Mark Ruffalo Biography: In His Own Words – Exclusive Video, News, Photos, Age

Mark Alan Ruffalo is a prominent American actor and producer. He is best known for his captivating performances as Bruce Banner and the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role that has rightfully earned him worldwide recognition.

MARK RUFFALO BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967 (Mark Ruffalo age: 55) in Kenosha, Wisconsin. His father, Frank Lawrence Ruffalo Jr., was employed as a construction painter, while his mother, Marie Rose, found work as a hairdresser and stylist. Ruffalo has two sisters, Tania and Nicole, and a brother, Scott, who tragically passed away in 2008 with a bullet wound found in his head.

Ruffalo’s father is of Irish descent, while his mother is of French Canadian and Italian ancestry.

Throughout his educational years, Ruffalo studied at both Catholic and progressive schools. Despite his struggles with ADHD and undiagnosed dyslexia, Ruffalo described himself as a happy child while working hard to overcome the challenges he faced.

Ruffalo spent his teenage years in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his father worked. In junior high and high school in both Wisconsin and Virginia, Ruffalo took it upon himself to compete in wrestling. He graduated from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, where he’d acted for the Patriot Playhouse.

Ruffalo relocated to San Diego, California, with his family, and then later to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in classes at the Stella Adler Conservatory and co-founded the Orpheus Theatre Company. With this company, Ruffalo wrote, directed and starred in a handful of plays. Additionally, he spent nearly a decade employed as a bartender.

MARK RUFFALO BIOGRAPHY: CAREER

In an exclusive interview with uInterview, Ruffalo sat down with fellow castmate Adrien Brody to discuss the crime/romance film The Brothers Bloom. The first question they were asked was how they felt about the relationship between the two brothers.

“Well, it’s a complex relationship,” Brody stated. “Which is like probably most relationships between two brothers. Our characters were orphans, and at a very early age we found that by living a life of…”

“Crime,” Ruffalo interjected.

“Of crime,” Brody repeated. “Basically, becoming con men, we could have the upper hand.”

“And the things that we wanted,” Ruffalo added.

“Exactly,” Brody continued. “And this creates a tremendous bond because it’s us against the world. And, at this point in the story, my character needs to give this up and find his own way and his own voice because Stephen, my older brother…”

“Has been speaking for him,” Ruffalo interrupted.

“Has been speaking for me,” Brody confirmed.

“For most of his life,” Ruffalo chimed in.

“For most of my life,” Brody repeated. “And my whole life, everything…”

“That he wanted,” Ruffalo cut in. “I got for him.”

“He got for me,” Brody proclaimed.

“And now finally he wants to have something for himself,” Ruffalo commented.

“Exactly.”

The two were then asked if they did any preparation in regards to playing a con man. 

“No, it actually comes quite naturally,” Ruffalo responded.

“It’s not like having to learn classical piano. I grew up in New York, so you get that through osmosis,” Brody smiled.

“There’s plenty of con men all around in the movie industry,” Ruffalo mentioned. “I know a jewel thief and he is a con man and he’s larger than life. He’s got a joie de vivre like no one I’ve ever seen, and I drew from him extensively for the character of Stephen, him and Marcello Mastroianni.”

When asked about what it was like to work alongside fellow crew member Rachel Weisz, this is what Ruffalo had to say:

“She’s great,” Ruffalo admitted. “There’s a little scene where our big scene together is her and I on the Carl’s Bridge.”

“Charles,” Brody interjected.

“Talking about my one and only love who I fell in love with in Prague,” Ruffalo continued. “Bang Bang tosses her some sunglasses, and they go flying right over her shoulder. That was a total accident and then we ended up keeping that in the film.”

“Oh really?” Brody interjected. “It was great.”

“Yeah,” Ruffalo replied. “She was supposed to catch them and they went right over her shoulder.”

“That’s awesome,” Brody exclaimed.

In another exclusive interview with uInterview in 2009 with uInterview founder Erik Meers, Ruffalo discussed how he first got involved with the acclaimed film The Kids Are All Right.

“I was one of the last components, really,” Ruffalo admitted. “I got a call from my rep saying, ‘Hey, Lisa Cholodenko has a movie she wants to talk to you about.’ So I got on the phone and she was like, ‘I wrote this for you. I had you in mind for a long time while I was writing it.’ That’s basically how it started. I was in the middle of post-production on my movie and, for a minute there, it really didn’t look like I was gonna be doing this. And my wife and friends drew me in and kind of saved it in the final hour, so I’m lucky to be here.”

Ruffalo later went on to reveal what it was like walking on set with Annette Bening and Julianne Moore every day.

“I really love the scenes where everyone’s together,” Ruffalo said. “That first dinner scene outside on the picnic table. Then that last scene. That Joni Mitchell thing is so funny – it is so loaded. There’s so many things that play in that scene. There’s so many elements working off of each other and that kind of embodied this experience for me. The four of us acting together kind of by the seat of our pants a little bit. We had two takes at that. That kind of embodied the whole thing. You really have to trust each other, there’s some improvisation going on, there’s a lot of interpersonal things happening, so that’s one of my favorite scenes.”

Ruffalo also spoke about the shift present in his character and whether or not it was difficult to act as the “cool guy” for the majority of the film and then switch on a moment’s notice while becoming the jerk.

“Yeah, but it was fun, too,” Ruffalo commented. “It’s a blast as an actor to make those turns and see if you can pull it off. I don’t judge him. I think that he’s doing the best thing that he knows how to do. But I think it’s a fun shift, it’s an interesting move to see that character change like that.”

MARK RUFFALO BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE

Ruffalo currently resides with his family in Sullivan County, New York, where he described the Catskills as his “home.” He married fellow actress Sunrise Coigney in 2000. Together, they have three children.

After finishing his work on the drama/thriller The Last Castle, Ruffalo was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, a type of brain tumor, which is also known as a vestibular schwannoma. The tumor was discovered to be benign. However, the surgery that took place in order to remove the mass resulted in partial facial paralysis while also affecting Ruffalo’s hearing. The paralysis thankfully subsided about a year later, but unfortunately, Ruffalo still remains deaf in his left ear.

Ruffalo owns two apartments in New York, one for business and another one as an investment. His mother and stepfather live in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where Ruffalo and his family sometimes spend their summers.