Mark Ruffalo Biography

After nearly a decade of struggling to build a screen career, Mark Ruffalo broke through with his performance in the Sundance Film Festival favorite You Can Count On Me (2000, starring Laura Linney).

Now he’s a familiar face at the Oscars and The Hulk in the Marvel movie franchise.

With rugged good looks and a flair for both comedy and drama, Mark Ruffalo emerged as one of Hollywood’s busiest leading men in 2004, appearing with Naomi Watts in We Don’t Live Here Anymore, with Kirsten Dunst in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Jennifer Garner in 13 Going On 30 and with Tom Cruise in Collateral.

A solid background in theater has given him a reputation as a “serious” actor, but Mark Ruffalo’s film work has included big budget thrillers, indie dramas and light romantic comedies. Since 2012 Ruffalo has played Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Marvel movies such as Avengers (2012) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

He’s been nominated three times for an Oscar, for his supporting roles in The Kids Are Alright (2010, co-starring Annette Bening), Foxcatcher (2014, starring Steve Carell) and Spotlight (2015, with Michael Keaton and Amy Adams).

His other films include In the Cut (2003, directed by Jane Campion), Just Like Heaven (2005, opposite Reese Witherspoon), Zodiac (2007, directed by David Fincher), The Brothers Bloom (2008, co-starring Adrien Brody), Shutter Island (2010, directed by Martin Scorsese), and Begin Again (2013).