Claim: Mark Wahlberg is a co-owner of Wahlburgers.

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg -LRB- born June 5 , 1971 -RRB- is an American actor , producer , businessman , former model , and rapper . Wahlberg was known as Marky Mark in his early career as frontman for the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch , releasing the albums Music for the People and You Got ta Believe . Wahlberg later transitioned to acting , appearing in films such as the drama Boogie Nights and the satirical war comedy-drama Three Kings during the 1990s . In the 2000s , he starred in the biographical disaster drama The Perfect Storm , the science fiction film Planet of the Apes , the heist film The Italian Job , and the Martin Scorsese-directed neo-noir crime drama The Departed , for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor . In the 2010s , he starred in the action comedy The Other Guys alongside Will Ferrell , the biographical sports drama The Fighter -LRB- for which he earned an Academy Award nomination as a producer for Best Picture -RRB- , the comedy Ted , the war film Lone Survivor , the crime comedy Pain & Gain , the science fiction action film Transformers : Age of Extinction , the disaster film Deepwater Horizon , and the thriller Patriots Day .   Wahlberg has also served as executive producer of four HBO series : the comedy-drama Entourage -LRB- 2004 -- 11 -RRB- , the period crime drama Boardwalk Empire -LRB- 2009 -- 14 -RRB- , the comedy-dramas How to Make It in America -LRB- 2010 -- 11 -RRB- and Ballers -LRB- 2015 -- present -RRB- . He is co-owner of the Wahlburgers chain and co-stars in the reality TV series about it . Wahlberg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 29 , 2010 . He is known for his `` tough guy '' action persona , frequently portraying police officers , military personnel , or criminals in his films . He is also known for his collaborations with directors David O. Russell , Michael Bay , and Peter Berg .