Mark Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967 to parents Maria and Frank Ruffalo. He was raised in Kenosha, WI until the family moved to Virginia Beach when Mark was thirteen years old. In school, Mark was an avid athlete who excelled in wrestling. During his senior year of high school, he quit wrestling to begin his pursuit of acting.

By age nineteen, Mark had joined the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. In 1998, Mark starred in Kenneth’s Lonergan’s play, This is our Youth. This role led to many other film rolls including his breakthrough film You Can Count on Me (also directed by Lonergan). Around this time, Mark met his wife, Sunrise Coigney. They married in 2000, and had their first child, Keen, in 2001. They recently had their second child, Bella, in May of 2005.

Shortly after the birth of his first child, Mark was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. After having surgery to have the tumor removed, Mark suffered partial facial paralysis. Several months later, Mark fully recovered and continued acting in films such as XX/XY, My Life Without Me and the provocative In the Cut.

Although recently appearing in large budget Hollywood films like Rumor has It and Just Like Heaven, Mark’s fans hope that Mark will continue to appear in smaller independent films. It is in these complex stories and characters that Mark seems to thrive and keeps his fans wanting more.

Filmography

• Blindness (2008)
• The Brothers Bloom (2008)
• Reservation Road (2007)
• Margaret (2007)
• Zodiac (2007)
• All the King's Men (2006)
• Rumor Has It... (2005)
• Just Like Heaven (2005)
• Collateral (2004)
• 13 Going on 30 (2004)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)
• In the Cut (2003)
• View from the Top (2003)
• My Life Without Me (2003)
• Windtalkers (2002)
• XX/XY (2002)
• The Last Castle (2001)
• Life/Drawing (2001)
• "The Beat" (8 episodes, 2000)
• You Can Count on Me (2000)
• Committed (2000)
• Ride with the Devil (1999)
• A Fish in the Bathtub (1999)
• How Does Anyone Get Old? (1999)
• Houdini (1998)
• 54 (1998)
• Safe Men (1998)
• On the 2nd Day of Christmas (1997)
• The Last Big Thing (1996)
• The Dentist (1996)
• The Destiny of Marty Fine (1996)
• Blood Money (1996)
• Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur (1995)
• "Due South" (1 episode, 1994)
• There Goes My Baby (1994)
• Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance (1994)
• A Gift from Heaven (1994)
• A Song for You (1993)
• Rough Trade (1992)
• "CBS Summer Playhouse" (1 episode, 1989)

Awards

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award "You Can Count on Me" 2000
• Montreal Film Festival Best Actor Award "You Can Count on Me" 2000
• Lucille Lortel Award Actor "This Is Our Youth" 1999
• Theatre World Award "This Is Our Youth" 1997