From his portrayal as Inspector David Toschi in Zodiac to the Incredible Hulk in The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo has carved out a successful and well-recognized acting career for himself. As an actor, he has received several honors and nominations, including an Emmy for The Normal Heart and the BAFTA Humanitarian Award in 2014. Ruffalo has spoken out on humanitarian and environmental causes in addition to his acting profession.
Since he was a youngster, Mark Ruffalo has struggled with depression. He frequently felt like the odd one out at school. Ruffalo discussed his hardships after graduating from high school in an interview with New York Magazine. While he was still in school, his buddies would discuss their future plans, and his parents would inquire about his plans after graduation. Despite his desire to be an actor, Ruffalo was humiliated and lied to. Instead, he stated he spent much of his time smoking, surfing, and walking aimlessly, during which time he was “just about ready to leap over a bridge.”
Ruffalo grew frightened after having a dream that he had had a brain tumor and wanted to see a doctor. Following a CAT scan, he was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma. Because his wife was expecting their first child at the time of his diagnosis, he first kept the news to himself, but he underwent surgery to remove the tumor three weeks after the birth of his son Keen. Although the procedure was a success, Ruffalo lost hearing in his left ear as a result of the side effects, and one side of his face became entirely paralyzed.
The tragic diagnosis coincided not only with the birth of his kid but also with Ruffalo’s ascension in his profession. He was working on the 2001 picture The Last Castle, starring Robert Redford and James Gandolfini, at the time of his diagnosis. Just when Ruffalo’s career was taking off, he was forced to step away from acting owing to certain concerning health conditions and their long-term consequences.
Even after the tumor was removed, the subsequent paralysis of Mark Ruffalo’s left side of the face presented issues for the actor. Ruffalo withdrew to his house, where he remained in self-imposed isolation, shunning both colleagues and acquaintances. Ruffalo struggled to accept the reality that he was unable to work.
Source:looper