"When he died, it rocked me out of a dark depression," he recalled. It was so heavy." With nominations for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, Ruffalo is one of a selected few performers to be nominated for the four major entertainment awards in the US (EGOT). "[64], He has shown support for the LGBT community;[65] however, he has received backlash from the transgender community for supporting the casting of a man, Matt Bomer, to play a trans woman in the film Anything, on which Ruffalo was an executive producer. With every new adversity, I protested almost to God 'How much more of this do I have to take?'". He says having a tumor was a "gift" that made him love acting more. [42], Also in 2019, Ruffalo starred in and co-produced Dark Waters, which spotlighted another one of his environmental concerns with its true-life depiction of a corporate lawyer's relentless pursuit of justice to expose poisonous pollution by chemical behemoth DuPont. This wasn't the last time that Mark Ruffalo would find himself under investigation by the authorities, according to some severely misinformed news outlets, at least. In 2001, Mark Ruffalo grabbed the attention of the on-set doctor for a film he was working on. "Within six months, we went from normal to bankrupt and eliminated as a family," the actor said. Mark became extremely concerned with his life due to the eery dream and decided to consult a doctor. The Rumor Has It actor had to turn down the role of Merril Hess in the 2002 sci-fi thriller, Signs starring Mel Gibson. "People are so afraid of mental illness but its everywhere," he told Observer. The actor was terrified that facial paralysis could cost him his career. He has broad clinical experience in the psychoanalytic treatment of mood . The unfortunate diagnosis didn't only correspond with the birth of his son Ruffalo was also reaching new heights in his career. However, he did permanently lose his ability to hear in his left ear. My work started to change, my luck started to change. Here's a look back at Mark Ruffalo's tragic real-life story. Father was a construction painter and mother a hairstylist. "I just had this fear of dying on the operating table." Performance & security by Cloudflare. After burning through his Clearasil money, he started tending at a local dive bar. Rated 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, the project drew attention to the actor despite working opposite other established actors like Matthew Broderick and Laura Linney. Instead, he asked God to take his hearingsomething his doctors had informed him was one possible outcome of the surgery. The next year in 2015, he starred as a father of two with bipolar disorder in the independent comedy film Infinitely Polar Bear, for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination, and he also appeared as journalist Michael Rezendes in the drama film Spotlight, for which he earned his third Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award nomination. When speaking with the Telegraph, Mark said that after six months of paralysis, the chances of regaining motor control over his whole face would be remote. His next role was in 2001 in Rod Lurie's The Last Castle playing a bookie in a military prison alongside Robert Redford. Because no one knows how to properly say Cara Delevingne. Unfortunately, Frank was only able to find temporary employment, and the family's financial situation spiraled into bankruptcy. Following brain surgery, he has fully recovered after suffering from a partial facial paralysis. "But there's also the healthier part that says, 'You integrate it, and you get on.' "It's when you have what seems to be bad luck that actually turns into good luck later." As a result of the tumour, he briefly suffered a period of partial facial paralysis. He also would walk for miles each day. "There were all kinds of rumours about what had happened to me," he said. If this is it, if I have a piano dropped on me tomorrow, then I would go down thinking, "You know what, I did okay as far as my career goes, because that's a gift. Though the actor had been set to star in Noah Baumbach's Greenberg at the time, he decided to drop out of the indie flick to grieve (he was replaced by Ben Stiller). Mark first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play This Is Our Youth (1998) and drama film You Can Count On Me (2000). The Dark Waters star had a wake-up call in 1994 when he lost his best friend Michael to suicide. Next: Mark Ruffalo Almost Passed On His Iconic '13 Going On 30' Role. Actor: Spotlight. Later in life, Ruffalo discovered that some contributing factors to his childhood alienation may have been undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia. What is it? Now at 53, his popularity has increased even more due to his role as Bruce Banner aka Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having recovered from partial facial paralysis caused by a benign brain tumor in 2002, and still affected by the death of his brother, Scott, in a shooting in late 2008, Mr. Ruffalo is more. However, several weeks after the birth of his son and with the news of his diagnosis weighing heavy on his heart, Mark opened up to his wife and underwent surgery. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). In 1989, he made his screen debut in an episode of CBS Summer Playhouse. [69], Ruffalo signed a letter supporting Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him for in the 2019 UK general election. [33] The Pennsylvania Governor's Office of Homeland Security denied the claim. Atsushi Nishijima/HBO. [37], In June 2017, Ruffalo posted a petition on Twitter urging NBC to stop hiring white conservative commentators. As he told the Telegraph, Ruffalo took the role as an homage to his brother. Mark Alan Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Thankfully, the operation was a success and doctors were able to remove the tumour. Simply the Worlds Most Interesting Travel Site, The Tragic Truth About Mark Ruffalo's Health Issues, Here's What We Know About Mark Ruffalo And Sunrise Coigney's Private Life. xhr.send(payload); However, he beat the odds and after six months of paralysis, Mark was able to make very slight movements, signalling the beginning of a recovery that would still take several more months. Ruffalo had a difficult time accepting the fact that he was unable to