Scofield and Adham (who died of a suspected overdose in 2012) were later released and the coroner's report overruled. He even began to advocate for environmental causes and social justice. Ruffalo first learned of his tumor in 2000, while shooting the film You Can Count on Me. 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. Even after the tumor was removed, the resulting paralysis of the left side of Mark Ruffalo's face caused complications for the actor. Unperturbed, Ruffalo told GQ (via Fox News) that he found the rumor funny, but that didn't stop different outlets from running stories about his supposed terrorist ties. But this somewhat positive outcome was quick to change. [17] He reprised the role again in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),[18] Thor: Ragnarok (2017),[19] Avengers: Infinity War (2018),[20][21] and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Police arrested Adham but eventually released her, and no charges were filed. "I was praying and bargaining with God I said, 'please, don't take my face and don't take my life because without my face I can't really support my family, and with my life I definitely can't support my family." [1] In March 2007, he appeared in Zodiac as SFPD homicide inspector Dave Toschi, who ran the investigation to find and apprehend the Zodiac killer from 1969 through most of the 1970s. Young women, totally strung out, sores all over their face, would knock on our door asking for money or food. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Police questioned Shaha Mishaal Adham and her boyfriend Brian Scofield after they willingly came forward. He had to undergo multiple therapies to move the muscles of his face again and be able to walk long distances. "For a long time, I felt like someone had it in for me," Ruffalo told Parade. "The shooting was a result of the victim's chronic playing of Russian Roulette and his dangerous playing with firearms while under the use of controlled substances," Adham's lawyer told the New York Daily News. Mark had a CAT scan after which he received the devastating diagnosis of that he had acoustic neuroma, a form of brain cancer. "I Know This Much Is True," an HBO limited series based on Wally Lamb's 1998 brick of a book, begins when Thomas Birdsey enters a public library and amputates his . [46][47][48], Ruffalo married Sunrise Coigney in 2000. To paraphrase Ruffalo, he had a childhood filled with happiness, though it had its share of complications. However, he did permanently lose his ability to hear in his left ear. Although the operation was a success, the side effects resulted in Ruffalo losing hearing in his left ear, and one side of his face became completely paralyzed. [7], Ruffalo spent his teen years in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where his father worked. The first day [after surgery], you know, I was just out of it and then the second day they came in they're checking my face, and my face began to go paralyzed so by the third day and fourth day out from the surgery I couldn't close my eye and I couldn't move my face on the left side of my face and that was pretty alarming.. "It wasn't until theWashington Times finally nailed the story that it went away." In December 2008, Ruffalo's younger brother and former roommate Scott was murdered. And then I found out I had my brain tumor.". I didn't know how to live in the world, how to cope. [16], Ruffalo starred in The Avengers (2012), the sixth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, replacing Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk. Now at 53, his popularity has increased even more due to his role as Bruce Banner aka Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He told the doctor he had recently dreamt about having a brain tumour and wanted to get checked. Thankfully, it started beating again, but despite the removal of the benign growth, his battle was just beginning. He has explained his opinion by saying: "I don't want to turn back the hands of time to when women shuttled across state lines in the thick of night to resolve an unwanted pregnancy, in a cheap hotel room. The star had to undergo surgery just four weeks after his diagnosis to remove the tumour, which he was terrified about. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); When hate rises, it calls all of us to rise . Joaquin Phoenix took on the part instead. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing 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. It was a rough journey with prescribed steroids slowing down his recovery. [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. [22] Ruffalo also made cameo appearances as Banner in Iron Man 3,[23] Captain Marvel,[24] and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,[25] and he reprised the role in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.[26]. Even after the tumour was removed, the resulting paralysis of the left side of Marks face caused complications for the actor. With every new adversity, I protested almost to God 'How much more of this do I have to take?'". These two things helped to speed up his recovery and regain his balance. According to the magazine, it compromised his profession as an actor, as it put his facial and auditory nerves. ", During an interview with theObserver, Ruffalo commented on his depression, "It's dysthymia. Since then, he's received three Oscar nominations for his performances in The Kids Are All Right, Foxcatcher, and Spotlight. Mark Ruffalo has come a long way since 1990 when he made his stage acting debut. He grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, alongside his brother and two sisters. Though the tumor was benign, the resulting surgery led to a period of partial facial paralysis, from which he fully recovered. This infuriated Penn's grieving loved ones, some of whom decided to confront the snapper. Terrorist Advisory List. It was a difficult tim, and he has said he was "just about ready to jump off a bridge. Updated on April 21, 2022: These days, Mark Ruffalo is doing much better. It's not a great time to say 'I knew it,' but" he said, trailing off. Outside his acting career, Ruffalo has spoken out onhumanitarianandenvironmentalissues, among others. In the ensuing scuffle, Ruffalo snatched the photographer's camera and confiscated the memory card. "And everything changed. Initially it appeared that Scott might have died due to a Russian roulette mishap, but eventually the case was ruled a homicide. While he was still in school, friends would talk about their future goals and parents would ask Mark about his plans following graduation. Ruffalo did in fact lose his hearing soon after surgery. [1] He appeared opposite Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise as a narcotics detective in Michael Mann's crime thriller Collateral (2004). 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. He has also received two Primetime Emmy Awards; Outstanding Television Movie for The Normal Heart (2014) and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in I Know This Much Is True (2020). Mark decided to keep the devastating news to himself as his wife was expecting their first child at the time. In 2010, he co-starred in the Martin Scorsese thriller Shutter Island as U.S. Here's what really happened. Her personal work revolves around philosophy and eroticism. Worse still, that side of his face was completely paralyzed he couldn't even close his eye. [11], Ruffalo had minor roles in films including The Dentist (1996), the low-key crime comedy Safe Men (1998), and Ang Lee's Civil War western Ride with the Devil (1999). Ruffalo had a difficult time accepting the fact that he was unable to work. 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). When paramedics arrived at the 39-year-old hairdresser's Beverly Hills condo, they found him with a gunshot wound to the side of the head. Surgeons informed him that there was an 80 percent chance he would lose his hearing, and a 20 percent chance his facial nerves would be permanently damaged. And she said, 'you are crazy, but you shouldn't have to live with that fear, so I'll order you an MRIor CAT scantomorrow.'". "My father told me that my heart had stopped briefly on the operating table, so that was scary to me," the star revealed. [1] It was successfully removed with surgery, but Ruffalo suffered from partial paralysis of his face for a . From here on out, do the best you can to make it count.". I felt like I didn't belong.". Mark Ruffalo was born on November 22, 1967, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Marie Rose, a hairdresser and stylist, and Frank Lawrence Ruffalo, Jr., a construction painter. [56], Ruffalo and his family live in Sullivan County, New York, describing the Catskill Mountains as his "home". [8], He made his screen debut in an episode of CBS Summer Playhouse (1989),[9] followed by minor film roles, and was part of the original cast of This Is Our Youth (1996). Mark had a difficult time accepting the fact that he was unable to work. Make it count. "I was working on a movie when I had a dream that I had a brain tumor, and it was like no other dream that I'd ever had. [59] The lawsuit claims that the residents suffered physical and emotional injuries and added that the fire caused damage to their homes and exposed them to toxic fumes. However, he beat the odds after. Coping with the paralysis proved difficult enough, but the road to recovery posed new challenges. En espaol | Mark Ruffalo, 52, famous for virtually bulking up to play the Hulk in the wildly popular films about and including the Marvel superhero, bulked up in real life this year to play identical twins in the six-part HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True (HBO, May 10, 9 p.m.