From rapper to serious actor, there’s no question that Mark Wahlberg has talent. His best films range from comedy to straight action. With his long resume of excellent films, it was difficult to choose just ten. But, there are ten of his films that stick out above the rest.
Before he was an actor, Wahlberg was Marky Mark. He was the lead rapper in the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. One of their biggest hits was “Good Vibrations,” which hit the top 100 billboard. It was even featured in Glee.
During his youth, Wahlberg had many run-ins with the law. He was caught throwing rocks at minorities and yelling racial slurs at them as well. His brothers and sister were often in trouble as well. After going a 45-day sentence in jail for attempted murder, Marky Mark cleaned up his act, dropped the Marky and simply became Mark Wahlberg, the actor.
As an actor, Wahlberg is mostly known for his action movies. However, he has been in a few comedies along the way. Some of his most recent movies, Pain and Gain and Lone Survivor have both action and few comedic undertones.
Wahlberg’s upcoming films include Ted 2 and Transformers 4. Transformers is a reboot of the Shia Labeouf films that concluded in 2011.
He won an Generation award at the MTV Movie Awards on April 13, celebrating his success in acting. Here are ten of Wahlberg’s top films that got him that award. Comment on what your favorite flick is when you finish reading the list.
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10. Ted
Ted is the story of a talking teddy bear and his friend. While this may seem like a children’s movie, it was anything but. The talking teddy bear, Ted, is a foul-mouthed, dirty, very grown-up bear. Ted, voiced by Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane, comes to life after his best friend John (Wahlberg) wishes him to.
Ted received relatively positive reviews from critics, earning a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics were impressed with Wahlberg’s role in the romance and bromance of the film.
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9.Shooter
If you didn’t already think Wahlberg was a rock star, Shooter confirmed it. He was so awesome in the film that Andy Samberg included him in the music video for his song “Cool Guys Don’t Look at Explosions.” (Check the video here)
Shooter follows Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), a sniper, who is questioned by the government when there is an assassination threat. However, he is tricked and becomes the victim of a governmental manhunt to find him. Swagger has to discover why he’s being targeted and what he can do to save himself.
While the film was unpopular with critics, users on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 80% fresh rating. It’s not as good as the Bourne films, but Shooter stands very well on its own.
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8. Invincible
Invincible tells the true story of a Philadelphia Eagles player, Vince Papale. Papale is a bartender who tried out for the Eagles when they held an open tryout. Like most sports movies, the team was doing badly and the underdog helped them win.
While Invincible was based on a true story, there were many differences. For instance, the Eagles lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and the filmmakers said that the Bengals were worse than the Eagles. In reality, the Bengals were actually 11 of 14 in the regular season.
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7. Date Night
While Wahlberg wasn’t the lead in Date Night, he did have a great supporting role. He played Holbrooke Grant, a former client of Claire Foster (Tina Fey), who is so handsome that he makes Claire’s husband, Phil (Steve Carell) jealous.
Date Night follows Claire and Phil as two dirty cops chase them after mistaking them for the Tripplehorns (hilarious cameos by James Franco and Mila Kunis). The reason that they were mistaken is because they took their reservation.
Holbrooke helps Claire and Phil by hiding them from the cops and tracking the Triplehorns. Phil also steals Holbrooke’s gun and car.
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6. Lone Survivor
Lone Survivor tells the true story Marcus Luttrell, a lone survivor after he and his four SEAL team members battled the Taliban. The film received two Academy Award nominations.
Wahlberg has said that it was one of his favorite films that he has ever starred or produced in. The film received high praise with a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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5. The Other Guys
In The Other Guys, Wahlberg plays the straight man in the buddy cop comedy also starring Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton and Steve Coogan.
Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) and Allen Gamble (Ferrell) are partners who get caught up in a financial crime. After hitting a few bumps along the way, they try to solve their case. The Other Guys received high critical praise as a great recreation of a typical buddy cop.
Following the film, Cee-Lo Green released a song “Pimps Don’t Cry” and featured parts of the film in the video. In the film, Mendes sings “Pimps Don’t Cry” to Ferrell after he gets upset.
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4. Boogie Nights
Eddie Adams (Wahlberg) is a young man working in a nightclub and an aspiring actor. Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), porn director, discovers him and hires him. Eddie changes his name to Dirk Diggler and becomes very successful in the pornography industry. As time goes by, Dirk and his costars have to cope with a changes in the porn industry as the 1980s begin.
The film also features Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham (The Hangover) and William H. Macy.
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3. Three Kings
Three Kings follows American soldiers in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War. They plan to steal gold that is allegedly hidden somewhere near their desert base. After they find a map they believe will take them to the gold, they go on a journey to find it and run into challenges and adventures along the way.
Three Kings has a A-list line up. It stars Wahlberg, George Clooney, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze and Nora Dunn. The director of the film was David O. Russell, who is also responsible for American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook.
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2. The Departed
The Departed is about a cop (Leonardo Dicaprio) who infiltrates a drug ring. He realizes that one of the drug ring members (Matt Damon) is on police force. The two have to try and figure out who each other are before the other one reveals them to their higher ups. They try to figure everything out before they have to tell their bosses.
The Departed won four Academy Awards. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Wahlberg was nominated for Best Supporting Actor but did not win.
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1. The Fighter
The Fighter is about boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his brother (Christian Bale) who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s. It follows his pitfalls and his successes. David O. Russell directed it. The film won many awards.
The Fighter was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It won two Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Christian Bale, and Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Leo. Wahlberg was not nominated for his role.