Mark Wahlberg is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, headlining blockbuster films like The Departed, The Fighter, and Daddy’s Home. However, before becoming famous, Wahlberg had multiple violent run-ins with the law as a troubled Boston youth. At just 16 years old in 1986, he was convicted of assault and served 45 days in prison. This article will provide background on Mark Wahlberg’s youth in Boston, summarize his crimes and convictions, and analyze how prison shaped him.
Mark Wahlberg’s Early Life in Boston
Mark Wahlberg was born in 1971 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a working class area of Boston. He was the youngest of nine siblings growing up in a poor Catholic family. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old.
As a teen, Wahlberg dropped out of school and became heavily involved in drug dealing, drug addiction, and gang activity. He developed an addiction to cocaine and was known to police as a troubled youth.
At age 13 in 1984, Wahlberg had his first brush with the law when he and friends chased three black schoolchildren while yelling racial epithets and throwing rocks at them. This became known as the “two-day crime spree.”
The Assault Conviction That Led to Prison
On April 8, 1986 a 16-year-old Mark Wahlberg brutally assaulted two Vietnamese-American men in Dorchester. He used a large wooden stick to first knock out Hoa Trinh, causing him to lose an eye. He then punched Johnny Trinh unconscious.
Police arrested Wahlberg that night and he was originally charged with attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault causing bodily injury. For these felonies, Wahlberg was sentenced to two years in prison at Boston’s Deer Island House of Correction. However, he only served 45 days before being released.
Wahlberg claimed he had been high on PCP at the time of the attack, not that it justified the horrific and racist assault on the innocent men.
Impact on Wahlberg’s Life and Future
Spending time in prison proved to be a wake up call for the 16-year-old Mark Wahlberg:
- He left the gang life and got sober after being released
- Realized he was on a path to ruin and possible death on the streets
- Started focusing his energy on music and performance instead
- Learned valuble lessons about consequences for poor choices
- Had time for self-reflection about who he wanted to become
While extremely troubled before incarceration, Wahlberg was able to turn his life around thanks to the second chance he was given by the justice system.
Mark Wahlberg’s Career After Prison
After leaving prison in 1986, Mark Wahlberg began pursuing a career in music and entertainment:
- He became the lead singer of boy band New Kids on the Block (his brother Donnie’s group)
- Had success as a recording artist under the name “Marky Mark” with funk group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
- Transitioned into acting in the 1990s, breakthrough role in Boogie Nights in 1997
- He became a major Hollywood star in the 2000s with roles in films like The Perfect Storm, The Italian Job, and The Departed
- Produced and starred in shows like Entourage and Boardwalk Empire
- By the 2010s he was one of the highest paid actors in the world
Wahlberg’s prison time served as the catalyst for turning his life around and becoming a hugely successful performer and A-list actor.
Key Factors in Mark Wahlberg’s Turnaround
There were a few key factors that allowed Mark Wahlberg to reform himself after serving his prison sentence at 16:
- Intervention of the law – Arrest and incarceration disrupted the path he was on.
- Removing bad influences – Prison detached him from troubled friends and gang activity.
- The reality check of consequences – Seeing results of poor choices motivated change.
- Support of family – Brothers like Donnie supported his pursuit of music and performance.
- Focus on spirituality – Renewed Catholic faith inspired his reform.
- Second chance – Despite serious crime, the justice system’s leniency offered redemption.
- Inner drive to do better – Wahlberg was determined to make the most of his ability.
While certainly no light sentence, even brief incarceration gave Wahlberg the jolt he sorely needed to choose a better direction in life.
Conclusion
Long before becoming a famous actor, Mark Wahlberg was a violent Boston youth who served 45 days in prison for a racially motivated assault. While just 16 years old, incarceration proved to be a turning point in Wahlberg’s troubled life.
After being released, he left behind the gangs, drugs, and crime that had defined his adolescence. Wahlberg was able to reform himself and use his natural skills as a performer to achieve phenomenal fame and success in music and movies.
His brief but impactful prison sentence served as a harsh lesson about choices and consequences. While unable to take back the harm from his teenage assault, Wahlberg has clearly tried to make the most of his second chance and become a very different person than the troubled youth he once was.