Donnie Wahlberg | |
---|---|
Born | Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. August 17, 1969 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1984–present |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Mark Wahlberg (brother) Rhea Durham (sister-in-law) Robert Wahlberg (brother) Jim Wahlberg (brother) Paul Wahlberg (brother) Jeff Wahlberg (nephew) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | |
Member of | New Kids on the Block |
Formerly of | |
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. [1] (born August 17, 1969) [2] is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has had roles in the Saw films, Zookeeper (2011), Dreamcatcher (2003), The Sixth Sense (1999), Righteous Kill (2008), and Ransom (1996), as well as the role of Carwood Lipton in the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers .
From 2002 to 2003, he starred in the crime drama Boomtown . He has starred in the drama series Blue Bloods as Danny Reagan since 2010, and since 2014 is an executive producer of the TNT reality television show Boston's Finest . [3] He was nominated for Choice Scream at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards for his work in the Saw films. He has also produced and starred in Rock This Boat, Donnie Loves Jenny and Return of the Mac on Pop TV. Wahlberg also produced and starred in the A&E reality series Wahlburgers , which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He is the older brother of actor Mark Wahlberg and younger brother of actor Robert Wahlberg, film producer Jim Wahlberg, and chef Paul Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. He is the eighth of nine children, with older siblings, Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie and younger brother, Mark. Wahlberg began his entertainment career as the leader of the late 1980s/early 1990s boy band, New Kids on the Block. 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 who died on April 19, 2021, and his father, Donald Edmond Wahlberg, who died in 2008 [4] , was a teamster who worked as a delivery driver; they divorced in 1982. [5] [6] His father was of Swedish and Irish descent, and his mother was of Irish, English, and French-Canadian ancestry. [7] Wahlberg has described his family as having an Irish-Catholic background. [8] [9] [10]
As a recording artist, Wahlberg is known as an original member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. The band, that was put together by Maurice Starr and Mary Alford, who were sought to create a "white counterpart" to New Edition, first found Wahlberg, age 15, and made him the first member of the band after hearing his rapping skills. [11] [12] [13] His brother Mark was also in it but left after a few months. [14] [15] [16] With the additions of Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Danny Wood, and Joey McIntyre, they became known as New Kids on the Block.
After ten years, they announced their break up in 1994. [17] In April 2008, Wahlberg confirmed to CNN that NKOTB were planning on recording and starting up a new tour. [18] Their first album as a reunited group, The Block, was released in September 2008, and topped American charts and was Certified gold. [19] [20] The group's reunion tour, New Kids on the Block: Live, began at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on September 18, 2008. As of 2024, NKOTB still tour and Wahlberg remains a member.
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. He went back to his home town for a starring role in the South Boston-based film Southie . Wahlberg received attention for his role in the 1999 film The Sixth Sense , playing the patient of Bruce Willis' character in the opening sequence.
In 2001, Wahlberg co-starred as Second Lieutenant C. Carwood Lipton in the television miniseries Band of Brothers . He 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 him in Band of Brothers and was so impressed by his performance that he wrote the role of Joel Stevens specifically for him.[ citation needed ]
In 2003, 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, he 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.
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, Wahlberg appeared in Righteous Kill and co-starred in What Doesn't Kill You .
Wahlberg stars as 1st Grade Detective Danny Reagan on CBS's Blue Bloods , a police drama set in New York City. [21] In an interview, he said he was drawn to the Blue Bloods role after his experience playing an NYPD detective in a 2005 NBC TV pilot NY70 set in the 1970s that was not picked up. [22] [23] He also previously worked with Blue Bloods co-star Bridget Moynahan on an unsuccessful 2008 TNT pilot called Bunker Hill, and encouraged her to take the role as his sister on Blue Bloods. [24] [25] [26] [27] He directed an episode in the show's fourth season. [28]
As of 2011 [update] , Wahlberg is the host of an internet radio show on Friday nights at 8 pm PST called "DDUB's R&B Back Rub" on Cherry Tree Radio [29] and appeared in the 2011 comedy Zookeeper .
Wahlberg is the current host of HLN's "Very Scary People".
