Donnie Wahlberg | |
|---|---|
 Wahlberg in 2010 | |
| Born | Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. (1969-08-17)August 17, 1969 (age 56) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Mark Wahlberg (brother) Rhea Durham (sister-in-law) Robert Wahlberg (brother) Jim Wahlberg (brother) Paul Wahlberg(brother) Jeff Wahlberg (nephew) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Member of | New Kids on the Block |
| Formerly of | |
Musical artist | |
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr.[1] (born August 17, 1969)[2] is an American singer, actor and producer. He is a founding member of the boy bandNew Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has starred in the TV drama seriesBlue Bloods asNYPD DetectiveDanny Reagan and has had roles in theSaw films,Zookeeper (2011),Dreamcatcher (2003),The Sixth Sense (1999),Righteous Kill (2008) andRansom (1996), as well as the role ofCarwood Lipton in the World War II miniseriesBand of Brothers.
From 2002 to 2003, he starred in the crime dramaBoomtown. He was also an executive producer of theTNT reality television showBoston's Finest (2013).[3] He was nominated forChoice Scream at the 2006Teen Choice Awards for his work in theSaw films. He has also produced and starred inRock This Boat,Donnie Loves Jenny andReturn of the Mac on Pop TV. Wahlberg also produced and starred in theA&E reality seriesWahlburgers, which earned him twoPrimetime Emmy Award nominations. He is the older brother of actorMark Wahlberg and younger brother of actorRobert Wahlberg, film producerJim Wahlberg, and chefPaul Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was born in theDorchester neighborhood of Boston. He is the eighth of nine children, with older siblings, Arthur,Jim,Paul,Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie and younger brother,Mark. Wahlberg began his entertainment career as the leader of the late 1980s/early 1990s boy band,New Kids on the Block. He also has three half-siblings from his father's first marriage: Donna, Scott and Buddy. His mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide who died on April 19, 2021, and his father, Donald Edmond Wahlberg, who died in 2008,[4] was ateamster who worked as a delivery driver; they divorced in 1982.[5][6] His father was of Swedish and Irish descent, and his mother was of Irish, English, andFrench-Canadian ancestry.[7] Wahlberg has described his family as having anIrish-Catholic background.[8][9][10] He said his first job was in the foreign-exchange office of a bank.[11]
As a recording artist, Wahlberg is known as an original member of the boy bandNew Kids on the Block. The band, which was put together byMaurice Starr and Mary Alford to create a "white counterpart" toNew Edition, first found Wahlberg, age 15, and made him the first member of the band after hearing his rapping skills.[12][13][14] His brother Mark was also in it but left after a few months.[15][16][17] With the additions ofJonathan andJordan Knight,Danny Wood andJoey McIntyre, they became known as New Kids on the Block.
After ten years, they announced their break up in 1994.[18] In April 2008, Wahlberg confirmed toCNN that NKOTB were planning on recording and starting up a new tour.[19] Their first album as a reunited group,The Block, was released in September 2008, and topped American charts and wasCertified gold.[20][21] The group's reunion tour,New Kids on the Block: Live, began atToronto'sAir Canada Centre on September 18, 2008. As of 2024, NKOTB still tour and Wahlberg remains a member.
Wahlberg's first film acting role was in the 1996 filmBullet withMickey Rourke andTupac Shakur. Also in 1996, he appeared as a kidnapper inRansom withMel Gibson. He went back to his home town for a starring role in theSouth Boston-based filmSouthie. Wahlberg received attention for his role in the 1999 filmThe Sixth Sense, playing the patient ofBruce Willis' character in the opening sequence.
In 2001, Wahlberg co-starred asSecond LieutenantC. Carwood Lipton in the television miniseriesBand of Brothers. He also starred in the 2002–2003NBC drama seriesBoomtown as Joel Stevens, a Los Angeles police detective.Graham Yost, executive producer and writer ofBoomtown, had worked with him inBand of Brothers and was so impressed by his performance that he wrote the role of Joel Stevens specifically for him.[citation needed]
In 2003, Wahlberg starred alongsideTimothy Olyphant,Jason Lee, and hisBand of Brothers co-starDamian Lewis as the mentally challenged Duddits inWilliam Goldman andLawrence Kasdan's adaptation of theStephen King alien-invasion thriller,Dreamcatcher. In 2005, he starred asDetective Eric Matthews in thesecond installment of theSaw series. He reprised the role inSaw III in 2006 andSaw IV in 2007, also appearing inSaw V in 2008 via archive footage from the previous films.
