When we look at actors, we often think about everything that is good in their life. They tend to live a life of luxury, but we also realize that there are problems in the background, just as there are problems for all of us.
This is sometimes seen in the way that some of the top Hollywood actors react to specific situations in their life. Mark Ruffalo is a great example.
As a top Hollywood actor, he enjoyed a lot of success but prior to that time, he was burned out on life and suffered from a lot of depression. He also had some challenges in his life that he had to overcome.
One of those challenges occurred when they diagnosed him with a brain tumor. It happened in 2001, but his family didn’t know about the situation. He didn’t want to spoil the happiness of the birth of their first child, so he kept it a secret.
Eventually, his family and some helpful doctors were able to assist him in overcoming that health problem. He still suffers from side effects that occurred as a result of the brain tumor down till today.
Mark Ruffalo is an example of success and endurance. Even after he had a brain tumor and his first child, he went on to have more children and to enjoy an incredible amount of success in Hollywood.
Perhaps one of the more interesting facts about Ruffalo is that he didn’t come from an acting background. His mother was a hairdresser and his father was a construction worker. He grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but they eventually moved to San Diego after he left high school.
Ruffalo did dream about being an actor and that desire came from his watching A Streetcar Named Desire. It was the acting within that movie that made him want to be on stage.
He also had a childhood without a lot of direction. After he graduated from high school, he started smoking cigarettes and lived the life of a recluse. At one point, he was so depressed that he thought about killing himself but, thankfully, he didn’t.
When he was at his low point, he decided to reach out and be an actor. He went for the studying that was necessary to do so but he still had other struggles.
For example, he had a hard time reading and he was dyslexic. In fact, he admits that he barely got through high school. After interviewing, however, he was told that he belonged there and he felt overcome with emotion.
Moving forward to his marriage and the birth of his son, he did keep his tumor a secret. After the birth, he told his family and had brain surgery within two weeks. He didn’t think he would make it but thankfully, he did.
Not only did he make it through the surgery, he was able to do so in an amazing way. At the same time, however, he had to wonder if he would still be welcome in Hollywood when he made a full recovery.
Since that time, he has had two more children and has played in a number of roles. He is even perhaps best known as the Incredible Hulk but he still puts his family first. It’s just one thing that makes him such an interesting person.
