Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson truly is a legend. If you just look at the arc of his career you can see how he's gone from strength to strength. He began as a WWF wrestler going by the name "Rocky Maivia" - capitalising on the success of his father Rocky Johnson. He later became the heel we all loved to hate, with an arrogant persona to match, and then shifted gears again to transform himself into a fan favourite face.
Not only that, but his good looks and natural charisma made it easy for him to turn to acting as well, and nowadays he's become a massive box office draw in his own right. He's had a busy year this year, starring in no less than three major blockbusters: Rampage, the Jumanji reboot, and Skyscraper.
However, just because he's the idol of millions, doesn't mean that he doesn't have a goofier side. In fact The Rock is actually quite a self-deprecating dude, and is just as a quick to roast himself as any of his detractors, particularly when it comes to the subject of some of his younger self's more ... questionable fashion choices.
Yesterday The Rock decided to indulge in a ‘Throwback Thursday’ picture, which proves that he actually used to look pretty dorky. The snap was apparently from his days playing college football. Soon his 108 million followers noticed one thing in particular: namely, his lack of facial hair.
Johnson captioned the picture thusly: "Found this gem ? Check out 22yrs old and 280lbs of Smirky Beefy McBeef here posing for our Miami Hurricanes media day. Fun fact: in college, my goal was to eventually work for the CIA. Until my criminal justice professor and advisor (Dr. Paul Cromwell) convinced me that the best operative I could become for the agency is one that also had a law degree. I thought that’s a great idea until I realised no respectable law school would ever let me in with my pile of steaming sh*t grades. End of story. [sic]"
Yes, it seems like back in the day Johnson thought it would be cool to sport a pencil-thin, barely-visible moustache, which looks a bit like someone used a ruler and mascara to draw a perfectly straight line along his top lip. Who did he think he was? Errol Flynn? No surprises: the comments were pretty savage. One Instagram user wrote: "Is that shadow on your lip supposed to be a moustache?" while another chimed in "you look like a porn star from the 70s." Wow; do you think they'd say that to his face? Somehow I doubt it.
This isn't the first time that The Rock has been mocked on the internet for his past self's appearance. Last year, a photograph dated 1994 circulated of him wearing a black turtleneck, a gold chain and a fannypack. Ouch. He even went so far as to recreate the embarrassing look while hosting Saturday Night Live. Still, considering the fact that his net worth currently stands at $190 million, I think it's safe to say that he can take it.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson truly is a legend. Once upon a time he was just an athletic young kid riding on the coattails of his wrestler father, Rocky Johnson, when he WWF and also became a wrestler with the name "Rocky Maivia." Back then, he developed a persona as an swaggering, nepotistic heel that wrestling fans loved to hate. Yet when it became clear that his natural charisma made him better suited to be a face, he effortlessly changed gears, changed his name to The Rock, and won the crowds over.
Because of his success in the ring, it was simplicity itself for him to make a name for himself in Hollywood as an actor, and these days The Rock is a major box office draw in his own right. Indeed, 2018 has been a busy year for him, since he's starred in no less than three major blockbusters: the Jumanji reboot, Rampage, and Skyscraper. But he's not just a heavy hitter: he's also a really nice guy with a sensitive side, and he isn't afraid to show a little gratitude to the people closest to him, as this super-sweet video proves.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram, The Rock can be seen handing over the keys to a brand new pickup truck to his stunt double and cousin. Johnson captioned the video: "Over the course of my career, my stunt double (and cousin) Tanoai Reed @samoanstuntman has broken multiple bones, severed tendons, torn ligaments & just been an overall dominating bad ass achieving several 'Stuntman of the Year' honours. All done with one goal in mind - deliver the best movie possible to the world. I had this custom pick up truck delivered just in time to surprise him (he’s still recovering from a stunt injury) while we give what he thought was going to be an interview about our careers together. "
He added: "As you’ll see the moment I put my hands on my hips, that’s the drivers cue to pull away and reveal the big surprise.
Not only does Tanoai represent our family and my career with relentless commitment and passion. He also represents an entire Hollywood stunt community that is truly the backbone of our business. Love you uso and thank you for the blood, sweat, tears and years. We’re just getting started. Enjoy your new truck!"
