In 2011, he got his first Oscar nod for his performance in The Kids Are Alright. Ruffalo also kept the diagnosis secret from his wife, Sunrise Coginey who was pregnant with their first child at that time. [16][30], In 2008, Ruffalo expressed concern that gas companies were eyeing his family's land in Callicoon, New York. READ MORE: Diabetes: Two red fruits shown to supercharge insulin sensitivity and slash blood sugar [INSIGHT]. "I was so unbelievably miserable, and what was worse was people's reactions to seeing me. It became tough not only for Ruffalo's career but his marriage as well. If this is it, if I have a piano dropped on me tomorrow, then I would go down thinking, "You know what, I did okay as far as my career goes, because that's a gift. After reaching a point where he was struggling to sleep because his brain wouldn't "shut off" at night, an old friend recommended that he try meditation, and it changed his life. } else { However, he beat the odds after six months of paralysis, Ruffalo was able to make very slight movements, signaling the beginning of a recovery that would still take several more months. ", "Conspiracy Theories About Zika Spread Through Brazil With the Virus", "Dear President Obama: The Clean Energy Revolution is Now", "Mark Ruffalo seeks help in stopping MSNBC's white conservative hiring spree", "Mark Ruffalo in hulk rage at NBC, pushes petition to end 'white conservative hiring', "Election 2017: The surprising and not-so surprising ways celebrities will be casting their ballots today", "Who are celebrities voting for in 2017 General Election? Whatever the truth, I was damaged goods. And then I found out I had my brain tumor.". [1][2] He has two sisters, Tania and Nicole, and a brother, Scott (died 2008). [7], Ruffalo spent his teen years in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his father worked. Outside his acting career, Ruffalo has spoken out onhumanitarianandenvironmentalissues, among others. The actor says that while he experienced no notable symptoms after being diagnosed, he was advised to get surgery quickly as the tumor was resting on a facial nerve. I was struggling as a young actor, suffering through imagined or real slights from other people's hands. Updated on April 21, 2022: These days, Mark Ruffalo is doing much better. According to the NHS, the other symptoms of an large acoustic neuroma may be: As well as brain surgery, the other treatment options include monitoring the tumour if it is small. "Be careful what bargains you make," Ruffalo quipped while speaking to the ANA. However, Mark never gave up on his dream even when it felt like he was destined to fail. "Like, 'Okay, he had a motorcycle accident and he's paralyzed on the left side of his face.'" The 'Crazy' Way Mark Ruffalo Discovered He Had a Brain Tumor Whether you know Mark Ruffalo as the king of rom coms, the Hulk in the Marvel movie franchise, or as an Oscar-courting dramatic. kWhen that ringing faded, Ruffalo realized that he'd lost all hearing in his left ear. In the UK, acoustic neuroma is rare, affecting approximately 2 per 100,000 according to the British Acoustic Neuroma association. The brain tumor Mark was diagnosed with was found to be benign. Even after he got his first paid acting gig (a 1989 Clearasil commercial that really hasn't aged well), he couldn't afford to move out of the Los Angeles' MacArthur Park, an area notorious for being overrun with drug dealers and dangerous addicts. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { They have three children. [1] His father is of Italian descent, from Girifalco[3] and his mother is of French Canadian and Italian ancestry. But this somewhat positive outcome was quick to change. And I thought, 'yep.' The Adam Project (TBA) Mark Ruffalo has been known to work with his Marvel movie co-stars on other projects, such as with Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal in Zodiac or with Michael Keaton . Ruffalo first learned of his tumor in 2000, while shooting the film You Can Count on Me. Ruffalo was informed that he had a mass the size of a golf ball behind his left ear (known as an acoustic neuroma) and would need surgery to have it removed as soon as possible. Fortunately, he recovered fully after a brief spell of illness. In 2010, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Pennsylvania's Office of Homeland Security had placed the Oscar-nominated actor on the terror watch list after he publicly discussed his concerns over natural gas drilling in the United States (via CBS). Wow , , Mark Ruffalo, who is famous for his back, confided in the story of his life. Though Ruffalo continued working on his film, he remained retired from acting until he read the script for The Kids Are All Right. In 2001, Mark Ruffalo grabbed the attention of the on-set doctor for a film he was working on. He began acting in the early 1990s and rose to prominence after appearing in Kenneth Lonergan's play This Is Our Youth and the drama film You Can Count On Me. Actor: Spotlight. His EGOT recognitions are: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Whether you know Mark Ruffalo as the king of rom coms, the Hulk in the Marvel movie franchise, or as an Oscar-courting dramatic actor, one thing's for sure: there's no denying his talent or versatility. At that point I thought maybe I wasn't enjoying it the way I thought I would, and so having that kind of taken away from me for a little while made me understand how much I actually loved it and