In 2006, Wahlberg played Lieutenant Commander Burton in the military/boxing dramaAnnapolis. In September 2006, he played the lead role in the short-lived television dramaRunaway onThe CW. The show was canceled in October 2006 due to poor ratings. In 2007, he starred in the television filmKings of South Beach onA&E. Also in 2007, he starred on the TV seriesThe Kill Point.[22][23][24]
In 2008, Wahlberg appeared inRighteous Kill and co-starred inWhat Doesn't Kill You.
Wahlberg stars as1st Grade Detective Danny Reagan onCBS'sBlue Bloods, a police drama set in New York City.[25] In an interview, he said he was drawn to theBlue Bloods role after his experience playing an NYPD detective in a 2005NBC TV pilotNY70 set in the 1970s that was not picked up.[26][27] He also previously worked withBlue Bloods co-starBridget Moynahan on an unsuccessful 2008 TNT pilot calledBunker Hill (originally titledMorse Code),[28] and encouraged her to take the role as his sister onBlue Bloods.[26][29][30][31] He directed an episode in the show's fourth season.[32]
He has said he considers himself a character actor rather than a "movie star" like his brother.[33]
As of 2011[update], Wahlberg is the host of an internet radio show on Friday nights at 8 pm PST called "DDUB's R&B Back Rub" on Cherry Tree Radio[34] and appeared in the 2011 comedyZookeeper.
Wahlberg is the current host of the documentary seriesVery Scary People since 2019, the broadcast of which moved fromHLN toInvestigation Discovery in 2023.[35][36][37][38][39][40]
In November 2016, it was reported that he was a co-producer on a CBS comedy in early development about a boy band reuniting after 20 years.[41]
In 2021, Wahlberg worked onseason five ofThe Masked Singer as the rooster "Cluedle-Doo" who gave exclusive clues to the viewers. After performingMark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" in the semi-finals, Wahlberg was unmasked. He even stuck around whenOmarion was unmasked as the wild card contestant "Yeti".[42]
In 2022, he sold two TV police drama projects as an executive producer to CBS Studios as part of an overall deal with the studio,Harbor Blue andSamaritan, though neither had entered production as of 2024.[43] Earlier that year, the production company Work Baby Productions he formed together with his wife to develop unscripted, reality and documentary content signed a three-year first-look deal withLionsgate, including a partnership withPilgrim Media Group.[44]
In 2024 he was featured in the Paramount Plus documentaryLarger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands and the following year in 2025 in the HBO documentary seriesCeltics City as well as in the ESPN seriesBelievers about theBoston Red Sox.[45][46][47][48][49]
In 1991, Wahlberg was charged with first-degree arson for setting a fire at the historicSeelbach Hotel inLouisville, Kentucky. Authorities stated that Wahlberg, then known as the "bad boy" of boy band New Kids on the Block, was partying with fellow band memberDanny Wood and fans in the early morning hours when Wahlberg dumped vodka on a hallway carpet and ignited it. Wahlberg was facing up to 20 years in prison, but the charge was later reduced to misdemeanorcriminal mischief, and eventually dismissed after Wahlberg agreed to appear inpublic-service videos addressingfire safety,drug abuse anddrunk driving.[50][51]
Wahlberg married Kimberly Fey[52] on August 20, 1999, with whom he has two sons. They filed for divorce on August 13, 2008, citingirreconcilable differences.[53][54] In July 2013,Us Weekly reported that he was dating actressJenny McCarthy after meeting onWatch What Happens Live in March.[55] They announced their engagement onThe View on April 16, 2014,[56] and wed on August 31, 2014, at theHotel Baker inSt. Charles, Illinois, where they now live, after previously living outside New York.[57][58][59][60][61]
Wahlberg is a fan of theBoston Celtics and has been seen attending many of their games. He narratedThe Association: Boston Celtics, a documentary about the team's 2010 season,[62] and co-narrated, alongsideIce Cube, the ESPN30 for 30 documentaryCeltics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, about theCeltics' rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers.[63] He co-owns a line of restaurants,Wahlburgers, located in Boston, MA and St. Charles, IL with brothers Paul andMark.[citation needed] In December 2024 he delivered a weather report on the Los Angeles TV stationKTLA and was described as being "obsessed with weather."[64]
