Mark Anthony Durbin was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up working tobacco farms in Maryland. He later attended the University of Maryland, where he studied business, agriculture, and theatre. During his time at the university, he was a walk-on for the football team, despite having never played in high school, and went on to become one of the All-Time Lettermen under Coach Jerry Claiborne in 1981.
After leaving Maryland, Mark traveled to New Orleans to see a production of "Barnum" starring Stacy Keach. He ended up living in the city for a while, residing on St. Anne's Street off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. He then moved to Florida, where he attended Burt Reynolds' theater in Jupiter and later worked on various scuba boats, shrimp trawlers, and gave tours in Key West.
In Key West, Mark volunteered to help search for the wreck of the Atocha with Mel Fisher, and years later, the treasure-laden ship was discovered. While walking to the docks one day, he was spotted by Frank Romano, the owner of Key West Aloe, and was asked to model for their line of aloe vera products. He went on to do international advertising campaigns for the company and continued to model in New York and Italy, appearing in runway shows and magazines such as GQ and Italian Uomo.
Mark also studied with the late Peggy Feury and Stella Adler, and worked as a bodyguard for Elton John, whom he has described as one of the nicest and most generous people he has ever met. He trained briefly in ballet and once performed a small part in "Petrouchka" with the Joffrey Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Throughout his career, Mark has worked internationally in TV commercials for over 25 years, appearing alongside actresses such as Meg Ryan and Kelly LeBrock, and models Christy Turlington, Iman, Rebecca Broussard, and Mitzi Martin. He has also worked with directors such as Clint Eastwood, Edward Burns, Marek Kanievska, Leslie Dektor, and Paul Giraud.
Mark is married to professional ballet dancer Nicole Harlan, whom he met in 1995 while she was performing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles. They have three children together.
