Bam Margera

Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He gained widespread national fame in the early 2000s as a key cast member of the MTV reality stunt franchise Jackass. Beyond the core franchise, he expanded his footprint on television by creating and starring in several spin-off reality shows, alongside writing and directing independent feature films.

Margera was born on September 28, 1979, and raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Encouraged by his family, he began skateboarding at age seven. In 1993, he received his first video camera and began making homemade videos capturing stunts, pranks, and skateboarding tricks with a close-knit group of friends and family known as the CKY crew. Margera dropped out of high school in 1994 to pursue skateboarding full-time, later obtaining his GED. He independently released his video footage as the CKY film series beginning with CKY: Landspeed in 1999.

His early CKY videos caught the attention of media producers, leading to the creation of MTV's Jackass in 2000. Margera featured prominently in the television series and appeared in subsequent feature films, including Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3D, and Jackass 3.5. Following the original show's run, he headlined his own MTV reality show, Viva La Bam, from 2003 to 2005. He later created and starred in additional television projects, such as Bam's Unholy Union, Bam's World Domination, and Bam's Bad Ass Game Show.

As a filmmaker, Margera co-wrote, directed, and acted in the independent features Haggard (2003) and Minghags (2009). He also released the holiday feature Bam Margera Presents: Where the #$&% Is Santa? in 2008. In addition to film and television, Margera launched the radio show Radio Bam on Sirius Satellite Radio in 2004, founded the music label Filthy Note Records, directed music videos for various rock groups, and performed in musical projects including Gnarkill, Fuckface Unstoppable, and The Evesdroppers.

Throughout his professional skateboarding career, Margera earned sponsorships from major brands and spent many years as a member of Team Element. His image was featured extensively across video games, most notably as a playable character in multiple titles within the Tony Hawk's video game franchise.

Since the mid-2000s, Margera has publicly struggled with alcoholism, drug use, and legal issues. These struggles intensified following the 2011 death of his close friend and collaborator Ryan Dunn, culminating in his dismissal from the production of Jackass Forever in 2021. Margera has intermittently put his skateboarding career on hold, though he has continued to participate in commercial skate deck collaborations and eventually returned to professional skateboarding by signing with Zero Skateboards.