As you can see, it's clear that Tanoai was pretty touched by his cousin's gift, and looked quite tearful when he hugged him. The surprise was doubled because Tanoai thought that he and The Rock were merely shooting a run-on-the-mill behind the scenes feature, and he had no idea that he was actually getting an early Christmas present. Man, this just makes me wish that I was friends with The Rock; I could really do with a new car or a trip to Vegas in the near future.
While we're used to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson making us chuckle in whatever blockbusting venture he's recently starred in, it's evident that the so-called "funny people" of the world have also had their share of difficult times.
Much of Johnson's adolescence was spent wrestling in carparks and school classrooms before he became the hulk of a man we know today. But before he became the highest paid actor in the history of Forbes Celebrity 100, the 46-year-old was a hopeful football player with dreams of making it to the NFL. After playing for the University of Miami, Johnson went on to play for the Calgary Stampeders as a defensive lineman. While he didn't make it to the highest tier, his former teammates remember him fondly.
In fact, his old football team felt the need to remind us that "The Rock" wasn't always such a perfect specimen. Taking to Twitter, the Calgary Stampeders posted one of Johnson's head-shots from back in the day, and it's safe to say that he blossomed.
The Calgary Stampeeders posted one of "The Rock's" old head-shots to Twitter, with the caption: "Now that’s a nice headshot, eh @TheRock? #FlashbackFriday."
Johnson, naturally, took it all in his stride. He replied on Twitter, saying, "6'5 280lbs of hungry nightmare (or thirsty dream pending one's perspective). Also not sure why I thought shaving my goatee but keep my beard was a good choice. Someone throw chunky smiles over here another waffle."
Spoken like a true, all-around good guy, am I right? In other news, the actor recently surprised his stunt double, who also happens to be his cousin, with a brand new truck. How generous.
"Over the course of my career, my stunt double (and cousin) Tanoai Reed has broken multiple bones, severed tendons, torn ligaments & just been an overall dominating bad ass achieving several 'Stuntman of the Year' honors," his tribute to Tanoai Reed read.
"All done with one goal in mind - deliver the best movie possible to the world. I had this custom pickup truck delivered just in time to surprise him (he's still recovering from a stunt injury) while we gave what he thought was going to be an interview about our careers together. As you'll see the moment I put my hands on my hips, that's the driver's cue to pull away and reveal the big surprise," he continued.
"Not only does Tanoai represent our family and my career with relentless commitment and passion. He also represents an entire Hollywood stunt community that is truly the backbone of our business. Love you so [brother] and thank you for the blood, sweat, tears and years. We're just getting started. Enjoy your new truck!"
Well, if you're still waiting for your big transformation to come about - you'll rest better knowing that even Dwayne Johnson wasn't at his peak in high school.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a bona fide Hollywood legend. After beginning his career as a college football player before injury forced him into the ring, and, by chance, onto the big screen, he is now the world's highest-paid actor. And to celebrate the 47-year-old's nuptials, we've compiled a list of what you need to know about Hollywood's top guy!
[post_page_title]The Early Years[/post_page_title]
Dwayne Johnson was born in May 1972 in Hayward, California. However, by the time he was old enough to attend elementary school, Johnson spent the majority of his formative years living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Where he would marry the love of his life years decades later...
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[post_page_title]Dwayne's Father[/post_page_title]
Rock came from greatness. Dwayne's father is Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, who earned legendary status in the ring because he was one-half of the first African-American tag-team champions. His grandfather, Peter Maivia, also found success as a wrestler, and he was one of the first Samoan wrestlers. But contrary to what was in his blood, at first, Dwayne chose a different sporting path.
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[post_page_title]Before Wrestling There Was Football[/post_page_title]
By the time Dwayne had graduated from high school, he knew that he wanted to take sports more seriously and while at college, he played for the Miami Hurricanes. This eventually culminated in him becoming a part of the 1991 national championship team, giving him a collective 39 games and 77 tackles to his name.
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[post_page_title]His First Wife[/post_page_title]
But playing football wasn't the only significant life event to happen to Dwayne at college, it's also where he met his first wife and mother of his oldest child, Dany Garcia. They were together for a decade, and despite their split, remain on good terms. "Since our divorce, we've become pretty good at working together, and we are also raising our beautiful daughter, Simone," Johnson said.
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[post_page_title]The End Of Dwayne's First Dream[/post_page_title]
Although Dwayne had a promising start as a footballer and could have very well gone on to become an NFL start, he was forced to quit the sport after a number of injuries. "The dreams I had, they're dashed," he recalled. "There is no more football. My relationship was crushed. That was my absolute worst time."
