Dwayne Johnson at the premiere of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, at the Event Cinemas in Sydney, Australia, March 14, 2013. Photo by Eva Rinaldi.
 
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Dwayne Johnson
Forecourt Ceremony held on Tuesday, May 19, 2015
 
Born: May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California
Age at the time of the ceremony: 43
 
Dwayne Johnson went from being the most detestable man in the World Wrestling Federation — which is saying something — to being an underdog, to being its most recognizable figure. Having spent so much time on television screens, it seemed natural for him to star in movies, and he does this quite well: people like the guy.

Johnson's youth was no bed of roses. Son of Ata and former wrestler Rocky Johnson, he lived for a time with his mother in Grey Lynn New Zealand, then attended middle school in Hamden Massachusetts. High school was in Honolulu Hawaii, Nashville Tennessee and Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Johnson began playing football, track and wrestling, but had also been arrested several times for fighting, theft and check kiting.

Receiving a scholarship to attend the University of Miami, he was on the national championship team in 1991. But injuries put an end to that. He graduated in 1995 with degrees in criminology and physiology. He signed to play professionally with the Calgary Stampeders, but was cut two months into the season.

Deciding on wrestling as his next career path, Johnson wrestled as Flex Kavana on USWA Championship Wrestling, aired over WMC-TV, Memphis Tennessee, in August 1996. After winning the Tag Team championship, he signed up with the WWF in 1996. Now fighting as "Rocky Maivia" he won many contests, but fans disliked what they saw as his manuafactured backstory and inexperience.

Now fighting as "The Rock," he was still a fan non-favorite, allowing Johnson to play a belligerent character. His raw talent after a few years and titles won fans over to his side, however. By 1998, The Rock had secured his first WWF Championship, forming a grudge match with another wrestler known as Mankind. They eventually made a team on a show they called SmackDown!

The Rock has continued to be a very popular wrestling star while he has become a big movie star. Without any perceivable acting experience, he played an alien wrestler Tsunkatse on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager with Kate Mulgrew, aired over The UPN in February 2000.

"The Rock" played The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (released in May 2001) with Brendan Fraser, which became a runaway hit. He got his own film a year later: The Scorpion King (which played the Chinese in April 2002) with Steven Brand. The film did well.

Now, Hollywood began to experiment with what to do with this guy. First it was action / comedy: The Rundown (released in September 2003) with Seann William Scott, didn't set anyone aflame, while Walking Tall (released in April 2004) with Ashley Scott, got the same treatment.

In Be Cool (which played the Chinese in March 2005) with John Travolta, he plays a sort of hood / partner with Vince Vaughn. For Doom (released in October 2005) he played second fiddle to Karl Urban. The film tanked.

So maybe a change was needed. Johnson first billed himself as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Gridiron Gang (released in September 2006) with Xzibit, then starred in his first
Disney movie The Game Plan (released in September 2007) with Kyra Sedgwick.

By the time Get Smart (which played the Chinese in June 2008) with Steve Carell, came out, he was billing himself as "Dwayne Johnson." The film was a success. This was followed by the ultimate high-concept movie: The Rock, Tooth Fairy, Done. (released in January 2010) with Ashley Judd, but it turns out to be about hockey (?). It got by.

The action flick Faster (released in November 2010) with Billy Bob Thornton, sorta fizzled, but when Johnson joined as agent Luke Hobbs in Fast Five (released in April 2011) with Vin Diesel, the series got a boost. He has been in all of the remaining films, and he will be starring in a Hobbs film of his own.

Johnson took the lead and was co-producer on Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (which played the Chinese in February 2012) with Josh Hutcherson. He starred as Roadblock in the expensive G.I. Joe: Retaliation (released in March 2013) with Channing Tatum; the film was a hit.

Director Michael Bay put Johnson in his caper film Pain & Gain (which had its West Coast Premiere at the Chinese on April 22, 2013) with Mark Wahlberg. He returned as Hobbs in Fast & Furious 6 (released in May 2013) with Vin Diesel, and played the title role in Hercules (which played the Chinese in July 2014) with John Hurt.

Johnson was asked to come down to the Chinese to make his impact on the Forecourt just before his film San Andreas (which played the Chinese in May 2015) with Alexandra Daddario, opened.

Johnson did the voice of Maui in Moana (released in November 2016) with Auli'i Cravahlo,
was co-executive producer and played Mitch Buchannon in Baywatch (released in May 2017) with Zac Efron, co-executive produced and starred in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (released in December 2017) with Jack Black, and was co-executive producer and stars as Spencer Strathmore in 39 episodes of Ballers with John David Washington, aired over HBO beginning in August 2018, and starred in Jumanji: The Next Level (which played the Chinese in December 2019) with Jack Black.

He plays himself as himself as an older person in the television show about his childhood, Young Rock, over NBC in February 2021, and starred in Jungle Cruise (whic played the Chinese in July 2021, and stars in Red Notice, aired over Netflix in November 2021. He got to star in his very own super-hero movie Black Adam with (which played the Chinese in October 2022).
 
 
TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Dwayne Johnson Forecourt block. Executed by unknown, Tuesday, May 19, 2015. 30 x 20 inches.
TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Dwayne Johnson Forecourt ceremony, Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Dwayne Johnson gives the cameras a grin while placing his hands in the wet cement.
 
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