In May 2025 he was inducted in to the Alumni Hall of Fame of theBoys & Girls Clubs of America.[65][66] In October 2025 he received a lifetime achievement award from theBoston Arts Academy foundation.[67][68]
He has said he makes an effort to engage with fans on social media and in person.[69]Blue Bloods co-starWill Estes has called him "one of the most engaging people I've ever seen with his fans."[70]
In February 2016, Wahlberg endorsedRepublican candidateMarco Rubio for president of the United States,[71] but later said the decision had been "tough" because "we have a lot of things we don't agree on." On the prospect ofDonald Trump as president, he commented, "We can blame the president, we can blame the government, but we also have to look at ourselves if we vote with emotion, which we're on the verge of doing again collectively, the angry vote is what is moving the meters right now."[72]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Bullet | Big Balls | |
| Ransom | Cubby Barnes | ||
| 1997 | Black Circle Boys | Greggo | |
| 1998 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Mr. Grey | TV movie |
| Butter | Rick Damon | ||
| Body Count | Booker | ||
| Southie | Danny Quinn | ||
| 1999 | Purgatory | Deputy Glen/Billy 'The Kid' | TV movie |
| The Sixth Sense | Vincent Grey | ||
| 2000 | Bullfighter | Chollo | |
| Diamond Men | Bobby Walker | ||
| 2002 | Triggermen | Terry Mulloy, Hitman | |
| 2003 | Dreamcatcher | Douglas 'Duddits' Cavell | |
| 2005 | Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Himself | Documentary film |
| Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Randall Ipswitch | ||
| Saw II | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
| 2006 | Annapolis | Commander Burton | |
| Saw III | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
| 2007 | Kings of South Beach | Detective Andy | TV movie |
| Dead Silence | Detective Jim Lipton | ||
| Saw IV | Detective Eric Matthews | ||
| 2008 | Righteous Kill | Detective Teddy Riley | |
| What Doesn't Kill You | Detective Moran | ||
| 2011 | Zookeeper | Shane |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | House of Style | Himself | Episode: "Fall '89" |
| 2000 | Where Are They Now? | Episode: "Bad Boys of Rock" | |
| The Practice | Patrick Rooney | Episode: "Settling" | |
| 2001 | Big Apple | Chris Scott | Main cast |
| Band of Brothers | Carwood Lipton | ||
| UC: Undercover | Bobby | Episode: "City on Fire" | |
| 2002–2003 | Boomtown | Detective Joel Stevens | Main cast |
| 2006 | The Path to 9/11 | Detective Kirk | Episode: "Part I & II" |
| Runaway | Paul Rader | Main cast | |
| 2007 | HypaSpace | Himself | Episode: "Episode #6.54" |
| The Kill Point | Detective Horst Cali | Main cast | |
| 2008 | Intervention | Himself/narrator (voice) | Episode: "Intervention In-Depth: Heroin Hits Home" |
| 2010 | In Plain Sight | Jimmy McCabe/Jimmy Porter | Episode: "Father Goes West" |
| Rizzoli & Isles | Lieutenant Joey Grant | Recurring cast (season 1) | |
| 2010–2024 | Blue Bloods | Daniel Fitzgerald "Danny" Reagan | Main cast |
| 2013 | Boston's Finest | Himself/narrator (voice) | Main narrator: Season 1 |
| Massholes | Himself | Episode: "Boston's Finest" | |
| 2014 | The View | Himself/guest co-host | Episode: "Guest Co-Hosts Donnie Wahlberg & Rick Fox/Noah Wyle" |
| 2014–2019 | Wahlburgers | Himself | Recurring cast |
| 2015–2016 | Donnie Loves Jenny | Main cast | |
| Rock This Boat: New Kids On The Block | |||
| 2016 | Fuller House | Episode: "New Kids in the House" | |
| 2017 | 30 for 30 | Himself/narrator (voice) | Episode: "Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies, Part 1-3" |
| Return of the Mac | Himself | Main cast | |
| 2019 | Entertainment Tonight | Himself/Guest co-host | Episode: "Blue Bloods Exclusive!" |
| 2019–Present | Very Scary People | Himself/host | Main host |
| 2021 | The Masked Singer | Himself/Cluedle-Doo | Season 5 |
| 2025 | Bar Rescue | Himself/Guest recon spy | Episode: "Rock Bottom at Top Shelf" |
| 2025–present | Boston Blue | Daniel Fitzgerald "Danny" Reagan | also Executive producer/lead role |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | MC Hammer | "2 Legit 2 Quit" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Turok | Shepherd (voice) | [73] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Scream | Saw II | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program | Wahlburgers | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Nominated | ||||
| 2017 | People's Choice Award | Favorite TV Crime Drama Actor | Blue Bloods | Nominated | [74] |
Wahlberg family | |
|---|---|
| Family | |
| By marriage | |
| Collaborations |
|
