The Rock (entertainer)
Un article de Vev.
Modèle:Pp-semi Modèle:Infobox Wrestler
Dwayne Douglas Johnson<ref name="nndb"/> (born May 2 1972) better known by his former ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler.<ref name="wwebio" /> Wrestling under different ring names, Johnson gained mainstream fame as a standout in the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) from the late 1990s to 2003. Since 2001, he has expanded his movie career, taking on roles in action and comedy films such as The Scorpion King, The Game Plan, The Rundown, Doom, The Mummy Returns, Walking Tall and Southland Tales. He still makes occasional WWE appearances for promotional purposes. As such, he is often billed outside the wrestling industry as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Johnson was a nine-time world champion in his professional wrestling career: a two-time WCW Champion and a record-setting seven-time WWE Champion; his last reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion. He also was the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.
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Biography
Early life
Dwayne Johnson, the son of Ata (née Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, was born in Hayward, California.<ref>http://www.filmreference.com/film/3/Dwayne-Johnson.html</ref> His maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, was also a professional wrestler.<ref name="islandconnections"> Morgan, Kaya
. Dwayne Johnson — How The Rock Transformed from Pro Wrestler to Bankable Movie Star
. Retrieved on 2006-12-29. </ref> Johnson travelled around frequently with his parents and watched his father perform in the ring. He went to such schools as President William McKinley High School in Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, Johnson's father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley region. For Johnson, the Lehigh Valley proved a huge cultural shift from the world he had known and seen in the San Francisco Bay Area in his early youth. But Johnson welcomed the change and assimilated quickly in the new area. In Bethlehem, Johnson began to cultivate an intense athleticism, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He began playing football at Bethlehem's Freedom High School, a member of what was then known as the East Penn Conference (recently renamed the Lehigh Valley Conference).<ref name="islandconnections" />
He had always been rowdy and baseball and football allowed him to translate the negative energy he had from fighting and hurting whomever he fought. That toughness carried to his football play, where Johnson began, for the first time, to face high quality players and began to excel amidst the area's extraordinary athletic competitiveness. He would later credit the high level of athletic competitiveness he encountered in the Lehigh Valley with building the foundation for his life-long passion for winning and embracing challenge. In addition to playing football at Freedom High School, he also was a member of the high school's track and field team.
For a brief period Johnson also spent some time living in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family, the Maivia, Perese, Schmidt, and Purcell families. During this time his mother Ata ensured Johnson was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the Southern Hemisphere in Auckland. Johnson stayed between Westmere Grey Lynn and West Auckland. As fate would have it, his grandfather and father would end up wrestling extensively in Auckland with American promoter Steve Rickards. Rickards staged a show and televised program during the late 1970s and early 1980s called On The Mat, which became a household phenomena for the years it was aired. Many American superstars such as Harley Race, and Johnson's grandfather and father appeared on the program weekly. While in New Zealand, Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School, and was to attend St. Paul's College Catholic School, but returned to the U.S. with his parents. Even at a young age Johnson left his mark on family he has there, and has stayed in touch throughout the years. His family in New Zealand has been publicly vocal in their praise for Johnson.
Education
Johnson received collegiate football scholarship offers from several universities and settled on the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, one of the ten top football programs in the nation. While the University of Miami football program did not openly recruit Johnson, he entered try-outs as a "walk on" for the program and made the team, playing defensive tackle. In 1991, he was part of the Miami Hurricanes' National Championship team.<ref name="miamihurricanes"> Morgan, Kaya
. University of Miami Famous Alumni
. Retrieved on 2006-12-29. </ref> After an injury kept him sideline, Johnson was replaced by Warren Sapp, who went on to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is now with the Oakland Raiders.<ref name="islandconnections" /> Baltimore Ravens Linebacker and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis also played with Johnson on the Miami Hurricanes as well as long-time New York Giants favorite Jessie Armstead.
