Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, born June 5, 1971 in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American actor, rapper, remixer, and producer. His early life in Dorchester included involvement in the family music and acting business. He entered the public eye in 1990 as a member of the hip‑hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, releasing the single "Good Vibrations" from the album Music for the People, which reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned platinum certification. A brief stint with New Kids on the Block followed. In 1993, he collaborated with Prince Ital Joe on the hit single "Happy People", followed by "Life in the Streets" and "United" in 1994. He then pursued a solo career in the mid‑1990s, issuing the solo singles "No Mercy" (1995), "Hey DJ" (1996) and "Here with Me" (1998). His music output was soon followed by an acting career that began with Renaissance Man (1994) and included roles in Boogie Nights (1997) and The Departed (2006), for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Mark Wahlberg later worked as an executive producer on HBO series such as Entourage and Boardwalk Empire, co‑owned the Wahlburgers restaurant chain, and continued to work in film and business.