work. But anaesthesia wasnt the only thing Ruffalo was worried about. In 2010, Ruffalo helped to promote the film Gasland, a documentary exploring the negative effects of fracking. As he told New York Magazine,he contacted director M. Night Shyamalan in an attempt to keep his acting gig in the upcoming film Signs. Years later, she called Ruffalo and said she wrote a script and had him in mind for the part. ", During the promotion of Maya Forbes' autobiographical 2014 film Infinitely Polar Bear where he played a clinically bipolar father, Ruffalo shared his own experience with mental health issues. In the UK, acoustic neuroma is rare, affecting approximately 2 per 100,000 according to the British Acoustic Neuroma association. [38][39] The same month, Ruffalo endorsed Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election. Ruffalo was informed that he had a mass the size of a golf ball behind his left ear (known as an acoustic neuroma) and would need surgery to have it removed as soon as possible. He is also a staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and supports the pro-choice movements. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { [22] He has been noted for spoiling the endings of Avengers: Infinity War a year ahead of theatrical release,[20][21] as well as Avengers: Endgame a few weeks ahead of release. 210.65.88.143 Its a long-running, low-grade depression all the time. And of everything that I've done since I've been on social media, which hasn't been that long, by the way, I haven't had such an overwhelmingly positive response as I have from The Normal Heart directly to me. The paralysis subsided after a year, but Mark remains deaf in his left ear. But he may well be the first actor to play both Bruce Banner *and* Hulk. that he started to bring his anger home with him. Ruffalo gained international recognition for playing Bruce Banner / Hulk since 2012 in the superhero franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, most recently appearing in the television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). He also had poor reflexes and had difficulty processing simple concepts like tying a knot. To paraphrase Ruffalo, he had a childhood filled with happiness, though it had its share of complications. "[67], In the 2016 election, Ruffalo supported Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. When paramedics arrived at the 39-year-old. He Convinced Mark Ruffalo To Become The Hulk! Understandably, his death affected Mark deeply. [43], In October 2020, speaking to Mehdi Hasan, Ruffalo condemned what he called Israel's "asymmetrical warfare" against the Palestinians, stating, "There is no reason that an ally of America should not be held to the same standards as any other nation in the world." He began acting in the early 1990s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan 's play This Is Our Youth (1998) and drama film You Can Count on Me (2000). He went on to star in the romantic comedies 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Just like Heaven (2005) and the thrillers In the Cut (2003), Zodiac (2007), and Shutter Island (2010). It was a rough journey with prescribed steroids slowing down his recovery. He had to undergo multiple therapies to move the muscles of his face again and be able to walk long distances. Its symptoms include hearing loss affecting only one ear, hearing loss from inside the body, known as tinnitus, and vertigo, according to the NHS. Small tumours may also be treated by stereotactic radiosurgery, which involves a precise beam of radiation targeting the tumour to prevent it growing bigger. That's rare."[28]. Following his brother's death, Ruffalo decided to take a break from Hollywood. "You should have seen me in my 20s, man," he told the New York Daily News. RELATED:Wayne Osmond Says This Was His First Sign of a Brain Tumor. I was struggling as a young actor, suffering through imagined or real slights from other people's hands. In that time, Ruffalo kept quiet about why he'd dropped off the map, but that didn't stop people from guessing. But this somewhat positive outcome was quick to change. Self deprecation is the most lethal weapon in any ladykiller's arsenal. The Ruffalo family lived here for a number of years before Soda Butler also went out of business. Scofield and Adham (who died of a suspected overdose in 2012) were later released and the coroner's report overruled. For the next ten months, Ruffalo went through an emotional recovery from his paralysis which involved him trying out a variety of different therapies, including acupuncture and sacral cranial therapy. The star had to undergo surgery just four weeks after his diagnosis to remove the tumour, which he was terrified about. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. In the '90s, The Avengers star made notable appearances in playwright Kenneth Lonergan's plays. RELATED: Here's What We Know About Mark Ruffalo And Sunrise Coigney's Private Life. Although the operation was a success, the side effects resulted in Ruffalo losing hearing in his left ear, and one side of his face became completely paralyzed. He begged God not to take away the one thing that he used to support his family, but, at that stage, it looked as though his face might never recover, essentially bringing his career as an actor to an end just as it was really getting started. [17] He reprised the role again in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),[18] Thor: Ragnarok (2017),[19] Avengers: Infinity War (2018),[20][21] and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Cookies help us deliver our Services. Your IP: Everything was going to be okay for him, but he still had a whole lot of tragedy to get through before he reached that point in his life. [1] He appeared opposite Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise as a narcotics detective in Michael Mann's crime thriller Collateral (2004). The Begin Again actor has had dark times before and after making it on the big screen. "You always wonder, 'What could I have done differently?'" xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); At least, that's what the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled. "There I was with one of my heroes, Robert Redford, doing this walk-and-talk. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing 2022 Galvanized Media. