Today, if you didn’t happen to know, is Mark Wahlberg’s birthday, and while we appreciate that he’s got a serious and robust acting career now—”Lone Soldier,” “The Fighter,” “The Departed,” etc—we confess we’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for his Marky Mark phase. Those Calvin Klein ads! Those low-slung jeans! That sideways, up-to-no-good grin!
So, in honor #ThrowbackThursday, we scoured the Web to find some of the most amazing old photos of Marky Mark in his ’90s heyday, on the covers of teen magazines we knew and loved like Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, Bop, Sassy, and more. (We may or may not have thrown in a bonus shot of his best Calvin Klein ad at the end—you know, just for good measure.)
A Marky Mark official Tutti pin-up page.
A Marky Mark pin-up page from Teen Beat.
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Marky Mark in Bop Magazine.
Mark Wahlberg on the cover of Sassy magazine with Reese Witherspoon in 1996.
Marky Mark in Teen Beat magazine.
Marky Mark, is that you? As a Tutti pin-up. (Buy it on eBay!)
Marky Mark in overalls in Teen Beat.
A playful Marky Mark in Bop magazine, 1990. (Buy it on eBay!)
A Marky Mark pin-up page from Teen Beat magazine.
Marky Mark on the cover of, yes, “Playgirl” Magazine in 1993.
A Marky Mark Tutti Pin-Up page from the ’90s. (Buy it on eBay!)
And, just because we know you’ll love it …
A classic: Marky Mark in his now-iconic Calvin Klein campaign from the ’90s.