Who Mark is at his core
Passionate Adventurer & Lover of Life
A natural-born thrill-seeker with a passion for art, meaning and adventure, Mark lives life like it’s an endless journey of discovery. From studying theology to climbing towering peaks for the perfect photo, from skydiving over sparkling oceans to skiing the world and savoring exotic cuisines, he embraces every experience with unbridled enthusiasm. Whether soaring high in a hot air balloon over Wine Country or acting under a canopy of stars, Mark’s zest for life is as boundless as his curiosity. Exploring life and knowing what matters most is of absolute importance to Mark. Click on the link below to learn why.
What Matters Most to Mark
Faith
Nothing is more important to Mark than his deep faith in God, and his personal relationship with our creator. It’s his foremost passion.
Marriage & Family
Mark is blessed with an amazing wife, immediate family and extended family. There’s no one he’d rather be with.
Living Healthy
Who amongst us doesn’t want to be healthy? But few make it a priority in their life. Mark has had many physical setbacks, yet stays focused on it.
Adventure & Travel
Adventure is Mark’s middle name. Travel and play are key and exploring new lands is at the center of Mark’s heart. Snow skiing sits at number one.
Volunteering & Giving
From day one Mark has had a passion for the underdog. Giving of his time, his talents, and his treasure is a vital importance to him.
Creativity
As if it’s not obvious from all the material on this website, Mark is passionate about art. He sees art in everything and loves to create.
Passion #1
Faith
At the early age of 13, Mark was invited by a cute girl from school to Hessel Church on a particular Sunday. He didn’t get a date, but what he did get was an introduction to what would become the primary focus of his life, his deep faith in God. Not a religion, not a political party but an actual relationship with God and a desire to become more Christlike. From that day forward Mark devoted his life to serving God. He headed to Biola University soon after with thoughts of becoming a pastor. Mark ended up being called to the arts, but his time in seminary profoundly locked in his purpose of life. For an overview of how Mark’s faith plays out in his everyday life check out the video link below.
Passion #2
Marriage & Family
A good marriage and a close family are instrumental to a happy life. Mark considers himself blessed to say that he has a wife, Samatha Marquard, who he loves, who has made his life profoundly deeper and better. And, he has a family he’s thankful for every day of his life. Not only is Mark’s immediate family wonderful but his extended family is as well. Mom taught him strength in adversity, Dad taught him to be talented with his hands. His sister, brother and cousins taught him how to have fun. Uncle Ray taught him photography and how to be a loving husband. Uncle Wayne introduced him to feature films and the world of design. Aunt Barbara taught him kindness. Mark and his family love nothing more than to spend time with each other. A family trip to Disneyland is never out of the question. What more could anyone ask!
Passion #3
Living Healthy
The brilliant theologian A.W. Tozer once said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has broken him deeply.” There’s profound truth to that statement and Mark is living proof. Mark’s upbeat, he eats well and works out every day. He stays in great shape. But he’s had his share of setbacks. Mark has broken his spine three times, escaped death, had numerous surgeries, his inner ears are damaged, he’s highly dyslexic, and he lives in chronic pain every day. But, it’s about overcoming and achieving what you set your mind to. So, for those reasons Mark is highly focused on health and staying as fit as possible. After his last severe back injury, he was told he would never ski again, yet he does it every winter. More times than not, Mark has acted in some of the biggest shows in severe pain, but he never lets it stop him. It’s all a matter of mindset. Like Mom says,”Focus on the good and be thankful.”
Passion #4
Adventure & Travel
It has been said, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” Mark is hungry for adventure, and excited to experience different cultures and places. As a photographer he loves the faces, the colors, the textures of different lands, all waiting to be discovered. Both music and acting have blessed Mark with the opportunity to see a good part of our country and many foreign lands. His favorite thing to do was to meet people after a show, stay at their homes and do what they do for fun. Thanks to happenstance meetings over the years Mark has flown a plane, hot air ballooned, hang glided, skydived, bungee jumped, cliff dived, run marathons, hiked everywhere, stock car raced, fished from Maine to California, white water rafted, raced speedboats, raced motorcycles, rollerbladed, ice-skated, water skied and (his favorite thrill of all) snow skied at some of the top ski resorts and mountains in the world.
Passion #5
Volunteering & Giving
Anne Frank famously said, “No one has ever become poor by giving.” Donating just feels right which is why Mark embraces it so heartily. Whether it’s giving of his time, treasure or talent, there’s nothing more fulfilling than helping others. Mark’s charitable work at the Rescue Mission has especially been one of the greatest joys of his life. In the Los Angeles earthquake of 1994 Mark’s building collapsed. He was injured and lost most of what he owned. The Salvation Army and Red Cross provided Mark with a place to stay as well as clothes and food until he could get back on his feet. It changed his life. As a result, he donates to those kinds of organizations as often as he can. In addition to those above, some of Mark’s favorite charities are the Entertainment Community Fund, SAG Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Greenhouse Productions, and Caterina’s Club (Mark is pictured here with Bruno Serato, the founder).
Passion #6
Creativity
First of all, if you’ve made it this far in the website, congratulations. Second, it should be fairly obvious by this point that Mark thrives on creativity. It’s at the core of his being and at the center of just about everything he does. Mark views the world through the eyes of an artist. In fact, he’s never really had a regular job, with the exception of an occasional waitering gig early on. He’s always made his living as an artist. In addition to acting, photography and music here’s a short list of some of the creative things Mark has enjoyed: screenwriting, directing, filmmaking, woodworking (especially furniture and boats), graphic design (he owned an add agency at one point) and gourmet cooking (thanks to a few chefs he worked with),
Theatrical Representative
Eileen O’Farrell Management – (818) 985-3136
Commercial/VO Representative
TGMD – (323) 850 6767
Art Curator
Sandy Das – https://www.instagram.com/sandydas.la