Meet Mark Wahlberg's Four Children — Ella Rae, Michael, Brendan and Grace

When Mark Wahlberg isn’t tearing up the big screen in action movies like Flight Risk or racking up award nominations for his more dramatic roles, he’s busy being a father. The Departed actor shares four kids with his wife, Rhea Durham, and he spends much of his free time doing normal dad stuff like dropping them off at sports practice and teaching them to drive.

“I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life,” he told Esquire in 2014. “To give them enough trust that they can share things with you. I don’t want them to be terrified of me, you know? But I don’t want them to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, either, because they can’t.”

In 2022, Wahlberg and his family left Hollywood and moved to Las Vegas, in large part so the actor could focus more on fatherhood. “Every free moment that I have, I’m at home. I want to be able to work from home,” he explained during a 2023 appearance on The Talk. “I moved to California many years ago to pursue acting and I’ve only made a couple of movies in the entire time that I was there. … This made a lot more sense for us.”

Keep reading for everything to know about Mark Wahlberg’s kids.

How many kids does Mark Wahlberg have?

Mark Wahlberg has four kids, all of whom he shares with his wife, Rhea Durham. The couple, who wed in 2009, are the parents of Ella Rae (born in 2003), Michael (born in 2006), Brendan (born in 2008) and Grace (born in 2010).

Who is the mother of Mark Wahlberg’s kids?

Rhea Durham is the mother of all four of Wahlberg’s children. Wahlberg met Durham in 2001 while he was in New York City for a press junket. He asked her out right away, and they had their first date the very next day—at church. “I knew shortly after that she was the one, but I still had to make sure that I was able to be the man I needed to be,” he told People in 2010.

Durham, who worked as a model before meeting Wahlberg, has gushed about their family life over the years. “I know people might read this and think, ‘Ugh,’ but I love my life. It’s hectic and stressful at times,” she told Cookie magazine in 2007. “But I’m really happy. I love the traditions of family and home. Babies, kids, holidays—that’s what I’m good at.”

Related: Mark Wahlberg Is Barely Recognizable After Drastic Transformation for New Project

How old was Mark Wahlberg when he had his first kid?

Wahlberg had his first child, daughter Ella Rae, when he was 32. At that point, he had already starred in movies including Boogie Nights, Three Kings and The Perfect Storm and was well on his way to becoming a major box-office draw. After spending much of his career in Hollywood, Wahlberg moved his whole family to Las Vegas in 2022.

“I spent lots of time in L.A. pursuing my interests and my career and now it’s time for them to pursue theirs,” he told E! News in 2023. “Everybody is thriving there, it’s been great.”

He noted in a separate interview that he wanted his kids to have a more low-key life in Nevada. “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,” he explained on a 2023 episode of The Talk. “We came here to just kind of give ourselves a new look, a fresh start for the kids, and there’s a lot of opportunity here. I’m really excited about the future.”

Related: Mark Wahlberg Flaunts Chiseled Abs in Itty-Bitty Swim Shorts During Beach Vacation

Who are Mark Wahlberg’s kids?

Mark Wahlberg has four kids: Ella Rae (born in 2003), Michael (born in 2006), Brendan (born in 2008) and Grace (born in 2010).

View the original article to see embedded media.

Ella Rae Wahlberg

Born on Sept. 2, 2003, Ella Rae is the eldest of Wahlberg and Durham’s four children. The same day Ella was born, one of Wahlberg’s older sisters, Deborah, died of a heart attack at age 43. On Ella’s 18th birthday in 2021, Wahlberg acknowledged that the day is “bittersweet” for the family because of Deborah’s death. “Happy B day my Ella❤️🎁18 years old 😚wow how time flies. So proud of you !!” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Always A [bittersweet] day . Missing my big sister Debbie💔 Ella’s Guardian angel.”

In 2023, Ella enrolled at Clemson University in South Carolina. During parents’ weekend, Ella and her dad attended a frat party together. “They were having the most fun I’ve ever seen anybody have, ever! Even more than her coming to Vegas,” he told Entertainment Tonight in December 2023. “I was at the frat house and, you know, a couple of spots in town. It was nuts. Parents’ weekend was incredible.”

Ella is a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at Clemson, which her dad said made him regret not going to college himself. “We just went to parents’ weekend, you know with the sorority girls and the frat house,” he recalled on an October 2023 episode of Today. “It was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I definitely felt like I never really had too many regrets about not going to college until I saw [this].”

Michael Wahlberg

Wahlberg and Durham’s second child, son Michael, arrived on March 21, 2006. He is named as a tribute to his grandfather, who called Mark by his middle name, Michael, when he was growing up. Wahlberg has said that his sons “were obsessed with everything sports” when they were growing up. “The first thing out of their mouths in the morning when their eyes are barely open is, ‘Dad, did the Clippers win?’” he told People in 2014.

In April 2023, Wahlberg and Durham celebrated Michael’s 17th birthday by giving him his first car, a new Ford Bronco. “First car 🫣🙏🏼🔥🎈,” Durham captioned an Instagram photo showing Michael posing with his new vehicle.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Brendan Joseph Wahlberg

Wahlberg and Durham welcomed their third child, son Brendan, on Sept. 16, 2008. Like his older brother, Brendan loves sports, attending basketball games and UFC fights with his dad. He also plays golf, but Wahlberg has said that he doesn’t like to watch his kids’ practice sessions up close.

“My kids wanna have their own identity, you know? I’m not allowed to get out of the car at football practice or a game. I gotta sit in the car and watch,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2021. “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.”

View the original article to see embedded media.

Grace Margaret Wahlberg

Grace, who was born on January 11, 2010, is Wahlberg and Durham’s youngest child. She is an equestrian and dreams of one day qualifying for the Olympics. “My daughter, believe it or not, is more disciplined than me,” Wahlberg told E! News in 2023, referring to his famous habit of waking up at 3:30 a.m. “I didn’t adopt that kind of discipline until I was in my 30s, and I had to do it because of work. And now, she does it on her own because she wants to be an Olympian.”

Wahlberg has also joked about the cost of Grace’s equestrian hobby, calling it “the most expensive sport possible” during a 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “She loves it. And she takes so much pride in the little stuff—she’s at the barn every day, shoveling poop,” he added. “She’s up before me. She’s got my work ethic.”

Are Mark Wahlberg’s kids actors?

None of Wahlberg’s kids have followed in his acting footsteps yet, but there’s still time. While Brendan has previously expressed interest in acting, Wahlberg said he doesn’t seem to be too serious about it. “My youngest son says he’s a better actor than me, and that he’s gonna be bigger than I ever was. So I keep encouraging him to start now, but he’s much more interested in playing video games,” he told E! News in 2023. “I could’ve gotten him a part in [The Family Plan]. A 15-year-old who loves video games, but he had to go through the process and audition. I had to know that he was serious and not gonna get the job and, like school, ‘I don’t wanna go today, Dad.’ So he didn’t audition, so I didn’t push it.” 

Related: Mark Wahlberg’s Net Worth in 2025 From Funky Bunch Frontman to Oscar Nominee