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); [51] The paralysis subsided after a year, but Ruffalo remains deaf in his left ear. he said. After high school, he was embarrassed to tell his parents that he wanted to pursue acting so he resorted to spending most of his time surfing or smoking. In 2011, he got his first Oscar nod for his performance in The Kids Are Alright. He Convinced Mark Ruffalo To Become The Hulk! "I was like that for about 10 months and the likelihood of it ever getting better looked pretty remote," he told The Telegraph. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb, Looking back, he now says that turning bad luck into good and seeing the best in things has become a recurring theme in his life. Ruffalo has described himself as having been a "happy kid",[6] although he struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD as a child and a young adult. "The moment he left, I realized that death wasn't an escape, that suicide wasn't an answer." Nick Fury actor Samuel Jackson called him a "cuddly little bear" and revealed that "everyone loves hugging on Mark" on the set of the Marvel movies, but, believe it or not, he was once a very angry young man. More info, Mark Ruffalo, 52, is the epitome of the expression a 10 year overnight success. At that point I thought maybe I wasn't enjoying it the way I thought I would, and so having that kind of taken away from me for a little while made me understand how much I actually loved it and cared about it," he added. "Drugs, alcoholism, AIDS." Though the tumor was benign, the resulting surgery led to a period of partial facial paralysis, from which he fully recovered. Around 2000, Ruffalo was diagnosed with a brain tumor known as an acoustic neuroma. Of course, Ruffalo was right. In an interview with New York Magazine, Ruffalo detailed his struggles after graduating high school. [68] While on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Ruffalo endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2020 United States presidential election, stating "you know when he gets in the office, he is going to be fighting for us". My first reaction was that buildings don't fall down like that. His EGOT recognitions are: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Initially it appeared that Scott might have died due to a Russian roulette mishap, but eventually the case was ruled a homicide. Ruffalo and Scott were always close, even for brothers. En espaol | Mark Ruffalo, 52, famous for virtually bulking up to play the Hulk in the wildly popular films about and including the Marvel superhero, bulked up in real life this year to play identical twins in the six-part HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True (HBO, May 10, 9 p.m. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. [13], In 2010, he starred in Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right, with Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. Supplements: Folic acid increase prostate cancer risk, Bowel cancer: Symptoms include hematochezia, Mark Ruffalo: The Hulk actor was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma in 2001, Chris Evans health: Radio DJ on his 'unbearable' symptoms, Mark Ruffalo: The actor's face became paralysed just days after his surgery, Ruth Jones health: Star uses particular spice to help arthritis, Tom Hanks health: Star suffered from 'crippling' aches and fatigue, Michael Caine health: Star, 89, on his health concerns. In December 2008, Ruffalo's younger brother and former roommate Scott was murdered. For Mark, reaching the pinnacle of his acting career still brought his fair share of struggles. He was all set to begin working on M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (2002) when he had the premonition, and he went to the production's doctor for advice. During his ramp-up to wider success, Ruffalo suffered a setback in 2002 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In school, he often felt like the odd one out. "Branches of this nerve directly influence your balance and hearing, and pressure from an acoustic neuroma can cause hearing loss, ringing in your ear and unsteadiness. Prior to 9/11, he moved to upstate New York to get away from the spotlight and focus on recuperating. In the past, Ruffalo, 54, has opened up about his. He began acting in the early 1990s and rose to prominence after appearing in Kenneth Lonergan's play This Is Our Youth and the drama film You Can Count On Me. He finally got the break he needed and was cast in a variety of films that made him become a recognised face. Since then, he's received three Oscar nominations for his performances in The Kids Are All Right, Foxcatcher, and Spotlight. scientific studies and medical journals. Lauren Gray is a New York-based writer, editor, and consultant. In one instance, he even dropped his son. "I was working on a movie when I had a dream that I had a brain tumor, and it was like no other dream that I'd ever had. He knew it sounded very strange, but he followed his gut and was right. After a while, Frank Ruffalo's painting business went under, prompting the family to move to Virginia Beach, Virginia, when Mark was 13. Ruffalo and his family call the . Ruffalo, 34 at the time, was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma in 2001, a benign brain tumour that slowly grows on the nerve used for hearing and balance. The Avengers star hid this all away from the public. Is Mark Ruffalo Paralyzed? He eventually figured things out when his family moved to Los Angeles. It was shattering to them.". He started acting in the early 1990s. And then I found out I had my brain tumor.". RELATED:Maria Menounos Says This Was the First Symptom of Her Brain Tumor. Not that he wouldn't change things if he could. My relationship to acting became very clear. Read on to. "Every news organization in the country ran it without bothering to check if it was true," he said. The way the world looked to me changed.". The two bonded over mutual interests, experiences, and views in life. Mark Ruffalo: The Hulk actor was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma in 2001 (Image: GETTY) Its symptoms include hearing loss affecting only one ear, hearing loss from inside the body, known as. "[31] On October 4, 2010, Ruffalo appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show to discuss hydraulic fracturing and the FRAC Act of 2009.