Dwayne Johnson

Birth Name

Dwayne Douglas Johnson

Birth Day

May 2, 1972

Height

6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

Nationality

American

Ring name(s):

The Rock

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Flex Kavana
Rocky Maivia
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor, professional wrestler and philanthropist currently signed with WWE, primarily featured on its Raw brand. He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.


Johnson was a college football player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season. This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. 


Dwayne Johnson Images



Early life:
Dwayne Johnson, the son of Ata Johnson (née Maivia) and professional wrestler "Soulman" Rocky Johnson, was born in Hayward, California. His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a professional wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, ran Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling from 1982 until 1988 following her husband's death, becoming one of wrestling's few female professional promoters. His father is of Black Nova Scotian (Canadian) origin and his mother is of Samoan heritage. For a brief period, Johnson lived in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family. During this time his mother Ata ensured Johnson was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the Southern Hemisphere. Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the United States with his parents.
He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley region. He began playing football at Bethlehem's Freedom High School in the highly competitive East Penn Conference. In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field and wrestling teams.




Education:
Johnson was heavily recruited by many Division I collegiate programs but ultimately accepted a full scholarship from the University of Miami to play defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' national championship team. After an injury kept him sidelined, Johnson was replaced by fellow Hurricane and future National Football League (NFL) star Warren Sapp.
While attending Miami, Johnson met his future wife, Dany Garcia. Garcia, who graduated from the university in 1992, is a member of its Board of Trustees, and the founder of a Miami-based wealth management firm. The two have remained close to their alma mater, giving a $2-million donation in 2006 to build a living room at the university's alumni center. Johnson graduated from Miami in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and physiology. Johnson continued his football career in 1995, joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League after being passed over by the NFL, but he was cut two months into the season. On November 10, 2007, he returned to the Orange Bowl in Miami to participate in the festivities surrounding the University of Miami's last home football game at the stadium. Johnson has two nephews who play football. Kaluka Maiava played football at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, while Kaluka's brother Kai Maiava currently plays at UCLA.



Film Career and Television:

The success of Johnson's in-ring character allowed him to cross over into mainstream popularity, and he appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video. That same year, he hosted Saturday Night Live. Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley appeared on the show.According to Johnson, it was due to the success of that episode that he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.
Johnson filmed guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager, where he played an alien wrestler that used Johnson's famous moves, and That '70s Show, where he played his father, Rocky Johnson. His motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. His character later appears in the climax as a CGI Character. The film's financial success led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up, The Scorpion King. He was considered for the lead in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.



Since his last WWE match in 2004, he had quit wrestling and focused solely on acting. He also continued to make television appearances, including Disney Channel's hit show Cory in the House, in the episode entitled “Never the Dwayne Shall Meet.” When Johnson was not active with WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and Johnson continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television programming. The Rock has continued to show a multitude of his acting/talent skills including film roles like the cocky famous football player Joe Kingman in The Game Plan, and in Get Smart where he played Agent 23.


Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest salary as an actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million. He appeared at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008 as a presenter for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He was nominated for Favorite Movie Actor at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp, who won for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He then had a supporting role in the Steve Carell action comedy Get Smart.



On March 20, 2009, Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. Johnson also appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode "Art Teacher" as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. Johnson has made various guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of The Rock Obama, a parody of The Hulk... "When you make Barack Obama angry, he turns into The Rock Obama."
In 2010, Johnson headlined the family comedy Tooth Fairy. Johnson also made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too? as a handsome psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He had a brief appearance in the Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg film The Other Guys as an action seeking detective along with Samuel L. Jackson. He made his return to action films after a string of family films and supporting roles with Faster.


In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fourth sequel in The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists, played by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Johnson was cast in the role after Diesel had read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Additionally, Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Critics and audiences alike considered Johnson's involvement a welcome addition to the franchise and plans are to have him return for future installments. The film grossed at over $86 million its opening weekend, making it the best opening for a 'Fast & Furious' film, the biggest opening for an April release, and Johnson's best opening weekend.
On April 29, 2011, it was announced that Johnson has signed on to star and produce a biopic based on the life and career of country musician, Charley Pride.