While a student at the University of Miami, Johnson met his future wife Dany Garcia, who also was a University of Miami student at the time. Garcia, who graduated from the University of Miami in 1992, is the founder of a Miami-based wealth management firm. The two have remained close to their alma mater, giving a $2 million donation in 2006 to build a living room at the university's alumni center for visiting alumni. Additionally, Dany is a member of the University of Miami's Board of Trustees.<ref name="universitydonation"> University of Miami
. University of Miami Receives $2 Million Gift from Alumni Power Couple
. Retrieved on 2006-12-29. </ref> Johnson continued his football career by joining the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, after being passed over by the NFL. Johnson's career ended when he was cut by the Stampeders two months later.<ref name="calgarystampeders"> Tim Baines
. Sticking to the Gameplan
. Retrieved on 2007-09-27. </ref>
Johnson graduated from the University of Miami in 1995 with a degree in criminology.<ref name="islandconnections" />
Family life
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3 1997, a day after his 25th birthday.<ref name="split" /> Johnson and Garcia originally met while both were students at the University of Miami. Garcia is founder and CEO of a wealth-management firm,<ref name="split" /> JDM Partners, in Miami. His best man at the wedding was fellow wrestler and long-time family friend Tonga "Haku" Fifita. On June 1 2007, Johnson and Dany announced that they would be splitting up after 10 years of marriage. They indicated that their parting was amicable and that they would spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.<ref name="split"> Julie Jordan
(June 1, 2007) . Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson & Wife Split Up . People.com
. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. </ref>
Johnson and Dany have a daughter, Simone Alexandra,<ref name="split" /> who was born August 14 2002 in Davie, Florida.
Politics
In 2000, Johnson delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention.<ref name="wwebio" /> Because his mother, Ata Maivia, had royal blood, Samoan King Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed Johnson with the noble title Seiuli during his visit to Samoa in July 2004.<ref> The Rock’s Royal Homecoming
.</ref> His connection with Samoa is also signified by his support of the Samoa national rugby union team, as the team's web site during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup showed him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with 'The Rock' emblazoned at the back.<ref> Manu Samoa
. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
</ref>
Philanthropy
In 2006, Johnson started up The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation that is known for its charitable work with at-risk and terminally ill children.<ref> DJ Rock Foundation: Mission Statement
(2006)
. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. </ref>
On October 2 2007, Johnson and his wife donated $1M US to the University of Miami to support the university's athletics department. The funds were given to the football facilities renovation fund and were noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The Miami Hurricanes' football locker room will be renamed in Dwayne Johnson's honor.<ref>"
`The Rock' Gives $1M to Miami Football " . Retrieved on 2007-10-02 . </ref>
Tattoos
Johnson has two tattoos: His trademark, the Brahma Bull on his upper biceps, and a Samoan design tattoo on the left side of his chest finishing his upper biceps, which he got in Hawaii from his cousin before coming back as a third time WWE heel (2003).
World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
Along with his father and grandfather, several members of Johnson's family are current and former professional wrestlers, including his uncles, the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika Anoa'i) and cousins, such as Rikishi, Rosey, and Umaga. When he declared his intention to join the family business, his father resisted, but agreed to train his son himself, warning him that he would not go easy on him.<ref name="islandconnections" /> With help from former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF) executive and veteran wrestler Pat Patterson, Johnson secured a tryout with the WWF. Impressed by his talent and charisma, he was signed to a deal with the WWF after a short stint for "seasoning" in Jerry Lawler's United States Wrestling Association (USWA), where he wrestled under the ring names of "Flex Cavana" and "Pidlaoan Rock". Johnson had a tryout match with the WWF at a 1996 house show where he defeated Brooklyn Brawler. He later had tryout matches where he lost to Chris Candido and Owen Hart.
