Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor, businessman, and former professional wrestler. Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he wrestled for WWE for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the world’s highest-grossing and highest-paid actors.
Johnson played college football at the University of Miami, and won a national championship in 1991. He aspired a professional career in football, but went undrafted in the 1995 NFL Draft. He signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but was cut from the team in his first season. Part of the Anoa’i family, Johnson’s father Rocky and maternal grandfather Peter Maivia were professional wrestlers, and he secured a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1996. He rose to prominence after developing the gimmick of a charismatic, boastful, trash-talker and helped usher in the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Johnson left WWE in 2004 and returned in 2011 as a part-time performer until 2013, making sporadic appearances until retiring in 2019. A 10-time world champion, including the promotion’s first of African-American descent, he is also a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time Tag Team Champion, the 2000 Royal Rumble winner, and WWE’s sixth Triple Crown champion. Johnson headlined the most-bought professional wrestling pay-per-view (WrestleMania XXVIII) and was featured among the most watched episodes of WWE’s flagship television series (Raw and SmackDown).
Johnson’s first leading role was as the titular character in the sword and sorcery film The Scorpion King (2002), and has since starred in the comedies The Game Plan (2007), Tooth Fairy (2010), and Central Intelligence (2016); the action-adventure films Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Hercules (2014), and Skyscraper (2018); the science-fiction films San Andreas (2015) and Rampage (2018), and the animated film Moana (2016). His role as Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious films, beginning with Fast Five (2011), has helped it become one of the highest-grossing film franchises.[20] Johnson also stars in the Jumanji films, appearing in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and is set to portray Black Adam in its superhero film adaptation.
Johnson produced and starred in the HBO comedy-drama series Ballers (2015–2019), and stars and produces the autobiographical sitcom Young Rock (2021). In 2000, Johnson released the autobiography The Rock Says, which was a New York Times bestseller. In 2012, he co-founded the entertainment production company Seven Bucks Productions, and is the co-owner of American football league, the XFL. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by Time as one of the world’s most influential people.
Early life
Johnson was born in Hayward, California on May 2, 1972, the son of Ata Johnson (née Maivia; born 1948) and former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles; 1944–2020).] Growing up, Johnson lived briefly in Grey Lynn in New Zealand with his mother’s family, where he played rugby and attended Richmond Road Primary School before returning to the U.S. He attended Montclaire Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, before moving to Hamden, Connecticut, where he spent a couple of years at Shepherd Glen Elementary School and Hamden Middle School. He attended President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, then Glencliff High School and McGavock High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and finally Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Before the age of 17, he struggled, being arrested multiple times for fighting, theft, and check fraud. A gifted athlete, he was on his high schools’ gridiron football, track and field, and wrestling teams.
Johnson’s father was a Black Nova Scotian, with a small amount of Irish ancestry. His mother is Samoan. His father was part of the first black tag team champions in WWE history, along with Tony Atlas. His mother is the adopted daughter of Peter Maivia, who was also a pro wrestler. Johnson’s maternal grandmother, Maivia’s wife Lia, was the first female pro wrestling promoter, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband’s death in 1982, and managing it until 1988. Through his grandfather Maivia, Johnson is considered a non-blood relative to the Anoa’i wrestling family. In 2008, Johnson inducted his father and grandfather into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997. She is a businesswoman, IFBB professional bodybuilder, and producer. Their daughter, Simone, was born on August 14, 2001. They announced they were separating amicably on June 1, 2007, and their divorce was finalized in May 2008.
Johnson subsequently began dating Lauren Hashian, the daughter of Boston drummer Sib Hashian. They first met in 2006 while Johnson was filming The Game Plan. They were married on August 18, 2019, in Hawaii. The couple have two daughters: Jasmine (born December 17, 2015) and Tiana (born April 17, 2018). The family reside in Los Angeles, having also a farm in Virginia and a second home in Southwest Ranches, Florida.
In recognition of his service to the Samoan people, and because he is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, Johnson was given the noble title of Seiuli by Malietoa Tanumafili II during his visit there in July 2004. In 2009, he gained Canadian citizenship through his father’s birth and citizenship there.
He received a partial Samoan pe’a tattoo on his left side in 2003. In 2017, he had the small “Brahma bull” tattoo on his right arm covered with a larger half-sleeve tattoo of a bull’s skull.
In February 2020, the WWE announced that Johnson’s daughter Simone began training at the WWE Performance Center, making her the first fourth-generation WWE wrestler. On May 16, Johnson announced she had signed a contract with WWE.
In September 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson revealed that he, his wife, and their two young daughters had all tested positive for (and since recovered from) COVID-19. He said they contracted the virus after contact with family friends.
Dwayne Johnson Height Weight Age Body Statistics Biography
Football Career
Johnson was a promising football prospect and received offers from many Division I collegiate programs. He decided on a full scholarship from the University of Miami where he mostly played defensive tackle. In 1991, he was on the Miami Hurricanes’ national championship team.[53][32] Johnson would appear in a backup role, starting only one game in four years, playing behind players such as Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.[54][55]
After Johnson graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies in criminology and physiology.[56] In college, he was one of UM’s most prolific speakers to the community. He frequently spoke to youths, delivering a positive message about staying in school and the dangers of drugs.[57] After graduation, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as a linebacker. He was assigned to the practice roster but was cut two months into the season.
Professional Wrestling Career
After his football career, Johnson decided to pursue a career as a professional wrestler.[32] Veteran wrestler Pat Patterson got Johnson several tryout matches with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1996. Under his real name, he defeated The Brooklyn Brawler at a house show on March 10[60] and lost matches to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.[34] After wrestling at Jerry Lawler’s United States Wrestling Association as Flex Kavana and winning the USWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Bart Sawyer in the summer of 1996, Johnson signed a WWF contract. He received additional training from Tom Prichard, alongside Achim Albrecht and Mark Henry.