Biographie
Few can dispute that Mark has enjoyed considerable luck in his career. His first agent signed him without a SAG card, and just three months later, Mark landed his first national commercial for McDonald's. This marked the start of a lengthy series of national ads for brands like Folger's Coffee, Irish Spring, Tartar Control Crest, American Airlines, and many others. On the television episodic front, he has worked alongside some of Hollywood's finest: James Arness, Bruce Boxleitner, Ron Leibman, Patrick O'Neal, Dick O'Neil, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Forsythe, Ted Danson, Robin Wright, Deidre Hall, Kelsey Grammer, and Craig T. Nelson, among others.
Whether playing football on an NCAA scholarship at Penn State, delivering sermons at his local church, or mastering the craft of acting, Mark has always approached everything with his unique intensity and passion. His years as an actor have only deepened his love and appreciation for both the craft and life itself. Many interests have stayed with him over time, including cooking Chinese food, racing stock cars on quarter-mile dirt tracks, flying, and writing and singing country songs in the shower. Yet, acting remains his true passion.
At times, success isn't just about passion or talent; it's about the small details. For instance, Mark secured a role in the 100th Anniversary commercial for Disneyworld, directed by Academy Award-winner John Madden, by being able to sing the Mickey Mouse Cartoon Time theme song when no one else could.
In his personal life, when he's not in front of the camera or on stage, Mark is known as a devoted holiday enthusiast. One of his proudest feats was keeping his living Christmas tree up well past Valentine's Day. He proudly calls himself a Battlestar Galactica fan and has adopted "frakk" as a substitute for its expletive counterpart, much to his daughter's dismay. He genuinely believes Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is as close to Shakespearean as modern acting gets this side of performing Shakespeare himself. When asked about his role models, his immediate answer is Joseph Cotten. However, since many younger people are unfamiliar with Early Hollywood, the Mercury Players, or Joseph Cotten, he usually opts to say simply, "William Shatner.
