Rapper-turned-model-turned-Oscar-nominated-actor Mark Wahlberg gets Walk of Fame star
By APThursday, July 29, 2010
Mark Wahlberg gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
LOS ANGELES — Rapper-turned-underwear model-turned-Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg has been enshrined in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The 39-year-old actor was presented with a star Thursday on Hollywood Boulevard’s famed sidewalk monument.
Will Ferrell, who stars with Wahlberg in the action-comedy “The Other Guys” being released next week, was on hand for the ceremony. The comedian got in a couple of digs.
“I’m glad to be here,” Ferrell said. “I first became a fan of Mark’s when I bought his workout video. And I love all your ‘Bourne’ movies.”
The “Bourne” films star Matt Damon, not Wahlberg.
Wahlberg first gained fame in the early 1990s, recording with the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
That was followed by a ubiquitous ad campaign featuring him in Calvin Klein underwear.
He then turned to acting and got attention with his breakout role as Dirk Diggler in 1997’s “Boogie Nights.” Wahlberg got a supporting actor Academy Award nomination in 2006 for “The Departed.”
His wife and four young children were on hand for the sidewalk ceremony.
“I’m so happy my kids are sitting through this,” Wahlberg said. “When I heard I was getting this star, I felt like it was a practical joke.”
His other movie credits include “Four Brothers,” ”Three Kings,” ”The Perfect Storm,” ”The Italian Job,” ”Invincible,” ”The Basketball Diaries,” ”Fear,” ”Shooter,” ”Max Payne,” ”The Lovely Bones,” ”Planet of the Apes,” ”The Happening,” ”We Own the Night” and “Date Night.”
Wahlberg has also added a behind-the-scenes role to his resume: He’s an executive producer of the HBO series “Entourage,” ”In Treatment,” ”How to Make It In America” and “Boardwalk Empire.”
(This version CORRECTS Corrects typo in 6th paragraf.)
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