Who is Dwayne Johnson?
Dwayne Johnson is an actor and former professional wrestler. His college football career was cut short by an injury, so he joined the WWE. He earned recognition as "The Rock," a well-known wrestler for the WWE from 1996 through 2004. In 2001, he made his acting debut in The Mummy Returns. The Scorpion King and The Rundown followed in 2002 and 2003. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood as a result of his roles in popular franchises like The Fast and the Furious and Jumanji. He later went on to produce and star in his own tv programs and even co-own a football team. Johnson was recognized by Time as one of the most influential people in the world in 2016 and 2019.
Early Life
Dwayne Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California. In addition to being the son of wrestler Rocky Johnson, he was also the grandson of professional wrestler Peter Fanene Maivia. Johnson grew up watching his father fight in the ring. He never intended to carry his father's legacy, so Johnson played football at the University of Miami. Following graduation, he signed with the Canadian Football League. He was assigned to play but was cut two months into the 1995 season. However, he encountered injuries that prevented him from pursuing this career path.
“The Rock”
The next year, in 1996, Johnson started his professional wrestling career after being released from the Canadian Football League. Johnson made the switch to wrestling and made his WWE debut in Texas against the Brooklyn Brawler. The WWE signed him as Flex Kavana after he won a few more matches. He joined The Nation of Domination the next year and adopted the nickname "The Rock." After winning the WWE Championship two years after joining the industry, Johnson went on to become one of the most well-liked wrestlers in the history of the organization thanks to his entertaining interviews and promos. Later, he joined The Corporation, a group of top wrestlers, and started a famous rivalry with Steve Austin. The Rock went on to earn a total of 17 WWE championships over his stellar career.
Movies & Tv
Apart from the wrestling ring, Johnson started a very successful acting career. Johnson's acting debut came in 2002's The Scorpion King. He was paid the most for an actor in his first leading role for this movie. Since then, he has made appearances in films like Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, Why Did I Get Married Too?, The Other Guys, and Faster. Johnson appeared in movies including Driver and Fast & Furious 6 as his acting career continued to flourish. He played the title character in Hercules in 2014. Johnson occasionally went back to wrestling. He starred in San Andreas and was in Furious Seven. Johnson also acted in Ballers, his first dramatic comedy series. Following their collaboration on the action Comedy Central Intelligence with Kevin Hart, Johnson voiced Maui in the Disney animated Moana in 2016. In 2017, he took on roles in The Fate of the Furious and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Johnson also said that he would host The Titan Games, a unscripted competition series. He returned to the action genre in 2019's Hobbs & Shaw, a Fast & Furious spinoff, and in 2021 he appeared in the Young Rock, a series about his life.
Samiha Haque
Spring 2021 New York Intern
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