Rocky Maivia (1996)
Johnson first wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as "Rocky Maivia," a combination of his father and grandfather's ring names. The WWF played up his connection to his father and grandfather, calling him the company's first third-generation wrestler. He made his wrestling debut for the WWF at the 1996 Survivor Series, becoming the sole survivor and winning for his team. Johnson was first portrayed as a clean-cut babyface and gained early success, winning the WWF Intercontinental Championship after only three months in the company. Fans, however, quickly grew sick of the one-dimensional good guy character, thanks in part to the exploded popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Despite often being loudly booed and jeered with chants of "Die Rocky Die!" and "Rocky Sucks!" from the crowd, Johnson was forced to go to the ring and smile, as if the crowd were cheering as they were "supposed to".
Nation of Domination (1996-1997)
After losing the Intercontinental title to Owen Hart and returning from an injury, Johnson was allowed to turn heel and joined the Nation of Domination. In the process, he decided to change his ring name. As Ric Flair had before borrowed the nickname of legendary wrestler "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, Johnson chose to borrow the nickname of Don Muraco and became "The Rock." During that time, Johnson attacked and insulted the fans in his promos.
The Rock was a charismatic bully, eventually driving out the Nation's leader Faarooq. He spent the end of 1997 and the beginning of 1998 feuding with both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Ken Shamrock. At In Your House: D-Generation X, Austin, then reigning Intercontinental Champion, defeated the Rock in less than six minutes to retain the title. The following night, Austin was ordered by Vince McMahon to forfeit the title. Austin simply handed the title to The Rock before hitting the Stone Cold Stunner to him. At WrestleMania XIV, Gennifer Flowers interviewed The Rock. When she asked him a question about how he would conduct affairs as the President of the United States, he responded by stating that the title “ruler” would sound better than “president” and he would transform the White House into a palace.
In essence, his new character was a reversal of his Rocky Maivia character, where he was cheered instead of being booed as he was "supposed to be." The Rock also referred to himself in the third person, starting many sentences with "The Rock says this:...". The promos he cut at that period marked the beginning of an era, during which Johnson was well-known for cutting arguably the best promos in the entire wrestling industry. In his autobiography, "The Rock Says...", Johnson attributed this skill from his exceptional performance in Speech Communication classes during his days at the University of Miami, passing with a grade of 'A'.
The Corporation (1998-1999)
Johnson's popularity as The Rock propelled him to the WWF Championship. At the [[Survivor Series (199Image:Cool.gif|1998 Survivor Series]], he defeated the then-heel Mankind in the finals and became the first world champion of African American descent in WWF history and the youngest WWF world champion at the time. The match was won when Johnson locked Mankind in the Sharpshooter, and although Mankind did not tap out, Vince McMahon, referencing the Montreal Screwjob, ordered for The Rock to be declared the winner. During the championship reign, however, The Rock turned heel again and sided with Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon as the crown jewel of The Corporation stable. This was also a start of a double turn, as Mankind was kicked out of the Corporation and made a face turn.
The Rock began a feud with Mankind over the WWF Championship, during which the title changed hands back and forth between the two, first during the main event of the January 4 1999 episode of RAW, when Mankind defeated The Rock with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock once again captured the WWF title in an "I Quit" match at the 1999 Royal Rumble that saw The Rock hit Mankind in the head with a chair eleven times, as opposed to the agreed upon five times, knocking him unconscious. His backstage allies, then, used a tape recording of Mankind saying "I quit!" to trick the referee, who believed that Mankind had really quit, as The Rock held a microphone near his opponent's mouth. This latest reign did not last long, however. In a match that counter-programmed the Super Bowl halftime show on January 31 1999, Mankind pinned The Rock using a forklift in an Empty Arena match where the competitors use everything from bags of popcorn to fruit to punish each other. This feud lasted until the February 15 1999 edition of RAW, where The Rock regained the WWF title in a Ladder match after The Big Show chokeslammed Mankind off a ladder.