Personal life:
Dany Garcia and Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997, a day after his 25th birthday. Johnson and his wife have a daughter, Simone Alexandra, born August 14, 2001. On June 1, 2007, Johnson and Garcia announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage. They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000, debuting at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remaining on the list for several weeks.
Johnson is good friends with actor and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, X-Men's Wolverine star, Hugh Jackman, and a close friend of Michael Clarke Duncan.
Public activities
In 2000, Johnson attended both the 2000 Republican National Convention and the 2000 Democratic National Convention, giving a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown your Vote" campaign which aims to increase voting among young people without endorsing any candidate or party.
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, had royal blood, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed Johnson with the noble title of Seiuli during his visit to Samoa in July 2004 in recognition of his service to the Samoan people. He is therefore known in Samoan circles as Seiuli Dwayne Johnson. He is a supporter of the Samoa national rugby union team, as the team's website during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup showed him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back. He also acknowledges his heritage through a tattoo he got in 2003.




Championships and accomplishments:
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Match of the Year (1999) vs. Mankind in an "I Quit" match at Royal Rumble
PWI Match of the Year (2002) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1999, 2000)
PWI Wrestler of the Year (2000)
PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2000
PWI ranked him #76 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
United States Wrestling Association
USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
WCW/World Championship (2 times)
WWF/E Championship (7 times)
WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) – with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho (1)
Royal Rumble (2000)
Slammy Award for New Sensation (1997)
Sixth Triple Crown Champion
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Box Office Draw (2000)
Best Gimmick (1999)
Best on Interviews (1999, 2000)
Most Charismatic (1999–2002)
Most Improved (1998)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)




In wrestling:
Finishing moves:
People's Elbow / Corporate Elbow (Feint leg drop transitioned into a high-impact elbow drop to the opponent's chest, with theatrics)
Rock Bottom (Lifting side slam)-1997–Present
Running shoulderbreaker – 1996–1997; used as a regular move from 1997–2003
Signature moves:
Float-over DDT
Flowing snap DDT, sometimes followed by a kip-up
Running swinging neckbreaker
Running thrust lariat
Samoan drop
Sharpshooter – used as a tribute to Owen Hart from 1999 onwards
Spinebuster
Snap overhead belly-to-belly suplex, sometimes to an oncoming opponent
Managers:
Debra
Vince McMahon
Shane McMahon
Nicknames:
"The People's Champion"
"The Brahma Bull"
"The Corporate Champion"
"The Great One"
"The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment"
"Rocky"
"The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment"
Entrance themes:
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
As Rocky Maivia
"Destiny" by Jim Johnston (1996–1997)
As The Rock
"Nation Of Domination" by Jim Johnston (1997–1998)
"Do You Smell It" by Jim Johnston (1998–1999)
"Know Your Role" by Jim Johnston (1999–2001, 2004, 2007, 2008)
"Know Your Role" by Method Man (2000)
"If You Smell..." by Jim Johnston (2001–2003)
"Is Cookin'" by Jim Johnston (2003)
"Electrifying" by Jim Johnston (2011–present)



Dwayne Johnson Images

Kids' Choice Awards, USA
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2008	Nominated	Blimp Award	Favorite Male Movie Star for: The Game Plan (2007).
2003	Nominated	Blimp Award	Favorite Male Butt Kicker for: The Scorpion King (2002).
MTV Movie Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2009	Nominated	MTV Movie Award	Best Villain for: Get Smart (2008).
2004	Nominated	MTV Movie Award	Best Fight for: The Rundown (2003). Versus the Kontiki rebels.
People's Choice Awards, USA
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2008	Nominated	People's Choice Award	Favorite Leading Man
2006	Nominated	People's Choice Award	Favorite Male Action Star
Razzie Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2006	Nominated	Razzie Award	Worst Actor for: Doom (2005).
Teen Choice Awards
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2011	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actor: Action for: Fast Five (2011) and Faster (2010).
2009	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actor: Action Adventure for: Race to Witch Mountain (2009).
2005	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Rockstar Moment for: Be Cool (2005). For making a music video.
2004	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actor - Drama/Action Adventure for: Walking Tall (2004).
2002	Nominated	Teen Choice Award	Film - Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure for: The Scorpion King (2002).
2001	Won	Teen Choice Award	Film - Choice Sleazebag for: The Mummy Returns (2001).

Dwayne Johnson Images