In 2021, Wahlberg worked on season five of The Masked Singer as the rooster "Cluedle-Doo" who gave exclusive clues to the viewers. After performing Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" in the semi-finals, Wahlberg was unmasked. He even stuck around when Omarion was unmasked as the wild card contestant "Yeti". [30]
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 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 ignited it. 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 appear in public-service videos addressing fire safety, drug abuse, and drunk driving. [31]
Wahlberg married Kimberly Fey [32] on August 20, 1999, with whom he has two sons. They filed for divorce on August 13, 2008, citing irreconcilable differences. [33] [34] In July 2013, Us Weekly reported that he was dating actress Jenny McCarthy after meeting on Watch What Happens Live in March. [35] They announced their engagement on The View on April 16, 2014, [36] and wed on August 31, 2014, at the Hotel Baker in St. Charles, Illinois. [37] [38] [39]
Wahlberg is a fan of the Boston Celtics and has been seen attending many of their games. He narrated The Association: Boston Celtics, a documentary about the team's 2010 season, [40] and co-narrated, alongside Ice Cube, the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies , about the Celtics' rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. [41] He co-owns a line of restaurants, Wahlburgers, located in Boston, MA and St. Charles, IL with brothers Paul and Mark.[ citation needed ]
In February 2016, Wahlberg endorsed Republican candidate Marco Rubio for president of the United States, [42] but later said the decision had been "tough" because "we have a lot of things we don't agree on." On the prospect of Donald Trump as president, he commented, "We can blame the president, we can blame the government, but we also have to look at ourselves if we vote with emotion, which we're on the verge of doing again collectively, the angry vote is what is moving the meters right now." [43]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Bullet | Big Balls | |
Ransom | Cubby Barnes | ||
1997 | Black Circle Boys | Greggo | |
1998 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Mr. Grey | TV movie |
Butter | Rick Damon | ||
Body Count | Booker | ||
Southie | Danny Quinn | ||
1999 | Purgatory | Deputy Glen/Billy 'The Kid' | TV movie |
The Sixth Sense | Vincent Grey | ||
2000 | Bullfighter | Chollo | |
Diamond Men | Bobby Walker | ||
2002 | Triggermen | Terry Mulloy, Hitman | |
2003 | Dreamcatcher | Douglas 'Duddits' Cavell | |
2005 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Randall Ipswitch | |
Saw II | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
2006 | Annapolis | Commander Burton | |
Saw III | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
2007 | Kings of South Beach | Detective Andy | TV movie |
Dead Silence | Detective Jim Lipton | ||
Saw IV | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
2008 | Righteous Kill | Detective Teddy Riley | |
What Doesn't Kill You | Detective Moran | ||
2011 | Zookeeper | Shane |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | House of Style | Himself | Episode: "Fall '89" |
2000 | Where Are They Now? | Himself | Episode: "Bad Boys of Rock" |
The Practice | Patrick Rooney | Episode: "Settling" | |
2001 | Big Apple | Chris Scott | Main Cast |
Band of Brothers | Carwood Lipton | Main Cast | |
UC: Undercover | Bobby | Episode: "City on Fire" | |
2002–2003 | Boomtown | Detective Joel Stevens | Main Cast |
2006 | The Path to 9/11 | Detective Kirk | Episode: "Part I & II" |
Runaway | Paul Rader | Main Cast | |
2007 | HypaSpace | Himself | Episode: "Episode #6.54" |
The Kill Point | Detective Horst Cali | Main Cast | |
2008 | Intervention | Himself/Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Intervention In-Depth: Heroin Hits Home" |
2010 | In Plain Sight | Jimmy McCabe/Jimmy Porter | Episode: "Father Goes West" |
Rizzoli & Isles | Lieutenant Joey Grant | Recurring Cast: Season 1 | |
2010–2024 | Blue Bloods | Daniel Fitzgerald "Danny" Reagan | Main Cast |
2013 | Boston's Finest | Himself/Narrator (voice) | Main Narrator: Season 1 |
Massholes | Himself | Episode: "Boston's Finest" | |
2014 | The View | Himself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Guest Co-Hosts Donnie Wahlberg & Rick Fox/Noah Wyle" |
2014–2019 | Wahlburgers | Himself | Recurring Cast |
2015–2016 | Donnie Loves Jenny | Himself | Main Cast |
Rock This Boat: New Kids On The Block | Himself | Main Cast | |
2016 | Fuller House | Himself | Episode: "New Kids in the House" |
2017 | 30 for 30 | Himself/Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, Part 1-3" |
Return of the Mac | Himself | Main Cast | |
2019 | Entertainment Tonight | Himself/Guest Co-Host | Episode: "Blue Bloods Exclusive!" |
2019–2024 [44] | Very Scary People | Himself/Host | Main Host |
2021 | The Masked Singer | Himself/Cluedle-Doo | Contestant: Season 5 |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1991 | MC Hammer | "2 Legit 2 Quit" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Turok | Shepherd (voice) | [45] |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Scream | Saw II | Nominated | |
2014 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program | Wahlburgers | Nominated | |
2015 | Nominated | ||||
2017 | People's Choice Award | Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Blue Bloods | Nominated | [46] |
New Kids on the Block is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, and are often credited for paving the way for future boy bands such as Take That, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. They won two American Music Awards in 1990 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. In 1991, they performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXV, a first for a pop music group.
