Mark Hapka started acting while doing theater in upstate New York until his passion for movie making brought him to Los Angeles. Within a year he was working in television and doing small independent movies. Though most viewers know him as young Dr. Nathan Horton on the hit series, Days of our Lives, he also recurred on the show Ghost Whisperer as well as having roles on Greek, Hannah Montana and Cold Case to name a few. Mark was the lead in the movie Midgets vs. Mascots, which was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival and took 3rd place out of 90 films.
Mark’s preparation for 23 Blast started in junior high school where he played JV football positioning at guard and tackle. Dylan pointed out, “We needed an audience to believe that Travis could play both running back and receiver when he wasn't blind, but could make the transition to lineman when he lost his sight. Mark gave us total credibility in that department. He was eager to put the pads on and mix it up!” Mark added, "In preparation for the movie I had to choose a build that would work for both positions. You can't have a scrawny center and you sure can't have a tubby receiver. There is a sweet irony to my story when it comes to football and acting. Once I reached high school I had to make a choice. Play my final year of varsity football or take on the lead role in the schools production of THE GLASS MENAGERIE. There was major conflict in scheduling and I could only do one! I guess that's when I started taking my acting career seriously," Hapka joked.
His most physically demanding role was in The Danny McKay Project where he lost 40 pounds over the course of a 45 day shoot to portray the title character Danny McKay who suffered from a terminal brain tumor. Mark is very hands on when it comes to his projects. He not only starred alongside Olympic Wrestler Kurt Angle in his recent feature, Beyond the Mat, he wore the hats of both Producer and Music Supervisor as well. Mark is currently directing the series THERAPY REQUIRED and has plans to direct his first feature later this year.