Dwayne Johnson, also known by his stage name “The Rock,” is one of the most famous people on the planet. The former professional wrestler has amassed a huge fanbase thanks to his insane exploits in the WWE and subsequent Hollywood career.
Johnson is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history and has been part of several box-office blockbuster franchises like the Fast and Furious series, Jumanji and the DCEU. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide.
However, The Rock is known for his charming yet intense persona that translates onto the screen as well. He usually plays gruff, burly men like Agent Hobbs in the Fast and Furious series.
Johnson had a major falling out with his co-star Vin Diesel during the filming of The Fate of the Furious (2018) and but has decided to let bygones be bygones and return to the franchise in a solo film. At age 51, The Rock is showing no signs of slowing down. Read on to learn about his inspirational life journey, wrestling career, Hollywood filmography and personal life here.
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Full Name |
Dwayne Douglas Johnson |
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Birthday |
May 2, 1972 (age 51) Hayward, California, U.S. |
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Father |
Rocky Johnson |
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Mother |
Ata Johnson |
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Family: Anoa’i |
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Ethnicity |
African-American, Irish, Samoan |
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Alma mater |
University of Miami (BGS) |
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Years active |
1996–2019 (wrestling) 1999–present (acting) |
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Spouse |
Dany Garcia (m. 1997; div. 2008) Lauren Hashian (m. 2019) |
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Children |
3 daughters |
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Ring name(s) |
Dwayne Johnson Flex Kavana Rocky Maivia The Rock |
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height |
6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
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Weight |
260 lb (118 kg) |
- Dwayne Douglas Johnson was born in Hayward, California to Ata Johnson and Rocky Johnson, a former professional wrestler.
- Johnson is of mixed ethnicity, African-American and Irish from his father’s side and Samoan from his mother’s.
- He briefly lived in Auckland, New Zealand growing up and played rugby.
- Johnson’s father and Tony Atlas became the first black tag team champions in WWE history in 1983.
- Johnson had a tumultuous childhood and was arrested several times for fighting, theft, and check fraud as a juvenile.
- He turned his life around after joining the football team of Freedom High School. Johnson achieved remarkable success as a defensive tackle and was considered one of the top high school players.
- Johnson accepted an athletic scholarship offer from the University of Miami and chose to pursue a full-time career in football.
- Johnson also wrestled during his high school days and graduated college with a major in Criminology and physiology.
- Dwayne Johnson continued to play defensive tackle at the University of Miami and enjoyed a good few years of success. He was later signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
- However, multiple injuries and lack of playing time resulted in him being cut by Calgary, and he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a professional wrestler.
- Johnson had a gift for speaking and used it to his advantage in wrestling.
- Initially, Johnson was billed as Rocky Maivia and quickly climbed his way to the top of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
- Johnson competed in WrestleMania 13 on March 23, 1997, and defended his Intercontinental Championship against The Sultan. After more victories, fans began turning on Johnson, and he was often welcomed to boos and chants of “die, Rocky, die” and “Rocky Sucks.”
- However, everything changed after Johnson, then Maivia, lost his title to Owen Hart in Raw Is War. He returned several months later due to a knee injury and turned heel for the first time.
- Johnson began calling him the “Rock” and regularly insult the audience, fellow performers and interviewers.
- The Rock feuded with Steve “Stone Cold” Austin, Triple H and Ken Shamrock in the late 90s.
- The Rock won multiple WWF championships and skyrocketed in popularity. He is considered the most accomplished and recognized pro-wrestlers today. His impressive (269-163-40) record speaks for itself.
- The Rock continued to wrestle occasionally in the mid to late 2000s and often made surprise appearances. He permanently retired from professional wrestling on August 3, 2019.
- The Rock’s charming trash-talker persona appealed to the fans, and due to popular demand, he made appearances on several pop-culture phenomenons like That ‘70s Show, Star Trek: Voyager, and Saturday Night Live (SNL).
- It was only a matter of time before he made his Hollywood debut.
- The Rock’s first film role was as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns.
- He starred in action and comedy movies mainly The Rundown, Walking Tall, Doom and get smart.
- Johnson got his big break when he played Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (2011), a role he reprised in the following three instalments as well.
- He went on to play the leading man in multiple blockbusters like Hercules, Pain & Gain, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Rampage, Moana, Skyscraper, San Andreas and Hobbs & Shaw.
- Johnson played his dream role of iconic DC comics anti-hero Black Adam in the titular 2022 movie.
- Dwayne Johnson married twice: Lauren Hashian (2019 – ) and Dany Garcia (1997 – 2008), and has three daughters.
- Johnson is known as a family man and often portrays similar roles in his films as well. He is also a renowned philanthropist and activist.
- Johnson voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.
- He regularly donates to charity and is outspoken about issues facing the Samoan people.
- Thanks to his incredible film success, lucrative pro-wrestling career and stint as a film producer, Dwayne Johnson has amassed a wealth of $800 million.
- He is the fifth most followed personality on Instagram (381M followers) and one of the highest-paid actors in the world.
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