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[post_page_title]Rocky Maivia[/post_page_title]
Then, fate stepped in, and Dwayne's attention finally turned to the family sport - wrestling. He began his career, like many, in WWE's minor leagues. Once he'd honed his craft, he made his on-screen debut at the 1996 Survivor Series. He combined his father and grandfather's names to initially fight under the name "Rocky Miavia."
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[post_page_title]The Greatest Ever?[/post_page_title]
The Rock wasn't just an incredibly talented wrestler, he also made history just by entering the ring in the first place. Dwayne was the first third-generation wrestler in WWE's history, and even though he's now retired, many still consider him to be the greatest wrestler to ever enter the ring.
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[post_page_title]His Signature Moves[/post_page_title]
Dwayne made his mark on the ring in more ways than one and actually came up with moves of his own including the 'The People's Elbow' and 'The Rock Bottom.' All of which ultimately resulted in the Rock winning the WWE heavyweight title eight times and the tag team titles six times.
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[post_page_title]He Proved Himself On SNL[/post_page_title]
By this point, the Rock was a hit in the ring, and it wasn't just the sporting world who took notice, Hollywood did too and invited him for a stint on SNL. He smashed it too, and the ratings went through the roof. Dwayne had shown the world that he wasn't just a talented wrestler, he was a talented actor too.
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[post_page_title]The Mummy Returns[/post_page_title]
This resulted in Dwayne bagging his first professional acting gig in the 2001 movie The Mummy Returns, where he played the villainous ruler, the Scorpion King. Dwayne was paid $5.5 million for the role, which was the most any actor had ever been paid for a debut, and he went onto reprise his role as the Scorpion King in a sequel of the same name.
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[post_page_title]His Big Break[/post_page_title]
However, even though Dwayne's role as the Scorpion King came with a big paycheque, it wasn't for another two years that people, generally speaking, accepted him as an actor. This happened with 2003's The Rundown. "The Rock has a flair for action and comedy," Rolling Stone wrote. "He's a real movie star."
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[post_page_title]The New Schwarzenegger?![/post_page_title]
Prior to Dwayne's early foray into the world of acting, the world's best-known action hero was arguably Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even then, people thought he might just rival Arny."Whether The Rock will rival Schwarzenegger's long run as an action hero is hard to say," Ebert wrote. "But on the basis of 'The Rundown,' he has a good chance."
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[post_page_title]The Rock No More[/post_page_title]
When Dwayne's acting career took off, he realized that he was going to have to be known by his given name and not The Rock. "'The Rock' was a name, a character I created in TV," he said. "When I made the transition into film, I knew eventually I was going to be billed as my given name."
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[post_page_title]His Acting Range[/post_page_title]
As Dwayne appeared in more movies, he showed the world that he had real range as an actor, such as when he starred in comedies like The Other Guys. "I felt there were bigger and better opportunities," Johnson said. "I also felt there was franchise potential, hopefully multiple franchises in every genre - whether drama or comedy or action-comedy."
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[post_page_title]But It Wasn't All Sunshine And Roses[/post_page_title]
At the MTV Movie & TV Awards, the wrestler-turned-movie star was honored with the Generation Award. The 47-year-old stunned the crowd as he recounted his rather demoralizing experience during his early days in Hollywood. When Johnson started out, he says was repeatedly told he would have to change certain aspects about himself if he wanted to make it.
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[post_page_title]They Didn't Know What To Do With Him[/post_page_title]
"When I first got to Hollywood, Hollywood - they didn’t know what the hell to do with me," he told the audience. "I was this half-black, half-Samoan, 6 foot 4, 275-pound wrestler. I was told at that time, you’ve gotta be a certain way," he revealed. "You've gotta drop some weight, you've gotta be somebody different."
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[post_page_title]Hollywood's Terrible Suggestions[/post_page_title]
"You've gotta stop working out, stop doing the things that I love, you've gotta stop calling yourself 'The Rock'. For years, I actually bought into it because you think, ‘Oh, that’s what I’m supposed to do.' And I was miserable doing that, so I made a choice. The choice was, I wasn't going to conform to Hollywood; Hollywood was going to conform to me."
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[post_page_title]He Is A First Class Dad Too[/post_page_title]
As we all know, this worked out and now Dwayne enjoys not only the spoils of being one of the world's most successful actors but fatherhood. After comfortably making the transition from greatest wrestler in the world (don't @ me) to the most bankable movie star in the world, it turns out that The Rock is a better dad than you too.