With Mankind out of the way, The Rock had to defend his World Wrestling Federation Championship at WrestleMania XV, against Steve Austin. The Rock lost the WWF title to Austin at that event, and continued his feud with Austin until May 1999. WWF fans began to cheer The Rock despite him being a heel, due to his comedic interviews, promos and segments which mocked wrestlers and announcers and made him popular. Johnson eventually made his second face turn after he betrayed Vince McMahon and established a feud with The Undertaker and the Corporate Ministry. During this feud, he sometimes found himself fighting alongside Steve Austin. His feud with Undertaker ended with a defeat at the 1999 King of the Ring event, where the Undertaker retained his WWF Championship.
The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (1999)
Later on, still as a face, The Rock feuded with Mr. Ass over the summer of 1999, including an infamous "Kiss My Ass" match at that year's SummerSlam. In the fall of the same year, The Rock found himself in several championship opportunities, both in singles and tag. He teamed with, now former, enemy Mankind to create "The Rock 'n' Sock Connection" and win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Aside from the championships, the team was regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in history, as Mankind imitated The Rock, who ignored Mankind, with both wrestlers having support from the crowd. The team was also involved in a segment which occurred on RAW called "This Is Your Life", in which Mankind brought out people from The Rock's past, such as his high school girlfriend and gym teacher. The segment earned an 8.4 Nielsen rating and is, to this day, one of the single highest rated segments in terms of viewership in RAW history.<ref> Christopher Robin Zimmerman
. Slashwrestling RAW report - with ratings
. Retrieved on 2007-01-13. </ref>
Feuds for the WWF Championship (2000-2001)
In January 2000, The Rock entered in the WWF's annual Royal Rumble match and lasted until he and The Big Show were the final two men. In a scripted move, the Big Show was seemingly going to dump the Rock over the top rope in a running powerslam-like position, but when they got to the apron the Rock reversed the throw, sending the Big Show to the outside floor and then came back up. The Rock's feet, however, hit the floor first, although those watching the event did not see that. The Big Show attempted to prove that the Rock's feet, not his, touched the ground first. He did manage to prove it, by providing video footage showing that he was the rightful winner. Despite that, the decision that The Rock had won the Rumble match could not be reversed, so a number one contendership match for the WWF Championship at No Way Out 2000 was held, which saw the Big Show come out on top after Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock in the head with a steel chair as he attempted to finish off his opponent with a People's Elbow. The Rock later defeated The Big Show on March 13 2000 to regain the right to face the WWF Champion, Triple H, at WrestleMania 2000 in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match where The Big Show and Mick Foley competed as well. Each competitor had a McMahon in their corner; for Triple H, his on-screen wife and then off-screen then girlfriend Stephanie McMahon; for Mick Foley, the matriarch Linda McMahon; for The Rock, Vince McMahon; and in Big Show's corner, Shane McMahon. Triple H retained the title when Vince turned on The Rock, giving him two vicious chair shots, allowing Triple H to pin The Rock for the three-count.
Over the next couple of months The Rock feuded with Triple H over the WWF Championship. A month after the match at WrestleMania 2000, The Rock had a rematch with Triple H at Backlash 2000 in which The Rock won the WWF Championship, after Stone Cold Steve Austin made a brief return and intervened on The Rock's behalf. Later, at Judgment Day, the two had an Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, that saw The Undertaker return. The Rock got disqualified and lost the title, as a result of The Undertaker attacking Triple H. The following night on RAW, The Rock got his revenge, taking out the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction with the help of The Undertaker. He later won the WWF Championship back again at King of the Ring 2000 in a tag team match, which saw him team up with Kane and The Undertaker to fight Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H. He successfully defended the championship against superstars such as Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker, and Shane McMahon.
The Rock later lost the WWF Championship to Angle at WWF No Mercy in October. During this time, he feuded with Rikishi and defeated him at Survivor Series. He also participated in a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon for the WWF Championship, in which Kurt Angle retained the title. Before the match, The Rock cut one of his most successful promos ever, making fun of the other five competitors.