Michael Madsen is an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—Reservoir Dogs (1992), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)—he is known for his appearances in films, such as The Natural (1984), The Doors (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Free Willy (1993), Species (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Die Another Day (2002), Sin City (2005), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). He has played voice roles in various video games, including Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Narc (2005), the Dishonored series (2012–2017), and Crime Boss: Rockay City (2023). Madsen has five children, including actor Christian Madsen.
Kathryn Bridget Moynahan is an American actress and former model. She graduated from Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts in 1989 and began pursuing a career in modeling. Moynahan appeared in department-store catalogs and magazines, and after doing television commercials, began taking acting lessons. She made her television debut in a guest appearance in the comedy series Sex and the City in 1999, where she later had a recurring role as Natasha.
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American-Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), which rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids on the Block split in 1994, he launched a solo career.
Joseph Mulrey McIntyre is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo artist and worked in film, television, and stage, including performing on Broadway.
"You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is a 1988 single from New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg. The second single from the group's second album Hangin' Tough, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in early 1989, while topping the UK charts in November 1989. On the album, it was simply listed as "The Right Stuff"; the change to the single was probably to avoid confusion with Vanessa Williams' debut hit "The Right Stuff", which charted earlier that year. A Spanish version of the song was made ("Autentica") and peaked at number 11 in Spain.
Southie is a 1999 American crime thriller film directed by John Shea starring Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, Anne Meara, Jimmy Cummings, Lawrence Tierney, Robert Wahlberg, Will Arnett, Shea, and Amanda Peet. The film centers around Danny Quinn, a former "street kid" from South Boston, returning home to find his family deeper into organized crime than when he left, and his struggles not to fall back into his previous life.
"This One's for the Children" is a 1989 single by New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg. Taken from the group's holiday album, Merry, Merry Christmas, the single peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1990, and number 9 on the UK Singles Chart 11 months later.
Larry Curtis Johnson, better known by his stage name Maurice Starr, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his production work for boy bands New Edition and New Kids on the Block. He was fired by New Edition for embezzling funds.
Marisa Maguire Ramirez is an American actress, known for her work on television soap operas and for her role on the police procedural television drama series Blue Bloods as Detective Maria Baez.
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor and former rapper. His work as a leading man spans the comedy, drama, and action genres. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, nine Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Jennifer Ann McCarthy-Wahlberg is an American actress, model, and television personality. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then had a television and film acting career, beginning as a co-host on the MTV game show Singled Out (1995–1997) and afterwards starring in the eponymous sitcom Jenny (1997–1998), as well as films including BASEketball (1998), Scream 3 (2000), Dirty Love (2005), John Tucker Must Die (2006), and Santa Baby (2006). In 2013, she hosted her own television talk show The Jenny McCarthy Show, and became a co-host of the ABC talk show The View, appearing on the program until 2014. Since 2019, McCarthy has been a judge on the Fox musical competition show The Masked Singer.
"Summertime" is song by New Kids on the Block, and the first single from their album The Block. The single was released on May 13, 2008, and was the first new single released by the group since 1994.
Robert Lyndel Lewis is an American music arranger, music composer, record producer, musical director, film composer, musician, entrepreneur, and impresario. Lewis has worked on several Grammy Award winning singles and albums, and his production, songs, and arrangements have been featured on #1 albums, gold and platinum albums, films, live productions, and television shows.
Blue Bloods is an American police procedural drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 24, 2010. Its main characters are members of the fictional Reagan family, an American, Irish Catholic family in New York City with a history of work in law enforcement. Blue Bloods stars Tom Selleck as New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan; other main cast members include Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Len Cariou for all 14 seasons, plus Amy Carlson, Sami Gayle as well as Marisa Ramirez and Vanessa Ray.
Donnie Loves Jenny is an American reality television series which premiered on January 7, 2015, on the A&E cable network. Announced in November 2014, the series chronicles the lives of Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy as newlyweds. The series premiered with a one-hour wedding episode.
Daniel Fitzgerald "Danny" Reagan is a fictional NYPD Detective First Grade, and one of the main characters in the television series Blue Bloods. Introduced in the first episode in 2010, he has been portrayed by actor and New Kids on the Block singer Donnie Wahlberg for the entire fourteen-year run of the show.
Wahlburgers is an American reality television series that aired from January 22, 2014, to July 31, 2019, on A&E. During its 10 seasons, Wahlburgers aired 95 episodes.
James M. Wahlberg is an American film producer and screenwriter.
The fourteenth and final season of Blue Bloods, a police procedural drama series created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, premiered on CBS on February 16, 2024.