cared about it," he added. He did come back stronger than ever and went on to acquire numerous recognitions for various projects. As a young adult, the actor also dealt with ADHD and undiagnosed dyslexia. [70], In April 2022, Ruffalo urged voters to check voter ID requirements in their states through posts to his social media. en.m.wikipedia.org comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment Scofield and Adham (who died of a suspected overdose in 2012) were later released and the coroner's report overruled. Ruffalo fired his agent and publicist, left his apartment in L.A., and moved to a secluded home in upstate New York with his wife and three children. Coping with the paralysis proved difficult enough, but the road to recovery posed new challenges. He told the doctor he had recently dreamt about having a brain tumour and wanted to get checked. ", Ruffalo spent so long dealing with professional rejection (he reckons that he auditioned for anywhere between 600 and 800 roles without hearing back!) He has long since healed from his surgery, and while he still suffers from depression it really is a lifelong battle he seems to be managing his illness better than before. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. To Ruffalo, acting became a way of coping and moving forward past the pain of his younger years. As a result of the tumour, he briefly suffered a period of partial facial paralysis. While filming what would become a breakout role in his career, Ruffalo was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumor, which he says was "the size of a golf ball" when it was found. The actor said that Michael's death helped him realize the value of his own life, keeping him from making the same decision. He knew it sounded very strange, but he followed his gut and was right. You never get over it, you just get used to it. I felt like I didn't belong.". Cookies help us deliver our Services. "I went to her that morning and I said, 'listen, I had a really scary dream last night and you're probably going to think I'm crazy, but I think I have a brain tumor and I'd really like to get it checked out.' In 2014, Ruffalo starred as Ned Weeks in a television adaptation of Larry Kramer's AIDS-era play, The Normal Heart; his performance earned him an Emmy nomination. He was also confused and had difficulty understanding concepts such as tying a knot. In fact, given everything he's been through, it's a wonder that he isn't a total jerk. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. "I had a friend who had been a longtime drug addict," Ruffalo told Rolling Stone. The star had to undergo surgery just four weeks after his diagnosis to remove the tumour, which he was terrified about. The three-time Academy Award nominee told the New York Daily News that he was eventually able to stop wearing his anger on his sleeve after he realized that he had a lot to be thankful for, but he needed some professional help to get it under control. Ruffalo retreated to his home where he stayed in self-imposed exile, refusing colleagues and friends alike. It appeared to fans as if Ruffalo simply disappeared into thin air. Mark Ruffalo is the 4th actor to play the Hulk. This sounds sappy, but I was always aware of the frailty of human beings, the sorrow in the nature of things. This wasn't the last time that Mark Ruffalo would find himself under investigation by the authorities, according to some severely misinformed news outlets, at least. But did you know that a health threat in the early 2000s almost ruined it all for him? Grade school was always difficult for him in an interview with Parade, Ruffalo said, "I was miserable. His next role was in 2001 in Rod Lurie's The Last Castle playing a bookie in a military prison alongside Robert Redford. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); Mark Ruffalo: The Hulk actor was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma in 2001 (Image: GETTY) Its symptoms include hearing loss affecting only one ear, hearing loss from inside the body, known as. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); [46][47][48], Ruffalo married Sunrise Coigney in 2000. He went on to star in the romantic comedies 13 Going on 30 (2004) and Just like Heaven (2005) and the thrillers In the Cut (2003), Zodiac (2007), and Shutter Island (2010). You get calloused, a little bit harder maybe, so be on guard for that. With nominations for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, Ruffalo is one of a selected few performers to be nominated for the four major entertainment awards in the US (EGOT). He says having a tumor was a "gift" that made him love acting more. More info, Mark Ruffalo, 52, is the epitome of the expression a 10 year overnight success. Simply the Worlds Most Interesting Travel Site, The Tragic Truth About Mark Ruffalo's Health Issues, Here's What We Know About Mark Ruffalo And Sunrise Coigney's Private Life. Award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, of humble means to father Frank Lawrence Ruffalo, a construction painter and Marie Rose (Hebert), a stylist and hairdresser; his father's ancestry is Italian and his mother is of half French-Canadian and half Italian descent. To paraphrase Ruffalo, he had a childhood filled with happiness, though it had its share of complications. Its a long-running, low-grade depression all the time. "Branches of this nerve directly influence your balance and hearing, and pressure from an acoustic neuroma can cause