"The Rock" slammed, smashed, and double-leg-takedown-spinebuster'ed his way fame and fortune as a WWE superstar before hitting the silver screen. Though the critics haven't always been kind to his movies, his chiseled features, buff bod, arched eyebrow, and easy charisma have made him a natural for movie stardom. Now he's left his wrestling name behind, and with this weekend's release of the sci-fi family adventure "Race to Witch Mountain," he's betting that audiences will still turn out to smell what Dwayne Johnson is cookin'.
Johnson was born on May 2, 1972 to a family of professional wrestlers. His Samoan-born grandfather was "High Chief" Peter Maivia, who appeared in the ring with bare feet and tribal tattoos (and was a bad guy in the James Bond movie, "You Only Live Twice"). His Afro-Canadian dad was "Soulman" Rocky Johnson, one of the first black WWF wrestling stars. Dwayne would later play his father Rocky in an episode of "That 70's Show." His grandmother Leah Maivia, one of the industry's very few female wrestling promoters, ran Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling in the mid-80s. You can say that The Rock was literally born to wrestle.
Yet Johnson's first choice to channel his natural prowess was not in the ring, but on the gridiron. He helped lead the University of Miami to the national championship along side future NFL star Warren Sapp. But when injuries and bad luck cut his football career short, he begged his father to teach him the finer points of the family business. Rocky reluctantly agreed.
Johnson made his debut in the WWF in 1996 under the moniker Rocky Maivia -- combining his father's and grandfather's names -- wrestling under a "goody two-shoes" persona. After some initial popularity, the crowds grew bored of him, chanting "Die Rocky Die" during matches. So in 1997, he rebranded himself as a hectoring, sarcastic villain called The Rock. The persona stuck and soon Johnson rocketed into wrestling superstardom.
Called "the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment," The Rock quickly became so popular that he was christened "The People's Champion." In 2000, he wrote a memoir -- "The Rock Says..." -- which was a surprise New York Times best seller, staying on the list for 20 weeks. Clearly, his fame had reached critical mass; he was ready for the big screen. Here are his career highlights:
The Scorpion King
U.S. Box Office: $91,047,077
After appearing briefly in "The Mummy Returns," Johnson reprised his role as Mathayus the Scorpion King in this big budget spin-off. For the part, The Rock received a cool $5.5 million, which made the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest salary ever for a first-time leading man.
The Rundown
U.S. Box Office: $47,726,342
At the beginning of this film, in which Johnson plays a bounty hunter who throws down in the Amazon, soon-to-be governor Arnold Schwarzenegger walks by The Rock and says, "Have fun." Think of that moment as the passing of the action-hero baton.
Walking Tall
U.S. Box Office: $46,437,717
Johnson continued in the action vein with this loose remake of the same-titled '70s cult hit. He played a no-nonsense sheriff with a penchant for bashing criminals over the head, not with a folding chair, but with a really big stick.
Be Cool
U.S. Box Office: $56,046,979
The Rock stepped up his game here, acting opposite the likes of John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Harvey Keitel in this sequel to the deliciously dark comedy "Get Shorty." The Rock plays a gay Samoan bodyguard/aspiring actor who manages to parlay extortion, betrayal, and intimidation into a successful film career.
Gridiron Gang
U.S. Box Office: $38,432,823
This is movie that began The Rock's transformation from wrestling ring tough guy to family-friendly star. In this flick, he plays a frustrated juvenile probation officer who reckons that football is the key to setting these punk kids right. Shouting, push-ups, and important life lessons ensue.
The Game Plan
U.S. Box Office: $90,648,202
If "The Scorpion King" was Johnson's "Conan the Barbarian," this flick was his "Kindergarten Cop." "The Game Plan," about a pro-football player stuck with an adorable moppet, was Johnson's first Disney movie, and his last to use his ring-name "The Rock."
Southland Tales
U.S. Box Office: $275,380
"Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly features Johnson as amnesiac action-star Boxer Santaros in this bizarro sci-fi/comedy/musical/head-trip/political screed. In "Tales," Santaros plays a character named Jericho Cane, the same name as Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in "End of Days."
Get Smart
U.S. Box Office: $130,319,208
"Get Smart" was Johnson's first big-budget summer comedy, even though he had already displayed great comic timing in the ring and on the screen. The filmmakers originally didn't intend for a star as big as Johnson to play the small but critical role of CONTROL's superspy, Agent 23, but when he said he wanted to play the role as written, they couldn't say no.
Race to Witch Mountain
Opens March 13th
Johnson plays a cab driver who picks up two teens not realizing they are actually aliens who are being chased by the government and an otherworldly bounty hunter. Combing the sci-fi, action, comedy and kid-friendliness of his previous hits, "Witch Mountain" could launch Johnson into a new level of stardom.
March 12th, 2008
