Turn of events ... an entertainment site is reporting that Mark Wahlberg is seeking the clean record so he can become a reserve officer in the police force. Picture: Splash Source: Supplied

The 43-year-old actor, producer and former rapper has submitted a request via the Massachusetts Parole Board that his felony assault conviction be expunged so he has the option to “become more active in law enforcement activities” as well as expand his fast-food ventures in other states.

In 1988, when Wahlberg was 16, he hit a man in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal two cases of alcohol in front of a convenience store near his family’s home in Boston, the application says.

PARDON ME: Mark Wahlberg wants his assault conviction expunged

Enforcer ... Wahlberg became interested in police work after researching for his role in ‘The Departed’. Source: News Limited

Reformed ... Mark Wahlberg with his wife and three of their four children. Picture: Splash Source: Supplied

He punched another man in the face while trying to avoid police, the document says.

Wahlberg says in the application that he was high on marijuana and narcotics at the time, and police caught him with a small amount of marijuana. He also apologised for his actions.

Official documents from the time of his arrests list the disturbing details of an attack on a group of black schoolchildren, including throwing rocks and shouting racist epithets.

Police records show him also using racist hate language after assaulting a Vietnamese man, who he rendered partially blind after a punch in the eye.

On another occasion, he and a friend beat a man so severely his jaw needed to be wired shut.

Wahlberg says his restaurant chain may encounter licensing problems as a result of his criminal record, which he claims “can potentially be the bases to deny me a concessionaire’s license in California and elsewhere.”

Petition ... Mark Wahlberg is seeking an official pardon for an assault he committed in 1988 that left a man blind in one eye. Picture: Splash Source: Supplied

TMZ are reporting that Wahlberg is also seeking the clean record so he can become a reserve officer in the police force.

According to the entertainment site, Wahlberg became interested in police work after researching for several roles, including The Other Guys, Max Payne and The Departed.

In his application seeking a pardon from the governor of Massachusetts, Wahlbergpoints out that although he is a member of the board of directors of the LA County Sheriff’s Youth Foundation and has demonstrated his interest in working with at-risk youth, his prior record will “prohibit me from actually obtaining positions in law enforcement”.

Success story ... Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson star in the crime thriller 'The Gambler'. Picture: Splash Source: Splash News Australia

Wahlberg was convicted as an adult of assault and other charges, and sentenced to three months in jail.

As well as becoming a success at acting and producing, the star of The Gambler also notes in his application that he has raised millions of dollars for charity and donated his time and efforts for philanthropic causes.

“I have not engaged in philanthropic efforts in order to make people forget about my past,” Wahlberg says in the application.

“To the contrary, I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around and how people can be redeemed.”

“Rather than ignore or deny my troubled past, I have used the public spotlight to speak openly about the mistakes I made as a teenager so that others do not make those same mistakes,” he says.

According to TMZ, other celebrity reservists included Shaq and Jack Osbourne.