How did Donnie Wahlberg transform from childhood to Blue Bloods? (p1)

For most of his life, Donnie Wahlberg has endured the glare of the public spotlight, and every little step he takes adds to the legacy of his storied career. Any kid growing up in the 1980s or 1990s knew Wahlberg’s name by middle school — New Kids on the Block’s resident bad boy wore his Boston roots proudly, and fans were all for it. His posters adorned walls; his music blasted through boomboxes. Crowds of screaming preteen girls declared their steadfast love of and loyalty, then watched as Wahlberg transformed from boy band megastar to serious character actor and fast food restaurateur. The bad boy became a family man — and a familiar presence on our living room television screens.

Since 2010, Donnie Wahlberg has portrayed Detective Danny Reagan on the hit CBS drama “Blue Bloods.” Wahlberg makes Reagan a guy to root for, even when the detective’s hotheaded nature is frustrating. The eldest son of Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), Danny is loyal to his family and dedicated to his job. He’s come a long way since his formative years in Boston — and with that in mind, here’s a look at the transformation of Donnie Wahlberg from childhood to “Blue Bloods.”

Born in Dorchester, Boston

Donald “Donnie” Edmond Wahlberg, Jr. entered the world on August 17, 1969. Born the eighth of nine children to Alma Elaine Donnelly Wahlberg, a nurse’s aide, and Donald Edmond Wahlberg, Sr., a Teamster and delivery driver, Donnie is the older brother of former rapper turned movie star Mark Wahlberg. Donnie was the fourth boy in the working-class clan, but his parents chose to bestow him with his father’s name — this kid would grow into something special.

Many people mistakenly believe that the Wahlbergs hail from South Boston, or “Southie,” Boston’s predominantly Irish neighborhood and the setting of a plethora of cinematic crime dramas. Donnie and his siblings actually grew up in Dorchester, a Boston area with its own distinctive charm and personality. In a November 28, 2017 tweet, Wahlberg called out the Mercury News for calling people “Southies” and for claiming the Wahlbergs grew up there. He proclaimed his love for South Boston, but confirmed he is most decidedly not native to “Southie.”

In a Boston Globe follow-up article to the Mercury News gaffe, writer Jeremy C. Fox likened calling someone a Southie to calling someone “a Bronx” or “a Queens.” No one in Boston refers to South Boston inhabitants as “Southies.” The neighborhoods border each other, but Dorchester is Boston’s largest neighborhood, and represents a more diverse population than its southern neighbor.

Childhood dreams and boyhood trouble

As Donnie Wahlberg reached adolescence, fractures in his home life grew. Wahlberg’s parents struggled to make ends meet and argued constantly. With seven older siblings at home, Wahlberg became known as the family peacemaker and interceded in normal teenage bickering. (Donnie didn’t remain the youngest for long; his brother Mark came along in 1971.)

When it came time for elementary school, Donnie Wahlberg was bussed to Roxbury — another Boston neighborhood a half-hour ride away from Dorchester. On the bus ride to school, he fell in love with rap music. After his parents divorced when he was 12, he fell into rebellious petty crime — shoplifting and fights — and in “Our Story,” the 1990 New Kids on the Block autobiography, he talks about living dangerously. But he also found a passion for performing and acted in school plays through high school; this passion would prove to transform his life.

At a young age, Wahlberg developed a love for music and obsessed over Michael Jackson videos. He would soak in Jackson’s choreography and teach himself the King of Pop’s dance moves. During his freshman year of high school, Wahlberg and fellow future New Kid on the Block Danny Wood formed a rap group called the Kool-Aid Bunch. It helped them meet girls, but neither dreamed of rising to stardom … although that would quickly change.

Hangin’ Tough

In 1984, 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg found himself catapulting toward fame after music producer Maurice Starr hosted a massive talent search in Boston to discover the next New Edition. Starr was looking for kids with an edge that could sing, rap, and dance for his next superstar boy band, and he found his first two in Donnie and Mark Wahlberg. Donnie started recruiting his friends, including Kool-Aid Bunch member Danny Wood and buddy Jordan Knight. Knight’s older brother Jonathan signed on next. The band performed locally under the name Nynuk until Mark Wahlberg and original member Jamie Kelly decided to opt out. Starr held further auditions before landing on 12-year-old Joey McIntyre from Jamaica Plains, another Boston neighborhood.

