Mark was raised in Temple, Texas, and grew up playing football and acting in theater productions. In his college years, his superb talent brought him to New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts for his MFA, after completing his BFA in acting at the University of Texas at Austin. For 25 years he was a revered staple on the Austin film scene as an actor and producer. He vastly enjoyed his career as an actor, having received much acclaim for his roles in such films as The Overbrook Brothers, The Sideways Light, Mad, No More Time, Shucky Darn, Sun Don't Shine and No More Time. As a producer and champion of American independent cinema, his passion for the unique, authentic and strange led to award winning films, and helped develop the careers of many filmmakers. His devotion to cinema even pushed him into the directing realm, for the first and last time, in 2020 when he directed the short film, Wiggle.