hearing loss, ringing in your ear and unsteadiness. And the fact that so many people will take it to that extreme, when you're talking about that kind of inequality, that kind of oppression, that kind of apartheid. "They told me the surgery went well, they got all the tumor, they preserved my nerve but I just heard a ringing in my left ear.". A few years later, his brother Scott would be shot dead in a case that remains unsolved to this day. We don't know what it is exactly, and you'll need an MRI.' "You always wonder, 'What could I have done differently?'" [53][54] Scott was taken to a hospital, but died the following week. Ruffalo had a condition called an acoustic neuroma, a tumor situated behind his ear. "And everything changed. [35], In February 2016, Ruffalo tweeted a Tech Times article in which a group of Argentinian doctors attributed the cause of a microcephaly outbreak in Brazil to the use of a larvicide chemical added to reservoirs of drinking water to combat dengue fever, rather than the Zika virus. This infuriated Penn's grieving loved ones, some of whom decided to confront the snapper. Terrorist Advisory List. However, several weeks after the birth of his son and with the news of his diagnosis weighing heavy on his heart, Mark opened up to his wife and underwent surgery. He was raised alongside two sisters and a brother by working-class parents of Italian and French-Canadian descent. From here on out, do the best you can to make it count.". Though he wanted to return to acting, his doctors strongly advised him against it. Luckily, they were able to remove the tumor successfully. When talking about his childhood struggles, the Ruffalo family's financial situation isn't the only thing that made life harder for young Mark. Ruffalo cited VoteRiders as a source of assistance for voter ID requirements across the United States .[71][72]. He began acting in the early 1990s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan 's play This Is Our Youth (1998) and drama film You Can Count on Me (2000). ", During an interview with theObserver, Ruffalo commented on his depression, "It's dysthymia. Ruffalo's big break came at the turn of the millennium when he was cast in the critically acclaimed drama You Can Count on Me, the success of which led to a role alongside the legendary Robert Redford in 2001's The Last Castle. And, technically, he did. In the '90s, The Avengers star made notable appearances in playwright Kenneth Lonergan's plays. [34], In 2015, Ruffalo supported "Education Is Not a Crime" campaign among a lot of artists and intellectuals including Nazanin Boniadi, Abbas Milani, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Azar Nafisi, Omid Djalili, Eva LaRue, Mohammad Maleki (former president of the University of Tehran), and Nobel Peace laureates such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Jody Williams, and Mairead Maguire, to draw attention to the Iranian government's systematic denial of university education to young Baha'is. Immediately after surgery, Ruffalo was told by his father that his heart stopped during surgery. ". TIL that Mark Ruffalo was diagnosed with a brain tumor that resulted in temporary facial paralysis and the permanent loss of hearing in his left year. Next: Mark Ruffalo Almost Passed On His Iconic '13 Going On 30' Role. For his work on stage, Ruffalo has been once nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in a 2006 production of the dramatic play Awake and Sing!. For his talents, Mark has received numerous nominations and awards including a BAFTA Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Actor Mark Ruffalo, known for his role as Bruce Banner / Hulk, had a brain tumor in 2001. "Drugs, alcoholism, AIDS." 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Bush", "Is Socialism Here To Stay In 2016, Or Is Bernie Sanders Just Another Howard Dean? Your IP: The unfortunate diagnosis didn't only correspond with the birth of his son Ruffalo was also reaching new heights in his career. "You should have seen me in my 20s, man," he told the New York Daily News. Its Dysthymia. One evening, a gang member entered and pulled a gun, though, luckily for Ruffalo and his colleagues, the guy working the door at the time was an off-duty police officer. Mark retreated to his home where he stayed in self-imposed exile, refusing visits from colleagues and friends alike. He received a Tony Award nomination for his supporting role in the Broadway revival of Awake and Sing! For more health news sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. According to the magazine, it compromised his profession as an actor, as it put his facial and auditory nerves. [16], Ruffalo starred in The Avengers (2012), the sixth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk. When speaking with theTelegraph, Ruffalo said that after six months of paralysis, the chances of regaining motor control over his whole face would be remote. "[63] Ruffalo has called for an economic revolution, saying that "capitalism today is failing us, killing us, and robbing from our children's future. This can put pressure on the brain which can result in intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities". Worse still, that side of his face was completely paralyzed he couldn't even close his eye. RELATED:Maria Menounos Says This Was the First Symptom of Her Brain Tumor. "I was certain I was going to die," he revealed. Ruffalo had a difficult time accepting the fact that he was unable to work.