Markiplier Real Name
Mark Edward Fischbach (/ˈfɪʃˌbɑːk/ FISH-bahk; born June 28, 1989), known online as Markiplier, is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, and actor. One of the most popular YouTubers on the platform, he is known for his “Let’s Play” videos of indie horror games. He was listed as one of the highest-paid content creators in 2022 and has won multiple awards, including several Streamy Awards and a Golden Joystick Award. He has expanded his YouTube success into a broader media career, venturing into acting and filmmaking.
After joining YouTube in 2012, Fischbach became popular on the platform with Let’s Plays of Amnesia:
Mark Edward Fischbach (born June 28, 1989), known online as Markiplier, is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, and actor. One of the most popular YouTubers on the platform, he is known for his “Let’s Play” videos of indie horror games. He was listed by Forbes as one of the highest-paid content creators in 2022 and has won multiple Streamy Awards and a Golden Joystick Award. He has expanded his YouTube fame into a broader media career, venturing into acting and filmmaking.
After joining YouTube in 2012, Fischbach became popular on the platform with Let’s Plays of Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the Five Nights at Freddy’s series. As of July 2025, his channel had over 37 million subscribers. He signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor in 2016. During this time, he released a clothing line, wrote and directed the YouTube Original series A Heist with Markiplier (2019) and In Space with Markiplier (2022), and hosted or co-hosted two podcasts that reached No. 1 on Spotify.
Early life and education
Mark Edward Fischbach was born on June 28, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father Cliffton was a German American military officer who met his Korean mother, Sunok Frank, while stationed in South Korea. Fischbach’s maternal family history is explored in the 2022 documentary Markiplier from North Korea.
After Fischbach was born, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, but his parents divorced when he was young. Fischbach graduated from Milford High School in 2007 and enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, where he took a biomedical engineering program. His father died in 2008 when Fischbach was 19 years old. Fischbach met Wade Barnes in sixth grade and roomed with Bob Muyskens in his freshman year—they would both become his long-term friends and collaborators.
In 2012, Fischbach was beset by many different issues: he went through a breakup, was laid off from his job, moved to an apartment after his mother kicked him out of her house, had an emergency appendectomy, and went into debt. After being hospitalized because of an adrenal tumor, he decided that he wanted to do something else.
Career
YouTube
YouTubers with over one thousand subscribers were then eligible to earn money under YouTube’s AdSense program. However, Fischbach had problems with his AdSense account which prevented him from monetizing his videos, and he was forced to move to his current channel in April, originally named “markiplierGAME”. He dropped out of university the same year to support his growing online career, only two semesters away from graduating. In early 2014, Fischbach moved to Los Angeles to be closer to potential business opportunities.
Fischbach and Janet Varney co-hosted the 2015 South by Southwest Gaming Awards, and he was featured in YouTube Rewind. He was ranked sixth in a list of the twenty most influential celebrities among teenagers in the United States. Fischbach and fellow YouTuber Jenna Mae appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2015 following backlash Kimmel received regarding jokes he made about YouTube and Let’s Play videos.
Fischbach began living with fellow YouTubers Daniel Kyre and Ryan Magee, who ran the YouTube channel Cyndago. In September 2015, Kyre was found in critical condition after attempting suicide in his room.
In November 2016, Fischbach signed with talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME). His first project with WME was his “You’re Welcome Tour” in Spring 2017, in which Fischbach and four other YouTubers—Muyskerm, Barnes, Tyler Schied, and Ethan Nestor—performed 31 shows across the United States and Europe. Fischbach said that he was interested in more traditional entertainment. Taking five months to plan, he incorporated musical, comedy, improv elements, and audience participation in the tour. In January 2018, Fischbach began producing exclusive content for Twitch as part of a deal with Disney Digital Network.
Business
Fischbach joined the board of comic book publisher Red Giant Entertainment in November 2014. In June of that year at San Diego Comic-Con, he co-hosted a panel with figures from the company including CEO Benny R. Powell and several writers. In 2016, it was announced that he would appear in his own line of comics.