Nynuk signed with Columbia Records, changed their name to New Kids on the Block, and released their eponymous debut album in 1986. The band’s second album, 1988’s “Hangin’ Tough,” cemented the boys on the Billboard music charts and saw them play sold-out venues. Each New Kids on the Block member played a stereotypical role, with Wahlberg serving as the bad boy. The band achieved international fame, sold millions of albums, and readied the stage for boy bands like NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. The band broke up in 1994 after Jonathan Knight left the group, but Wahlberg didn’t remain idle for long, as he took the leap into acting.

Charged with first-degree arson

On March 27, 1991, while on tour with New Kids on the Block, Donnie Wahlberg faced charges for first-degree arson. Wahlberg was a guest at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky when he soaked a hallway carpet with vodka and then ignited a small fire. He was partying with his friends and some New Kids on the Block fans, and took things a bit too far. Then 21 years old, Wahlberg didn’t harm anyone or cause extensive damage, but the charges he faced could have landed him significant jail time.

Although the fire reflected Wahlberg’s rebellious public image, he maintained that he didn’t intend to cause damage or do any harm. He immediately acknowledged his misstep and took full responsibility for his crime; as part of a plea deal, he offered to record a series of public service announcements and the court accepted his offer. The charges were reduced, but if they hadn’t been and the case had gone to trial, Wahlberg may have faced up to 20 years in prison.

The New Kid becomes a dad

During the same year Wahlberg set the fire, he began dating Kimberly Fey. Fey gave birth to Wahlberg’s first son, Xavier Alexander Wahlberg, on March 4, 1993. The 23-year-old father mellowed out a bit with young parenthood, and found himself devoted to the role of dad. On August 20, 2001, Fey gave birth to the couple’s second son, Elijah Hendrix Wahlberg.

Donnie Wahlberg has never thrust his kids into the spotlight, but his love for his sons is obvious. In fact, Xavier Wahlberg remains private into adulthood, and steers clear of social media. However, the eldest of Wahlberg’s sons has performed in a death metal band. Xavier Wahlberg refuses to ride on the coattails of his father’s success, and has carved out a life separate from the fame of the family name. Elijah doesn’t make public appearances very often either, but he can be spotted on his father’s old reality show “Donnie Loves Jenny” which ran on A&E for 26 episodes from January 2015 to April 2016.

A pop star lands a film role

Donnie Wahlberg made the leap from music to acting when he co-starred alongside Adrien Brody, Mickey Rourke, and Tupac Shakur in the 1996 crime thriller “Bullet.” The film’s story centers on Butch “Bullet” Stein (Mickey Rourke), a thief who escalates his crimes after serving an eight-year prison sentence. Bullet raises the ire of local crime kingpin Tank (Tupac Shakur) when he steals from him, and the two have a showdown. Wahlberg plays a henchman who works for Tank underling and Irish gangster Paddy (Matthew Powers), who winds up killing two of Tank’s cronies.

Wahlberg wasn’t handed a developed character with heavy dialogue, but he still managed to leave an onscreen impression. Although it was a small role, he worked alongside some real greats — including a then-unknown Peter Dinklage — and honed his acting talent. “Bullet” didn’t open to rave reviews and box office success, but it did open doors for Wahlberg to expand his acting resume. The same year, he appeared in the Mel Gibson vehicle “Ransom” and played Danny Quinn, the lead in the 1999 Boston crime drama “Southie.”

A pivotal role in The Sixth Sense

Wahlberg’s short yet pivotal appearance in M. Night Shyamalan’s critically acclaimed “The Sixth Sense” showed glimpses of his enormous acting talent. As Vincent Grey, Wahlberg is believable — and virtually unrecognizable: He starved himself to prepare to play Grey, and portrayed Grey’s mental disturbance with palpable distress. Grey’s actions in the opening moments of the film set in motion the character arc for Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). We won’t spoil the rest of the plot here … even though the movie earned six Academy Award nominations and its twist has become solidified in pop culture lore.

“The Sixth Sense” proved Wahlberg’s dedication to character acting, and allowed him to shine. His appearance in the film only lasts for three minutes, but anyone who’s seen it will never forget his portrayal of Grey. After “The Sixth Sense,” Wahlberg began to land multiple film and television roles, and has since worked steadily in film as well as television.