In 2001, The Rock continued his feud with Angle over the WWF Championship and eventually settled it at No Way Out. After a battle that saw both wrestlers kick out of each other's finishers, The Rock finally came on top and regained the WWF Championship. Afterwards, he feuded with the Royal Rumble 2001 winner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock went into WrestleMania X-Seven as the WWF Champion, but he was defeated after a shocking turn from Austin, who used Vince McMahon to win the title. After losing to Austin in a rematch on the following night's RAW, he went on to film the movie "The Scorpion King" after a storyline suspension from Mr. McMahon.
The Invasion (2001)
He returned in late July 2001 and had to decide if he wanted to join the WWF or The Alliance during The Invasion, eventually siding with the WWF. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Booker T to win the WCW Championship. He lost the WCW title to Chris Jericho, with whom he won the WWF Tag Team Championship around the same time, at No Mercy. He won it back a few weeks later on RAW.
The Rock ultimately decided to join the WWF in it's battle against The Alliance and was involved in a "Winner Takes All" match at Survivor Series, which saw him end up one on one with Steve Austin. The Rock seemed to be superior than Austin, until Chris Jericho, who was also a member of team WWF and was eliminated a few minutes before that point, came inside the ring and attacked The Rock. Austin took advantage of that and tried to defeat The Rock, but Kurt Angle, a supposed teammate of Austin, proved out to be a mole planted by Vince McMahon and hit Austin in the head with a title belt, allowing The Rock to eliminate him, destroying The Alliance once and for all. The Rock closed out the year losing the WCW Championship to Chris Jericho at Vengeance as Jericho became WWF Undisputed Champion.
Final heel turn (2002-2003)
As 2002 came along, Vince McMahon introduced the nWo, and The Rock began a feud with Hollywood Hulk Hogan, which ended with a victory at WrestleMania X8.<ref name="wwebio" /> In the match billed as "Icon vs. Icon," the Toronto fans audibly cheered for Hogan (who returned to wrestle at WrestleMania for the first time since WrestleMania IX), who was the heel, after every move. Roughly half of the fans in attendance booed The Rock, being face in the match, despite the WWF's best efforts to make Hogan a despicable character before the match, including an angle where Hogan drove a big rig into the ambulance holding the Rock.
On July 21 2002, The Rock won his record-breaking seventh and final WWE Championship, which was then under the name "WWE Undisputed Championship". He defeated Kurt Angle and The Undertaker in a match at Vengeance, after he hit the Rock Bottom on Angle. The Rock successfully defended the title at Global Warming against Triple H and Brock Lesnar by pinning Triple H. Triple H then saved The Rock after Lesnar tried to ambush him after the match. Johnson finally dropped the WWE Undisputed Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam 2002, ending his final championship reign.
The Rock's last heel turn began on SmackDown! in February 2003, where he publicly criticized Hulk Hogan. Their WrestleMania X8 rematch at No Way Out ended with The Rock claiming victory again, with assistance from Vince McMahon and Sylvain Grenier. The Rock later drafted himself to RAW and started a feud with The Hurricane and other babyfaces. He also had a comical gimmick, where he played the guitar and sang songs mocking the host city for the event, which culminated in a "Rock concert" that took place during the main event of the March 24 2003 edition of RAW, where The Rock mocked host city Sacramento because of the Sacramento Kings' inability to beat the Los Angeles Lakers. After putting down the city of Sacramento and singing about how he intended to leave as soon as possible, he concluded the song with, "|I'll be sure to come back when the Lakers beat the Kings in May!". The crowd booed him vociferously. The Rock also slammed Canada in a song as well, saying "Canadians have no class, that's why they can kiss the People's Ass!"