In October 2018, Fischbach and fellow YouTuber Seán McLoughlin launched the clothing line Cloak, aimed at the gaming community. Streamer Imane Anys joined Cloak as a partner and creative director in 2020.
Content
Fischbach is best known for his Let’s Plays of indie horror games. He uploaded his first Let’s Play of the 2014 survival horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNaF) on August 13, 2014. As of November 2023, the video has over 114 million views, making it his most viewed Let’s Play. It was only released five days prior to Fischbach’s video and
quickly saw viral success after Fischbach and other YouTubers made videos playing it. Viewers were drawn by the hilarity of their reactions. Fischbach’s videos included his struggles to beat the game’s hardest mode and decipher the complicated hidden story.
For over a decade, Fischbach has consistently made Let’s Plays of every entry in the FNaF series. They are some of his most viewed and rewatched videos. He is highly engaged with the franchise’s fandom, which overlaps with his own.
Collaborations
Fischbach has collaborated on sketch comedy and gaming videos with a number of fellow YouTubers, including Ethan Nestor, Jacksepticeye, LordMinion777, Muyskerm, PewDiePie, Matthias, Game Grumps, Cyndago, Yamimash, jacksfilms, CaptainSparklez, Egoraptor and LixianTV, the last of whom currently works as his editor. He has also collaborated with celebrities such as Jack Black and Jimmy Kimmel.
Personal life
Fischbach says that he is not religious and does not attend church. His older brother, Tom, is a comic artist who created the long-running webcomic Twokinds.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Smosh: The Movie | Himself | [62] |
| 2019 | A Heist with Markiplier | Various | [40] |
| 2022 | In Space with Markiplier | [40] | |
| TBA | Iron Lung | Lead role (also director, writer, and producer) | [‡ 19][43] |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2021 | 3 Peens in a Pod | Himself | [‡ 22] | |
| 2019–present | The Edge of Sleep | Dave | Co-producer; main role | [35] |
| 2021–present | Distractible | Himself | [74] | |
| 2022–present | Go! My Favorite Sports Team | Himself | [75] | |
| 2024–present | PowerWash Pals | Himself | Based on YouTube series |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist | Himself | [76] |
| 2020 | AFK Arena | [77] | |
| 2023 | Dislyte | [78] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Game Awards | Trending Gamer | Nominated | [79] |
| Streamy Awards | Gamer | Nominated | [80] | |
| 2016 | Nominated | [81] | ||
| Shorty Awards | Tech and Innovation: Gaming | Nominated | [82] | |
| Make-A-Wish Foundation Award Ceremony | Celebrity of the Year | Won | [83] | |
| 2017 | Streamy Awards | Gamer | Nominated | [84] |
| Shorty Awards | Tech and Innovation: Gaming | Nominated | [85] | |
| Golden Joystick Awards | Best Streamer/Broadcaster | Won | [86] | |
| 2018 | Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Funny YouTube Creator | Nominated | [87] |
| Forbes 30 Under 30 | Games | Included | [88] | |
| 2020 | Streamy Awards | Show of the Year (A Heist with Markiplier) | Nominated | [89] |
| Scripted Series (A Heist with Markiplier) | Won | |||
| Cancer Research Institute | Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research | Won | [50][90] | |
| 2021 | Streamy Awards | Best Collaboration (with CrankGameplays for “Unus Annus”) | Won | [91] |
| Gamer | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Show of the Year (In Space with Markiplier) | Nominated | [92] | |
| Scripted Series (In Space with Markiplier) | Won | |||
| Gamer | Won | |||
| Children’s and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Interactive Media (In Space With Markiplier) | Nominated | [93] | |
| 2023 | Streamy Awards | Gamer | Nominated | [94] |
| 2024 | Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Male Creator | Nominated | [95] |
See also
List of YouTubers
