wahlberg (born March 4, 1993) and Elijah Hendrix Wahlberg (born August 20, 2001). Wahlberg and Fey filed for divorce on August 13, 2008 citing "irreconcilable differences" and is currently single. He is one of the "famous faces" due to being a regular player on the online poker website Hollywood Poker which is run in conjunction with Ongame Network.

Wahlberg is a passionate fan of the Boston Celtics and has been seen attending many of their games. He will be narrating a documentary called "The Association: Boston Celtics" about the team's 2010-11 season which is set to air to ESPN between 2010 and 2011.

Career

New Kids on the Block

See also: New Kids on the Block

As a recording artist, Wahlberg is known as an original member of boy band New Kids on the Block.

Acting career

Wahlberg's first film acting role was in the 1996 film Bullet with Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur. Also in 1996, he appeared as a kidnapper in Ransom with Mel Gibson. Wahlberg received attention for his role in the 1999 film The Sixth Sense, playing the patient of Bruce Willis's character in the opening sequence. This role was originally intended for a 13-year-old boy until Wahlberg met with writer and director M. Night Shyamalan to inquire about obtaining the rights for a theatre production, and ended up getting the role.

In 2001, Wahlberg co-starred as Second Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton in the television miniseries Band of Brothers. Wahlberg also starred in the 2002–2003 NBC drama series Boomtown as Joel Stevens, a Los Angeles police detective. Graham Yost, executive producer and writer of Boomtown, had worked with Wahlberg in Band of Brothers and was so impressed by his performance that he wrote the role of Joel Stevens specifically for him.

2003 was the year that Wahlberg starred alongside Timothy Olyphant, Jason Lee, and his Band of Brothers co-star Damian Lewis as the mentally challenged Duddits in William Goldman and Lawrence Kasdan's adaptation of the Stephen King alien-invasion thriller, Dreamcatcher. In 2005, Wahlberg starred as Detective Eric Matthews in the second installment of the Saw series. He reprised the role in Saw III in 2006 and Saw IV in 2007, also appearing in Saw V in 2008 via archive footage from the previous films.

Filmography

Bullet (1996) as "Big Balls" (street name) Shelby Horne

Ransom (1996) as Cubby Barnes

Black Circle Boys (1996) as Greggo

Body Count (1996) as Booker

Butter (1998) as Rick Damon

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998) (TV) as Mr. Grey

Southie (1998) as Danny Quinn

Purgatory (1999), as Deputy Glen/Billy The Kid

The Sixth Sense (1999), as Vincent Grey

The Practice (2000) (TV) (1 episode, "Settling") as Patrick Rooney

Bullfighter (2000), as Chollo

Diamond Men (2000), as Bobby Walker

Big Apple (2001) (TV) (7 episodes) as Chris Scott

Triggermen (2002), as Hitman Terry Mulloy

Band of Brothers (2001), television miniseries, as 101st Airborne second lieutenant Carwood Lipton

Dreamcatcher (2003), as Douglas "Duddits" Cavell

Boomtown (2002–2003), television series, as Detective Joel Stevens

50 First Dates (2004) as Vincent Grey (cameo)

Saw II (2005), as Detective Eric Matthews

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005), as Randall Ipswitch

Annapolis (2006), as Burton

Runaway (2006), (TV series), as Paul Rader

The Path to 9/11 (2006), television miniseries, as Detective Kirk

Saw III (2006), as Detective Eric Matthews

Kings of South Beach (2007), as Detective Andy

Dead Silence (2007), as Detective Jim Lipton

Saw IV (2007), as Detective Eric Matthews

The Kill Point (2007), (TV series), as Detective Horst Cali

Turok (video game) (2008), as Shepherd

Righteous Kill (2008), as Detective Ted Reily

What Doesn't Kill You (2008), as Detective Moran

1 1/2 Ritter (2008), as singer

In Plain Sight (episode one, season 3) (TV series) (2010)

Rizzoli & Isles (2 episodes) (TV Series) (2010)

Zookeeper (2011) as Shane

Blue Bloods (TV Series) (2010 - present), as Detective Danny Reagan