Dwayne Johnson Acting Career

Acting career

The success of Johnson's wrestling character allowed him to cross over into mainstream pop culture. He appeared on Wyclef Jean's 2000 single "It Doesn't Matter" and in its music video.[145][146] He also recorded "Pie" with Slick Rick for WWF The Music, Vol. 5.[147] In 2000, he hosted Saturday Night Live.[148] Fellow wrestlers Triple H, The Big Show, and Mick Foley also appeared on the show.[2][149] Johnson has stated the success of that episode is the reason he began receiving offers from Hollywood studios.[150] Johnson had guest roles on Star Trek: Voyager, as an alien wrestler that uses The Rock's famous moves,[151] and on That '70s Show, as his father, Rocky Johnson.


Dwayne Johnson during a photo shoot for Vanity Fair during 2001.
Johnson's motion picture debut was a brief appearance as The Scorpion King in the opening sequence of The Mummy Returns. The character appears in the movie's climax in CGI form.[2][148] The movie's financial success led to his first leading role, in the sequel The Scorpion King.[2] He was listed in the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-paid actor in his first starring role, receiving US$5.5 million for this movie.[152][153] He was considered for the title role in a feature-length Johnny Bravo film, but it was canceled during production.[18]
Johnson also continued to act on television, including in an episode of the Disney Channel show, Cory in the House, entitled "Never the Dwayne Shall Meet".[154] While Johnson was away from WWE, the company continued to sell "The Rock" merchandise, and he continued to be featured prominently in the opening montages of their television shows.[18] Johnson played the cocky famous football player, Joe Kingman, in The Game Plan, and Agent 23 in Get Smart. Johnson presented the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 80th Academy Awards on February 24, 2008.[155] He was nominated for the Favorite Movie Actor award at the 2008 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for his role in The Game Plan, but lost out to Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[156][157]


Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Johnson hosted the 2009 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 28. He appeared on the Wizards of Waverly Place episode, "Art Teacher", as part of his stint with The Walt Disney Company. He has made several guest appearances on Saturday Night Live, reviving his character of "The Rock Obama", a spoof of both President Barack Obama and The Hulk.[158] Also in 2009, Johnson played ex-con cab driver Jack Bruno in Las Vegas in Race To Witch Mountain. He provided the voice of Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker in Planet 51. In 2010, Johnson starred in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy. He made an uncredited cameo in the 2010 film, Why Did I Get Married Too? as a psychiatrist who asks out the recently widowed Patricia Agnew (Janet Jackson). He briefly appears in The Other Guys, as an action-seeking detective. He returned to action films with the 2010 film Faster.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fifth film of The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed the role after series star Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release,[159] and the biggest opening for a Johnson movie.[160]
In 2012, Johnson starred in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. He starred in the 2013 film Snitch, which opened to mixed reviews; however, Johnson's performance was praised. He played Roadblock in G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013, and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs, in Fast & Furious 6, the same year.[161] He starred in Pain & Gain and Empire State in 2013. In addition to these films, Johnson is also the host and producer of the reality competition/game show series The Hero, on TNT.[162] He won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards on March 23, 2013.[163] In May 2013, it was announced that he will executive produce and star in Ballers,[164] an upcoming HBO comedy-drama series about athletes living in Miami.[165]
Johnson is set to star in Hercules: The Thracian Wars in 2014,[166] and will once again reprise his role of Luke Hobbs in Fast & Furious 7.[167] He will star in the upcoming film adaptation of the 1980s television series The Fall Guy.[168] He is set to host another reality series for TNT in 2014, entitled Wake Up Call, which will see him "lending a helping hand to everyday people who are facing enormous challenges in their lives".[169] He will also executive produce and star in the horror film Seal Team 666,[170] and is set to play Nick Schuyler in the drama film Not Without Hope.[171]
On December 16, 2013, Forbes named Johnson the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide for the year. Forbes credited the success of Fast & Furious 6, which grossed $789 million globally, and Johnson's frequent acting work as primary reasons for him topping the list.[172]
Personal life



Dany Garcia and Johnson at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Johnson married Dany Garcia on May 3, 1997.[173] Their daughter, Simone Alexandra, was born August 14, 2001.[173] On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably and intended to spend the rest of their lives together as best friends.[173] Johnson co-wrote an autobiography with Joe Layden, titled The Rock Says.... It was published in 2000, debuting at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and remaining on the list for several weeks.[12]
Johnson is a good friend of actor and former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.[174] He is a supporter of the Miami Heat,[175] the Miami Hurricanes, and the Samoa national rugby union team; during the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Samoan team's website showed a picture of him holding a personalized Manu Samoa jersey with "The Rock" emblazoned on the back.[176] He has also expressed support for the Philadelphia Eagles.[177][178] He has two nephews who play football: Kaluka Maiava played at USC and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2009, and his brother, Kai Maiava, currently plays at UCLA.
Public activities
Johnson attended the 2000 Republican National Convention[2] and the 2000 Democratic National Convention,[179] and gave a speech at the former. Both appearances were part of the WWE's non-partisan "Smackdown Your Vote" campaign, which aimed to influence young people to vote.[180]
Because his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, is a descendant of Samoan chiefs, and in recognition of his service to the Samoan people, Malietoa Tanumafili II bestowed upon Johnson the noble title of Seiuli during his visit there in July 2004.[181] He received a partial Samoan pe'a tattoo in 2003.[182]
Philanthropy
In 2006, Johnson founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children.[183] On October 2, 2007, he and his ex-wife donated $1 million to the University of Miami to support the renovation of its football facilities; it was noted as the largest donation ever given to the university's athletics department by former students. The University of Miami renamed the Hurricanes' locker room in Johnson's honor.[184]