Mark Wahlberg Moved From Hollywood For His Family & His Daughter, 13, Is Working Hard To Fulfill Her Equestrian Dreams

Aug 08, 2023

Mark Wahlberg isn't only amazing as an actor but he's also a big family man as well. In fact, he is willing to do anything for his family.

With several different Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations under his belt, the American actor has plenty to be proud of. But there's one area of his life that he is most proud of — his family. 

In 2009, Mark married his wife, Rhea Durham. Durham is an accomplished model and has been on the cover of French Vogue and Marie Claire. She even walked the runway in the 2000 and 2001 Victoria's Secret fashion shows. Together, the couple has four kids: Ella Rae Wahlberg, 19; Michael Wahlberg, 17; Brendan Wahlberg, 14; and Grace Margaret Wahlberg, 13. 

Over the years, Mark has been outspoken about his love for his kids. He often shares hilarious stories and anecdotes about them in interviews and on social media. In an Instagram post on Jan. 26, 2022, Mark shared a photo of the family at his daughter's horseback riding meet. 

He paired the photo with a heartwarming caption that read, "Her brothers came out to support even though it was playoff weekend."

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mark said that he sometimes has to watch his kids' sports games from the car. He said that his kids often don't allow him to be seen with them around their friends. 

"Me being in the public eye, there are pros to that, but there's a lot of cons," he said.

"My kids wanna have their own identity, you know?" 

For some of Mark’s kids, that means pursuing their ambitions, even at such a young age. Read on to find out how this is very much the case with Mark’s youngest child, Grace.

Mark is fully devoted to his children and always stands ready to support them, even at his own expense. He told Entertainment Tonight that while it’s difficult for him to stay away from sports matches and such so he doesn’t steal their thunder, it was something he was willing to do.

"At first I took it personally, because I wanna be there to support them, but supporting them is by making them feel comfortable in what they're doing and them having their own identity too," he said. "It's very difficult." 

Mark said his daughters have also changed his perspective on what it meant to be a man. 

"I definitely have a newfound respect for women," he said. "And I think I finally became a good and real man when I had a daughter."

Mark made it clear that for him, his priorities were set. 

"For me, family always comes first," he said. "I would do anything to protect them." 

In line with this, Mark made the daunting decision to move his entire family from the plush life in Hollywood they’d known for so long. In April 2022, the “Transformers” actor revealed that he put up his colossal home in Beverly Park, Southern California, for sale with the aim of resettling his family in Nevada.

Mark purchased his family's two-story McMansion in 2009 at the cost of $8.25 million. The star set about renovating the six-acre property, which was completed about five years later. By the time it was finished, the spruced-up mansion boasted 12 bedrooms, 20 bathrooms, a skate park, a movie theater, multiple bars, a wine cellar, a wood-paneled library, a grotto, a fully-equipped gym, a basketball court and a five-hole golf course. 

In July 2022, Mark dished out $15.6 million to put down roots in The Summit Club, a high-end residential enclave in Las Vegas’ upscale Summerlin community. While the 2.5-acre plot of land the actor purchased is vacant residential land, it’s likely whatever mansion he builds there will be just as luxurious as the last one. 

In November 2022, Mark told Hello! he was very much “looking forward to our new home being complete,” and he added, “That way I can get out of the doghouse.” 

It’s clear Mark isn’t afraid of making big decisions for the sake of his family. He once said:

“My mission in life is to raise my kids right. With all the success I've had in the world, if I fail at that, my life means nothing.” 

Appearing on the CBS show "The Talk," Mark opened up about why he decided to move to Nevada with his family.

Mark admitted he wanted to take advantage of tax credit in Nevada and turn the state into the next Hollywood by setting up movie studios.

But more than making his Hollywood dreams come true, he wanted to give his family the best kind of life they could ever have.

"So, to be able to give my kids a better life and follow and pursue their dreams whether it be my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my younger son as a golfer, this made a lot more sense for us," he said.

He added that they “came here to just kind of give ourselves a new look, a fresh start for the kids, and there's lot of opportunity here. I'm really excited about the future.”

It seems the transition has worked out well for the Wahlberg clan. Mark has been able to focus on his many business ventures, including his workout clothing and equipment line called Municipal and his tequila brand Flecha Azul. In April 2023, he gave E! News an update on the family and said, “they love Vegas.”

“I spent lots of time in L.A. pursuing my interests and my career and now it's time for them to pursue theirs. Everybody is thriving there, it's been great,” he remarked. 

One of the most exciting things happening in Mark’s life now is his youngest daughter Grace’s burgeoning ambitions. Mark said her interest in becoming a professional equestrian had risen tremendously and told People:

“She works out now. She’s an equestrian. She now wants to go up in meters and to be a Grand Prix Jumper. She’s got to train.”

He added she was “doing things that my other kids are kind of now starting to think, 'Well, we've got to start doing something because she's got it all figured out, what she wants to do and how she wants to do it.” 

He proudly said Grace was “doing the work” to reach her dreams, with Mark and his wife often sharing Grace’s achievements on social media. “I called her this morning at like 10 o'clock. I wanted to catch her before she left to go to the barn. She was already at the barn on the horse. So she's she's got my work ethic for sure.”

He described Grace as the child who is "the most like me,” although that can sometimes be intimidating. “She does not mess around,” he revealed. “If you've even think about getting her there late or missing something, it’s a big problem.”

What do you think of Mark Wahlberg’s decision to move his family to Nevada? Do you like his style of parenting? If so, let us know and be sure to pass this on to all the doting moms and dads you know, too!