Mark Ruffalo

Mark Alan Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to parents, Frank and Maria Ruffalo. Frank was a construction painter and Maria was a hairstylist. The couple later divorced. After spending his early childhood in Kenosha, Mark and his family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia when he was 13 years old. As a teenager, Ruffalo was an avid athlete and excelled at wrestling. He attended First Colonial High School and subsequently moved to San Diego, eventually settling in Los Angeles.

Mark took classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory and co-founded the Orpheus Theatre Company. There, he participated in many aspects of production including acting, writing, directing, producing and even building sets. To supplement his income, he worked as a bartender for many years.

By chance, Ruffalo met Kenneth Lonergan, a playwright and screenwriter and soon found success in Lonergan’s play, This Is Our Youth. Around this time, he met Sunrise Coigney who would become his wife. They married in 2000. Mark won the role of Terry, the male lead in Lonergan’s film, You Can Count on Me, opposite Laura Linney. He gave an exceptional performance as Linney’s character’s brother, a troubled and irresponsible man. He received great reviews with some critics comparing him to Marlon Brando in the early years of his career.

Mark was set to appear in Signs but dropped out of the film when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor which turned out to be benign. His part went to Joaquin Phoenix. After surgery and temporary facial paralysis, Ruffalo fully recovered and returned to work, appearing in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 13 Going on 30, Rumor Has It and Just Like Heaven.

Ruffalo continues to impress his audiences with his performances in lead roles as well as in character parts. Between big films, he occasionally directs and performs in smaller projects. He excels at playing complex characters and his fans look forward to seeing more of these from him.