From rags to riches: Dwayne Johnson’s rise from Rock bottom

Successful wrestler, actor and businessman Dwayne Johnson may well be one of the highest-paid stars in the film industry, but it wasn’t always fame and fortune for this American legend.

Early life

Dwayne Johnson was born in California in 1972. His dad was a professional wrestler and the family moved around a lot with his job, which made it hard for his mum to earn a steady income. When he was just 15 Dwayne’s family fell into poverty, evicted from their home, their car repossessed and unable even afford to eat during Thanksgiving.

Dwayne was a talented footballer, winning a scholarship at the University of Miami, and later going on to play for a Canadian team. Despite hopes of earning big bucks however, an injury ended his college football career and he once again was plunged into poverty.

Wrestling

With wrestling in his blood, Dwayne started training in this sport. By 1996, he gained a contract with the WWF, giving himself the name, The Rock.

Earning his first championship title in 1998, Dwayne excelled in wrestling. During his career, he won many an award including world champion ten times, tag team champion five times and Intercontinental Champion twice. The Rock also proved extremely popular with audiences, featuring in top wrestling shows, with the highest viewer ratings.

After taking a brief hiatus in 2004, The Rock returned to wrestling in 2011 before retiring in 2019.

Acting

As a charismatic personality who proved a big hit with audiences, a move to the big screen was inevitable. He made his acting debut in 2001, with a cameo role in The Mummy Returns, before going on to star in his first lead role just a year later in The Scorpion King.

A string of hit films followed, including roles in The Gridiron Gang, The Other Guys, Moana, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. His strong, muscular physique made him perfect material for action roles. In particular, Dwayne gained enormous success as Luke Hobbs in The Fast and the Furious franchise, with his latest instalment released in the summer.

Great fortune has accompanied fame, with Dwayne being crowned the highest-paid male actor of 2019 in a recent Forbes’ list, earning an eye-watering $89.4 million over the last 12 months – far cry from the days when his family couldn’t even afford to put food on the table!

Dwayne was also named top earner in 2016, while coming second place in both the 2017 and 2018 rich lists and is regularly seen in lists featuring the most influential people in the world.

Other interests

A man of many passions and interests, Dwayne has written an autobiography, which hit the number one spot on The New York Times Seller list.

In partnership with his ex-wife, he has set up production company, Seven Bucks Productions. Appearing in adverts and on reality TV shows, Dwayne also has his own YouTube channel and app. He has successfully collaborated with Under Armour to produce a range of sports-related gear and released a sports competition show earlier this year.

Charitable work

Whilst Dwayne may be a savvy businessman who has raked in his fortunes, he has also gained a reputation for helping others in need. In 2006, he launched a charity to help terminally ill children. A year later, he and his ex-wife helped transform the football facilities at the University of Miami, with a generous $1 million cash injection.

Dwayne has also donated funds to rebuild communities affected by floods and hurricanes, and he even paid for a rescue dog named after him to have life-saving surgery.

The future continues to look bright for Dwayne Johnson: his acting career and other interests are likely to keep on thriving.

If you’d like to enjoy enduring success like Dwayne, working well with others is key. When you choose the collaborative, coworking environments provided by Headspace Group, you’ll be on the right path to a successful future.

 

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