When Stone Cold Steve Austin returned, they once again feuded, and the Rock defeated Austin at WrestleMania XIX, which was Austin's last major appearance in a wrestling role. The Rock then had a feud with former World Championship Wrestling star Bill Goldberg, losing at Backlash. In this match, both superstars received a mixed reaction from the fans. The Rock then turned face once more by betraying Chris Jericho and Christian. Despite that, he declared Christian as his favorite wrestler, and Christian began calling himself the "new people's champion" and referring to his fans as "his peeps."
Sporadic appearances (2004-2007)
The Rock made occasional wrestling appearances up to 2004's WrestleMania XX, when the storyline revolving around Mick Foley had him brought back to help in his feud with Evolution and Randy Orton.<ref name="wwebio" /> One humorous in-ring segment involved The Rock hosting his own version of "This is Your Life" for Foley on an edition of RAW. Johnson and Foley went on to lose to Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista at WrestleMania when Orton pinned Foley in The Rock's last match in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
He made sporadic appearances in WWE following WrestleMania, including standing up for Eugene, making a cameo appearance in his home-town of Miami and helping Foley turn back La Résistance. He hosted a "Pie-Eating Contest" during the Diva Search 2004 and ended the segment by giving Jonathan Coachman a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow. After this appearance, Johnson reported in several interviews that he was no longer under contract with WWE. He also reported that the reason he was able to continue using the name "The Rock" was part of a dual ownership between him and WWE.[citation needed]
On March 12 2007, The Rock made an appearance on WWE after a near three year absence, appearing on RAW via a pre-taped segment on the titantron. He correctly predicted that Bobby Lashley and Donald Trump would defeat Umaga and Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23 in their "Battle of the Billionaires" match.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Rock Bottom (Lifting side slam / Leg hook lifting side slam) <ref name="wwebio" />
- People's Elbow <ref name="wwebio" /> / Corporate Elbow (Feint leg drop into an elbow drop to the chest, with theatrics)
- People's DDT (Flowing snap DDT, occasionally proceeded by an arm twist)
- People's Spinebuster (Double leg takedown spinebuster)
- Layin' the (Corporate) Smackdown! (A few punches followed into a hand-spitting motion or theatrics finished with another, more powerful punch or slap, which typically levels the opponent or knocks them out of the ring)
- Maivia Hurricane (Float-over DDT)
- Diving crossbody
- Shoulderbreaker
- Flying clothesline
- Sharpshooter, often transitioned from a dragon screw legwhip or a double leg takedown - Used as a tribute to Owen Hart
- Samoan drop
- Scoop slam
- Side slam
- Irish whip to the ring ropes followed into a snap overhead belly to belly suplex
- Low blow
- Kip-up
- Arm wrench inside cradle pin
- Signature taunts
- The People's Eyebrow (The Rock raises his right eyebrow to the opponent / crowd)
- Just Bring It! (Hand motion telling the opponent to come)
- Raising his hand to imitate a back hand slap threat.
- Nicknames
- The People's Champ(ion)<ref name="wwebio" />
- The Brahma Bull
- The Corporate Champ
- The Great One
- The most electrifying man in sports entertainment<ref name="wwebio" />
- Rocky
- Managers
Relatives in wrestling
Championships and accomplishments
- United States Wrestling Association
- USWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bart Sawyer
- World Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Entertainment
- WCW Championship (2 times)1
- WWF/E Championship (7 times)²
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Mankind (3), The Undertaker (1), and Chris Jericho (1)
- Royal Rumble (2000)<ref name="wwebio" />
- Sixth Triple Crown Champion
1Won during The Invasion
²Final reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion
Television and movie career
Modèle:Expand Johnson eventually crossed over into mainstream popularity, such as with a guest appearance on hip hop musician Wyclef Jean's track "It Doesn't Matter" and the accompanying video. While still wrestling full-time, Johnson made an appearance as host of the popular sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live in 2000.<ref name="wwebio" /> The episode was very popular, and it showcased Johnson's acting and comedic ability favorably. It was after this appearance, Johnson says, that he began receiving offers to do more in Hollywood.