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[post_page_title]The Baby Rock[/post_page_title]
He already has a 17-year-old daughter with ex-wife Dany Garcia, but since shackin' up with Lauren Hashian, he's come up with two more Baby Rocks for us to coo over. Baby Tiana Gia was only born in 2018, but she's already getting on handsomely with her daddy, and this conversation they had is a pretty good example of that.
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[post_page_title]Morning Convos[/post_page_title]
"Morning convos!" Hashian captioned a post on social media, which shows The Rock and Tiana chitter-chattering away, with the tot getting to know her daddy in a deep, intellectual way.
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[post_page_title]The Highest-Paid Actor[/post_page_title]
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues to come across as one of the nicest stars in Hollywood. After making the transition from WWE legend to a star of the silver screen, he's now the highest-paid actor in the world, according to Forbes.
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But unlike many people who make it big, the 46-year-old has not forgotten his roots, and he has shared his many millions with his nearest and dearest. Dwayne then revealed that a few weeks ago, he'd offered to buy his dad a new home anywhere he wanted to live - an offer which he says left the 74-year-old "speechless".
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[post_page_title]A Present For His Dad[/post_page_title]
And now that the WWE Hall of Famer is about to start looking at properties, he said to his son, "I'm so excited and I'm so nervous," Dwayne revealed. He explained that his father was "an old school tough guy" and that he'd never heard him talk in such an emotional way before.
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[post_page_title]Rocky Beat His A*s[/post_page_title]
He captioned the emotional clip with the following message: "He's a weathered soul and like all weathered souls, there's often a harsh storied path that got them there. Well for my pops that path started at 13yrs old when his mom kicked him out of his house on Christmas day and forced him to live on the streets (very true and f***ed up story) so his reality of compassion and love was forged thru pain and toughness."
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[post_page_title]How The Rock Was Raised[/post_page_title]
"He raised me with that tough physical love and used to beat my ass in the gyms and on wrestling mats. I hated it then as a little boy, but grateful for it today as a man. It's shaped my DNA and helped inform how I raise my own babies (minus the ass kickings;) but always instilling the value of hard work and discipline."
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[post_page_title]The Rock's Second Marriage[/post_page_title]
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tied the knot with his longtime partner, Lauren Hashian, on August 18, 2019. The 47-year-old actor took to Instagram to share the news, and also posted several pictures from the special day. "We do. August 18th, 2019. Hawaii."
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[post_page_title]The Well Wishes[/post_page_title]
The pair, who have been together since 2007, have two daughters together; three-year-old Jasmine, and 15-month-old Tiana. The comments section was inundated with well-wishes from The Rock's fans. "Congratulations, you two!!! ❤️ I’m so happy for you!" wrote one social media user, while another added, "The rock gave her a rock."
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[post_page_title]The Wedding Was Postponed[/post_page_title]
Johnson and Hashian were due to marry in the spring of 2018, but postponed the event when Hashian fell pregnant with their second child. Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine at the time, the retired professional wrestler said that his partner didn't want to have a "big belly" in her wedding photographs.
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[post_page_title]Mama Wanna Look Good[/post_page_title]
"Then we got pregnant. And Mama don't wanna take wedding pictures with a big belly – Mama wanna look good," he joked to the publication. Johnson said that they weren't "exactly" trying to conceive again, but had been "talking about it" prior to the fact.
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[post_page_title]Another Strong Girl[/post_page_title]
Speaking about the birth of his youngest child, Tiana, (he also has an 18-year-old daughter from his previous marriage to Dany Garcia) The Rock said he was "blessed and proud to bring another strong girl into this world."
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"I was raised and surrounded by strong, loving women all my life, but after participating in baby Tia’s delivery, it’s hard to express the new level of love, respect and admiration I have for and all mamas and women out there," he continued.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson really is a hero. If you just take a casual gander at how his career has unfolded over the last two decades, you can clearly observe how he's effortlessly gone from strength to strength. He began his steady ascent to international fame when he decided to follow in his father, Rocky Johnson's, footsteps. He joined the WWF and became a wrestler going by the name "Rocky Maivia" - and developed a persona as an arrogant, swaggering, nepotistic heel that everyone loved to hate. But when, when it became clear that his natural charisma made him better suited to be a hero, he shifted gears to transform himself into a fan-favourite face.
