Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name "the Rock," is an American actor, professional wrestler, and business executive born on May 2, 1972. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during its Attitude Era. His feature films have grossed over $11.4 billion worldwide, establishing him as one of the highest-grossing actors in film history.

Johnson was born in Hayward, California, to professional wrestler Rocky Johnson and Mataniufeagaimaleata "Ata" Fitisemanu. He comes from a prominent wrestling lineage; his father was a Black Nova Scotian with Irish ancestry, and his mother is Samoan. Johnson spent part of his childhood in New Zealand before attending several primary and secondary schools across the United States, graduating from Freedom High School in Pennsylvania in 1990. He subsequently earned an athletic scholarship to play college football at the University of Miami, where he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of General Studies and a dual major in criminology and physiology.

During his collegiate athletic career at the University of Miami, Johnson played defensive tackle mostly in a backup role and was a member of the 1991 national championship team. After going undrafted in the 1995 NFL draft, he signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as a linebacker. He was placed on Calgary's practice roster but was cut two months into the 1995 season, after which he turned his focus to professional wrestling.

Johnson signed with the WWF in 1996, initially debuting under the ring name Rocky Maivia before adopting the persona of "the Rock." He rose to global prominence as a charismatic performer, leading the Nation of Domination stable and later joining the Corporation. Over his full-time and part-time wrestling tenure, Johnson became a 10-time world champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time Tag Team Champion, the 2000 Royal Rumble winner, and WWE's sixth Triple Crown champion. He headlined six WrestleMania events, including WrestleMania 28, which became the most-bought pay-per-view in professional wrestling history.

Johnson transitioned into film with his debut in The Mummy Returns (2001) and his first leading role in The Scorpion King (2002). His acting career spans action, comedy, and family films, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jungle Cruise, San Andreas, and Red Notice. He achieved major franchise success playing Luke Hobbs in the Fast & Furious series beginning with Fast Five (2011), voiced Maui in the animated film Moana (2016), and starred as the title character in Black Adam (2022).

In television, Johnson produced and starred in the HBO comedy-drama series Ballers (2015–2019) and the autobiographical sitcom Young Rock (2021–2023). As an entrepreneur, he is the co-founder of Seven Bucks Productions, a co-owner of the United Football League, and a board member of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of UFC and WWE. His 2000 autobiography, The Rock Says, was a New York Times bestseller, and Time named him one of the world's most influential people in 2016 and 2019.