Dwane Johnson
American wrestler and actor

Dwane Johnson

The basics
Quick facts
Intro
American wrestler and actor
Known for
it's about drive
A.K.A.
'the rock'
Gender:
Male
Birth:
2 March 1972(haward, California, u.s)
Death:
(N/A)
Residences
30 Wilson St, Hamilton, ON L8R 1C5
Family:
Father:
Rocky Johnson
Spouse(s):
Lauren Johnson
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Introduction Who Is Dwayne Johnson? Early Life and Career Becoming 'The Rock' Movies and TV READ NEXT Sadie Alexander Adrienne Kennedy Amanda Gorman XFL Co-Owner Personal Life Fact Check Citation Information BIOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER MORE STORIES FROM THE BIOGRAPHY Queen Mother Elizabeth Maria Callas John Cena Robert Johnson Andre the Giant Dakota Johnson Shawn Johnson Jack Johnson Hulk Hogan
The details
Biography

Introduction

Dwayne Johnson first rose to fame as "The Rock," a popular wrestling personality. He then became a box-office star, appearing in films including 'The Scorpion King,' 'Hercules' and 'The Fast and the Furious franchise.

Who Is Dwayne Johnson?

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was born into a professional wrestling family in 1972. An injury ended his college football career, so he entered the ring with the WWE. As "The Rock," he famously feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWE Heavyweight title numerous times. Johnson then parlayed his wrestling fame into a film career, appearing in projects like 2001's The Mummy Returns and 2010's Tooth Fairy. Later projects include the HBO series Ballers and leading roles in The Fast and the Furious and Jumanji franchises and the voice as demigod Maui in Moana.

READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson

Early Life and Career

Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California. The grandson of professional wrestler Peter "High Chief" Fanene Maivia and son of wrestler Rocky Johnson, the young Johnson grew up watching his father perform in the ring. With no plans to follow in his footsteps, Johnson played college football at the University of Miami, showing promise with his size and athleticism until being slowed by injuries.

 

Becoming 'The Rock'

With few prospects in professional football, Johnson turned to wrestling, debuting in the WWE against the Brooklyn Brawler in Texas. After a couple more matches, including a tag team win with Bart Sawyer, the WWE signed him under the name Flex Kavana. A year later, he joined The Nation of Domination, eventually taking over its leadership and calling himself The Rock.

He later joined another band of elite wrestlers known as The Corporation and began a notorious feud with Steve Austin. Also known as "The People's Champ," The Rock went on to win a combined 17 WWE titles over his acclaimed career.

Movies and TV

'Scorpion King'

Outside the wrestling ring, The Rock launched a successful acting career, dropping the stage name and simply going by Dwayne Johnson. He first made a big splash as the Scorpion King, a supernatural bad guy, in 2001's The Mummy Returns. Johnson returned to this role the following year for The Scorpion King. Trying his hand at comedy, he appeared in 2005's Be Cool with John Travolta and Uma Thurman and 2007's The Game Plan.

 

'Driver,' 'Fast & Furious Franchise

Johnson's acting career continued to thrive through his appearances in such films as Driver (2010) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013). In 2014, he starred as the titular strong man in Hercules. Johnson also returned to wrestling from time to time, including a 2014 appearance with Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 30.

HBO's 'Ballers'

In 2015, Johnson dominated the big screen with two big action films. He appeared in Furious Seven and starred in San Andreas. Johnson also debuted his first dramatic comedy series that same year, playing Spencer Strasmore, a retired pro footballer turned financial planner, on Ballers.

READ NEXT

Sadie Tanner Mossell AlexanderSadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, 1954. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)

Sadie Alexander

(1898–1989)

 

Adrienne KennedyAmerican playwright Adrienne Kennedy, UK, 11th August 1967. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Adrienne Kennedy

(1931–)

 

6th Annual InStyle Awards - ArrivalsLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 15: Amanda Gorman attends the 6th Annual InStyle Awards on November 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Amanda Gorman

(1998–)

 

'Central Intelligence,' 'Moana,' 'Baywatch,' 'Jumanji'

In 2016, after teaming up with Kevin Hart for the action-comedy Central Intelligence, Johnson voiced the demigod Maui for the Disney animated hit Moana. He was a busy man in 2017, taking on starring roles in The Fate of the Furious, a big-screen adaptation of the 1990s lifeguard series Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

'Skyscraper,' 'Rampage,' 'Hobbs & Shaw'

The good vibes continued into 2018, with Jumanji racking up the ticket sales en route to becoming the actor's highest-grossing film to date. He also managed to stand out during the blitz of advertising accompanying the Super Bowl in February, debuting a trailer for the movie Skyscraper, in which he partakes in death-defying stunts with a prosthetic leg. 

That same day, Johnson announced he would be hosting a 10-episode unscripted competition show, The Titan Games, to "create a platform that gave everyday people the opportunity to change their lives and do something extraordinary." 

Next up for the action star was Rampage, based on the popular 1980s arcade game, which hit theatres a few months before the July release of Skyscraper.

 

Johnson returned to his wrestling roots by appearing as himself in Fighting with My Family (2019), based on the true story of female wrestling champion Saraya "Paige" Bevis. Later that year, he was back in action mode with the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, alongside Jason Statham.

'Young Rock'

In 2021, Young Rock, a television series about the life of Johson, premiered. The show stars Johnson and other actors playing younger versions of the actor.

XFL Co-Owner

In August 2020, Johnson announced that he teamed up with his wife and a sports management company to buy the XFL, which went bankrupt earlier in the year, for $15 million. "The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that's rooted deeply in two things—my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans," Johnson said in a statement. "With pride and gratitude for all that I've built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL, and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football."

Personal Life

In August 2019, Johnson tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, singer/music producer Lauren Hashian. The two are parents to daughters Jasmine Lia (b. December 2015) and Tiana Gia (b. April 2018).

Johnson also has a daughter, Simone Alexandra, from his first marriage. He and his high school sweetheart, Dany Garcia, wed in 1997 and split up a decade later, though she continues to serve as his manager.

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Citation Information

Article Title

Dwayne Johnson Biography

Author

Biography.com Editors

Website Name

The Biography.com website

URL

https://www.biography.com/actor/dwayne-johnson

Access Date

February 16, 2022

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 7, 2021

Original Published Date

April 2, 2014

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