After this, Johnson started to get offers from Hollywood for a multitude of different projects. He was a guest star on the Star Trek: Voyager episode Tsunkatse. He starred in an episode of That '70s Show in which he played the role of his father. He also hosted an episode of SNL (along with Triple H, Mankind, and The Big Show). The episode was considered a major success, and helped get his acting career started. The Rock's first role in a major film was a limited appearance as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns,<ref name="wwebio" /> and his natural charisma translated well to the silver screen. The success of this movie, to which his performance contributed, led to his first leading role starring in the follow-up to The Mummy Returns, titled The Scorpion King.<ref name="wwebio" /> He was at one time cast as the lead in a Johnny Bravo film which ended up being canceled during production.
Since his last in-ring appearance in WWE in 2004, he has focused solely on acting, and starred in several popular movies such as The Rundown,<ref name="wwebio" /> Walking Tall,<ref name="wwebio" /> Be Cool and Gridiron Gang. The Game Plan was The Rock's first appearance for Disney. He has stated several times, when asked on talk shows and in the media, that he is done with wrestling.<ref name = "nzherald"> Reuters
(September 14, 2006) . 'The Rock' rules out return to wrestling . New Zealand Herald
. Retrieved on 2007-06-04. </ref> WWE continues to sell "The Rock" gear and merchandise, however, and he is featured prominently on the company's montage before all shows.
Johnson was featured in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest salary as an actor in their first starring role.<ref> Dwayne Johnson Biography
. Movies.com
. Retrieved on 2007-11-05. </ref>
It was recently announced that he was going to host his third SNL on November 10 2007 with musical guest Amy Winehouse, but has been canceled due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America Strike.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Gross Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Beyond the Mat | Himself | $2,047,570 USD | |
| That '70s Show (TV series) | Rocky Johnson | Episode: "That Wrestling Show" | ||
| The Net (TV series) | Brody | Episode: "Last Man Standing" | ||
| 2000 | Longshot | The Mugger | ||
| Star Trek: Voyager (TV series) | The Champion | Episode: "Tsunkatse" | ||
| 2001 | The Mummy Returns | Mathayus the Scorpion King | $202,007,640 USD | |
| 2002 | The Scorpion King | Mathayus the Scorpion King | Salary $5,500,000 USD | $90,341,670 USD |
| 2003 | The Rundown | Beck | Salary $12,500,000 USD | $47,592,825 USD |
| 2004 | Walking Tall | Chris Vaughn | Salary $15,000,000 USD | $45,860,039 USD |
| 2005 | Be Cool | Elliot Wilhelm | Salary $4,500,000 USD | $55,808,744 USD |
| Doom | Sarge | Salary $4,500,000 USD | $28,031,250 USD | |
| 2006 | Gridiron Gang | Sean Porter | $38,432,823 USD | |
| 2007 | Cory in the House/Hannah Montana | Himself | Part of the Rock Block | |
| The Game Plan | Joe Kingman | $103,214,103 USD | ||
| Southland Tales | Boxer Santaros | Released November 14 2007 | ||
| 2008 | Get Smart | Agent 23 | set for release June 20, 2008 | |
| 2009 | Witch Mountain | pre-production | ||
| Shazam! | Black Adam | In talks |
Notes
External links
Modèle:DEFAULTSORT:Rock (entertainer)bg:Скалата cy:The Rock da:The Rock (skuespiller) de:Dwayne Johnson es:Dwayne Johnson fa:د راک fr:Dwayne Johnson it:Dwayne Johnson nl:The Rock (persoon) ja:ザ・ロック (プロレスラー) no:Dwayne Johnson pl:Dwayne Johnson pt:Dwayne Johnson ro:Dwayne Johnson ru:Рок (рестлер) sr:Рок (забављач) fi:Dwayne Johnson sv:Dwayne Johnson vi:The Rock tr:The Rock
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