Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Marie Rose, a hairdresser and stylist, and Frank Lawrence Ruffalo, Jr., a construction painter. He has two sisters, Tania and Nicole, and had a brother, Scott, who is no more. He is of Italian ancestry on his father’s side and half French-Canadian and half Italian lineage on his mother’s side.

He was brought up as a Catholic and attended both Catholic and Progressive schools in his childhood.

Although he suffered from undiagnosed Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in his growing years, he recalled himself being a “happy kid” growing up in a "very big" family with "lots of love".

He lived his teen years in Virginia Beach with his family. While in Wisconsin and Virginia, he competed in wrestling in junior high and high school.

After graduating from the First Colonial High School, he moved with his family to San Diego, California. The family later migrated and settled in Los Angeles.

While acting in the Orpheus Theatre, Mark Ruffalo landed small roles on TV and in films like ‘The Dentist’ (1996), ‘Safe Men’ (1998) and ‘Ride with the Devil’ (1999).

Soon, a chance meeting and collaboration with playwright Kenneth Lonergan altered his fortune. He acted in several of his plays, particularly ‘This is Our Youth’ (1996), which landed him the role of the male lead in Lonergan's movie ‘You Can Count on Me’ (2000). His performance in the film received critical acclaim and won him several critics’ awards.

The success of the film also helped him establish a strong foothold in Hollywood. He played prominent characters in subsequent movies like ‘The Last Castle’ (2001), ‘XX/XY’ (2002), and ‘Windtalkers’ (2002).

In 2002, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Though the tumour was benign, the surgery resulted in partial facial paralysis. Fortunately, he recovered fully after a brief spell of illness.

(In 2003, he returned to work with leading roles opposite two famous actresses, Meg Ryan and Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘In the Cut’ (2003) and ‘View from the Top’ (2003), respectively. However, both the films failed at the box-office.

Mark Ruffalo's performance in 'You Can Count on Me' was widely appreciated and earned him comparisons with the young Marlon Brando. He also won several awards for the film.

He is known for his portrayal of ‘the Hulk’ in the movies 'The Avengers’ (2012) and ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’. His performance earned him international fame.

Mark Ruffalo's performance in the movies The Kids Are All Right’ and ‘Foxcatcher’ was hugely appreciated by the critics and earned him Academy Award nominations.