Obituary

In a feat that’s sure to stump scientists for years to come, Mark was able to live many lives in his 69 years.

Born July 9, 1956, in Reading, PA, to Lincoln Lang and Dolores Brosnan, Mark grew up in both Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Conklin, New York, and graduated from Susquehanna Valley High School in 1974. After high school, he attended SUNY Brockport and graduated with a degree in Philosophy.

Mark’s dad always told him to do what he loved. So after college, he decided to start a band, Highbeam. He spent the next few years playing bass guitar in shows around Binghampton and upstate New York.

Mark had a thirst for adventure, and after Highbeam disbanded, he headed out west to the desert of Tucson, Arizona. It was here among the saguaro cacti that he found his lifelong passion: acting. Working as a stuntman at Old Tucson Studios, he found stage work and then multiple guest-star roles on television in “The Young Riders” and “Hey Dude.” Mark loved to hitchhike across the southwest collecting stories, and more than once he hitched rides north to visit his brother’s family in Salt Lake City.

After several years in the desert, Mark decided to head back east and embrace life as an actor in New York City. A longtime Harlem resident, Mark acted in countless plays and short films in New York. He had a regular spot in College Humor videos that his nephews loved to show off. When he wasn’t busy rehearsing or tending bar in Greenwich Village, he often wrote short stories, screenplays, and even a novel.

Then after 30 years as an actor, Mark reinvented himself as an entrepreneur and the creator of Beetle Juice. He sold it to bars throughout New York and later in Richmond, Virginia.

Mark lived life on his own terms and pursued the things that were important to him. People were drawn to his charisma and big personality. If you knew Mark, you knew that few could tell a story quite like him, and even fewer had the catalog of adventures to choose from. He was a master of agreeable disagreement. Even if you didn’t like what Mark had to say, you still had a great time hearing him say it.

While Mark had many roles in his life, his greatest was as a son, brother, uncle, and friend. He’s survived by his mother Dolores Brosnan and stepmother Emma Lang; sister Michelle Boswell; brothers Wesley Lang and Andy Brosnan; seven nieces and nephews; and many friends.

He will be missed.

Mark’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Dave Barba.