Mark Wahlberg made the ultimate sacrifice in 2022 when he moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to give his four children the chance at a normal life. The Boston-born actor had made the move to Tinseltown in the 1990s, with his first lead role in Fear (1996), and received critical acclaim for his performance as porn actor Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights (1997).
He ventured into big-budget action movies in the 2000s, and in 2006, he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscars for his work in Martin Scorsese's The Departed, for Best Picture in 2010 for The Fighter, which he produced and also starred in, and in 2017 was named the world's highest-paid actor.
© InstagramDuring this time, he began dating Rhea Durham, and the pair welcomed their three eldest children, Ella Rae (born September 2, 2003), Michael (born March 21, 2006), and Brendan (born September 16, 2008), before they tied the knot on August 1, 2009, at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills, near where they lived.
Their youngest daughter, Grace, was born a year later, on January 11, 2010.
© GettyBut after decades in Los Angeles, Mark and Rhea made the bold decision to move their family of six – plus their five dogs – to Las Vegas to give their children a better life.
They sold their Los Angeles estate for $55 million in February 2023; Paris Hilton snapped it up in 2025 for $63 million.
"When we decided to move (to Las Vegas), we wanted to move before school started, so we moved into a temporary place," Mark shared in 2023. The family moved into a two-story, 7,327-square-foot townhouse, initially purchased in August 2022 for $14.5 million, in a private community called The Summit Club.
The Summit Club, which is in the southern part of the Summerlin community, describes itself as "a members-only residential community featuring a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, unique wellness and recreation programs, and 260 residences."
© GettyA year later, they sold the home for $16.6million, and moved into their forever home, with Mark sharing that the plan was "always to build, not only a studio but a family home".
Mark has admitted that he misses California's weather, but acknowledged that he had "only made a couple of movies in the entire time that I was there," with much of the industry's action movies often filmed in Atlanta or London now.
In the years since he left Los Angeles, Mark has continued to work on screen with films shot in London, the Dominican Republic, Colorado, Atlanta, and Australia, and he has also placed his focus on business ventures.
© GC ImagesIn 2021, he invested in the Tequila brand Flecha Azul, and in 2023, Wahlberg became Chief Brand Officer for F45 Training, and Mark also remains involved in Wahlburgers, the national franchise launched on the back of Mark's brother Paul's Massachusetts restaurant.
"I miss California, I miss the weather. But the kids are thriving [in Las Vegas]. I live in a wonderful community that's really faith-based, great schools. There's much more to Las Vegas than the Strip," Mark told the Today Show in 2023.
He added: "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."
© InstagramThe Ted actor's daughter Grace, now 16, is an avid equestrian and has won several local championships. "So proud of you," Mark captioned the post on social media of Grace with her award.
Ella, 22, is a student at Clemson University in South Carolina, where she is "thriving," said Mark.
Little is known about Mark's sons, Michael and Brendan, although in 2022, Michael celebrated a religious milestone, making his confirmation to his Catholic faith.
Brendan is an avid golf fan and has also attended UFC fights with his father.