Later on, his obvious talents conspired to make it simple for him to make a name for himself in Hollywood as well. Nowadays The Rock is a major box office draw in his own right. Indeed, 2018 has been a busy year for him, since he's starred in no less than three major blockbusters: the Jumanji reboot, Rampage, and Skyscraper.
However, just because he's the idol of millions of fans, doesn't mean that he doesn't have a soft side, as anyone who follows him on his many active social media accounts can attest. The Rock is a family man at heart, and he has been pretty candid about his experiences raising his kids with his current spouse Lauren Hashian.
This week, the iconic wrestler spent the hot summer weekend at home with them, and decided to take a dip in the pool with his daughters (Jasmine and Tiana) so he could teach the youngest child how to swim. Unfortunately, she had an unexpectedly hilarious reaction to the sight of her father's naked chest.
In an amusing Instagram post, Johnson wrote: "Great to recharge the batteries this weekend, back home with all my girls and teaching this lil’ tornado how to swim. Took my shirt off and she said, Daddy I like it your brown boobies.. ?? Thank you baby, but daddy has pecs, not boobies. #KickThoseLegs #UseThoseArms#MrBrownBoobs."
This isn't the first time that The Rock has given the public an intimate look into his personal life. For example, he opened up on social media about the experience of watching Tiana's in another Instagram post. Johnson wrote: "Word to the wise gentlemen, it's critical to be by your lady's head when she's delivering, being as supportive as you can... holding hands, holding legs, whatever you can do."
Not only that, but it seems as though he's also pursuing more movie roles which explore themes of fatherhood and family. For instance, his new movie Skyscraper tells the story of a disabled former FBI agent, who is forced to save his family from a burning tower after it is set on fire by terrorists. Dads of the world take note: Dwayne Johnson is doing parenting right.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is now one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood —but before he became one of the highest-paid actors in the country, he was living on meager paychecks while trying to make it in the NFL.
Here we break down his success story...
Credit: Michael Melia / Alamy Stock Photo
Dreams of the NFL
Johnson's childhood dream was to play in the NFL. After being a football star in high school, he was enlisted into the Miami Hurricanes, and went on to become part of the 1991 national championship team.
However, a career in American football was not to be for the eventual Hollywood star. After suffering serious injuries to his shoulders and back, he failed to be signed into the NFL draft.
He went on to play in the Canadian Football league, where he was making just $250 per week, and he was ultimately cut from the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
Speaking about this time in his life, he later recalled, per ABC News, "The dreams I had, they're dashed. There is no more football. My relationship was crushed. That was my absolute worst time."
Credit: Moviestore Collection LTD / Alamy
Wrestling
With his hopes of NFL glory dashed, The Rock turned to a family pursuit: wrestling.
Funnily enough, Johnson's father, Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, was a member of the first African-American tag-team champions, and his grandad, Peter Maivia, was a Samoan wrestler, so the sport was very much in his blood.
Unsurprisingly, he was a runaway success. Johnson, who went on to become the first third-generation wrestler in WWE history, made his television debut at the 1996 Survivor Series. Paying homage to his father and grandfather, his first wrestling name was "Rocky Maivia", which contained both of their names.
He became known for moves like The People's Elbow and The Rock Bottom — as well as winning the WWE heavyweight title six times.
But what really emerged from his time there was his natural showmanship.
Credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy
A career in acting
Following off the back of his wrestling success, Johnson used his fame to transition into Hollywood.
His first acting role came in a 1999 episode of That 70's Show, where he played his father, Rocky Johnson.
From there, he went from strength to strength. The Rock made his debut as a leading man in The Scorpion King — where he was given a whopping $5.5 for the role. In fact, he actually set a Guinness World Record after receiving the biggest paycheck for a first-time actor for his role in the 2002 feature.
Credit: AA Film Archive / Alamy
A Hollywood star
Over the course of a decade, The Rock went on to become one of the highest-paid actors in America, and starred in a slew of blockbusters.
He's now known for his roles in Jungle Cruise, Jumanji, Baywatch, and Moana. He’s a regular fixture on our screens — and he's also starred in Fast & Furious, which is one of the highest-grossing franchises in the world.
He first appeared in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs — and his participation is often credited for helping reinvigorate the franchise.
Next up, we can expect to see him in Black Adam, DC League of Super-Pets and Red Notice.
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