He was set to appear in Signs (2002) but had to drop out when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The operation left him partially paralyzed temporarily. His part in Signs (2002) went to Joaquin Phoenix.
The brain tumor Mark was diagnosed with was found to be benign. Following brain surgery, he has fully recovered after suffering from a partial facial paralysis.
Father was a construction painter and mother a hairstylist. Both are Italian-Americans and later divorced. His three siblings -- Scott, Tania and Nicole -- are all hairdressers.
Studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory in Los Angeles.
His son, Keen, was born in 2001.
Bartended for nearly a decade while trying to break in to show business
In an interview with Moviemaker magazine, he claims to have made 800 auditions in his lifetime before making it big.
Attended First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Second child, Bella, was born May 2005.
He is one of four children.
Benicio Del Toro was a fellow student at the Stella Adler drama school in Los Angeles.
Mark Ruffalo Detailed Biography
Mark Ruffalo won the Best Actor Award at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival and the New Generation Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his standout performance in Kenneth Lonergan's You Can Count on Me opposite Laura Linney and Matthew Broderick. The film, which won both the coveted Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic film and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, also garnered Ruffalo an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Considered one of the rising stars of his generation, Ruffalo most recently was seen in the comedy View From The Top with Gwyneth Paltrow; John Woo's Windtalkers opposite Nicolas Cage; The Last Castle, starring Robert Redford; and the independent feature XX/YY. Next up for Ruffalo is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michael Gondry, written by Charlie Kaufman and starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet and Kirsten Dunst; and My Life Without Me, with Sarah Polley and produced by Pedro Almodóvar. He just completed production on the independent film We Don't Live Here Anymore opposite Naomi Watts and the romantic comedy 13 Going On 30, in which he stars with Jennifer Garner.
Among Ruffalo's other feature film credits are Lisa Kreuger's Committed with Heather Graham, Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil and 54. His independent films include Joan Micklin Silver's A Fish in the Bathtub, Life/Drawing and Safe Men. Additionally, he wrote and co-starred in The Destiny of Marty Fine, which was the first runner up at the 1995 Slamdance Film Festival. On television, Ruffalo starred in The Beat, created by Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana.
Ruffalo first gained attention starring in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway production of This is Our Youth written by Kenneth Lonergan, for which he garnered a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actor. He has won numerous awards for his theatrical performances, including a Dramalogue Award and a Theater World Award. He recently made a return to the stage in the off-Broadway production The Moment When, a new play by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner James Lapine. In addition to acting, he has directed several plays, including Margaret at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Los Angeles.
