Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed "The Birdman" is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retired professional
skateboarderSkateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first
900The 900 is a 2.5-revolution aerial spin performed on a skateboard ramp. It is considered one of skateboarding's most technically demanding tricks....
as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by
ActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. He is widely considered one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern
vertical skateboardingVert skateboarding is a term used to refer to riding a skateboard on a vertical ramp that is a larger version of a halfpipe. Many people use vert ramps in trick skateboarding as well as vert skateboarding...
.
Raised in San Diego, CA, Hawk was described as being "hyperactive" as a child. His parents supported his skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excessive energy, and as Hawk's skills developed, he became a professional skateboarder at age fourteen. In 1999, he became the first skater to land a
900The 900 is a 2.5-revolution aerial spin performed on a skateboard ramp. It is considered one of skateboarding's most technically demanding tricks....
. In 2002, he created the Boom Boom HuckJam, an extreme sports exhibition and tour which launched in
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. Throughout his career, Hawk has made numerous appearances in films and other media, as well as his own series of video games. He has also been involved in various philanthropic activities including his own Tony Hawk Foundation which helps build skateparks in underprivileged areas, and also including collaborations with other athletes in the charity
Athletes for Hopeis a nonprofit organization that works to educate professional athletes about philanthropy, connect them with charitable causes, recognize these efforts and inspire others to get involved in the community. AFH emphasizes that its focus is on the athlete's time and not their money.The CEO of...
.
Early life
Hawk was born in
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, to a retired U.S. Navy officer, Frank Peter Rupert Hawk. His wife Nancy Elizabeth Hawk, is a part-time business teacher. Hawk began skateboarding at age eight after his older brother Steve gave him a used skateboard and his father constructed a ramp in their backyard. When Hawk was young, he was described as being "hyperactive," and his mother says that he was "so hard on himself and expected himself to do so many things." One time, Tony struck out in baseball and was so distraught that he hid in a ravine and had to be "physically coaxed out" by his father. His frustration with himself was so harsh that his parents had him psychologically evaluated at school. The results were that Tony was "gifted," and school advisors recommended placing him in advanced classes.
Hawk attended Jean Farb Middle School from 1980 to 1981, and recently went back there for the show "Homecoming" where he set up a ramp and did a demonstration.
He turned pro by the age of 14. He graduated from
Torrey Pines High SchoolTorrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey Pine tree that grows in the area...
in the North County Coastal area of
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. Tony Hawk was the world champion for 12 consecutive years.
The 900
On July 27, 1999, Hawk was the first skater to land a
900The 900 is a 2.5-revolution aerial spin performed on a skateboard ramp. It is considered one of skateboarding's most technically demanding tricks....
. He successfully landed the trick, which involves completing two-and-a-half revolutions with the skateboard, on the eleventh attempt. After completing the trick, he commented, "This is the best day of my life." Nearly 12 years later Hawk was still able to land his famous 900 and posted a video of the trick via his
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account stating "I'm 42 and I did a 900 today."
Boom Boom HuckJam
In 2002, Tony Hawk started the Boom Boom HuckJam tour, which is a touring exhibition featuring freestyle motocross, skateboarding, and BMX with a show in
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
and then on to 31 cities around the USA and eventually to Six Flags amusement parks.
Film and television appearances
In 1989, he appeared as a skateboarder in
Gleaming the CubeGleaming the Cube is an American movie released in 1989. It featured Christian Slater as Brian Kelly, a 16-year-old skateboarder investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother.The Skating Technical Advisor for the film was original Z-Boy, Stacy Peralta...
. In 2002, he appeared in Neal H. Moritzs's and Christopher Gilcrest's film
xXxXXX may refer to:* The number 30 in Roman numerals* The year 30 AD* Games of the XXX Olympiad, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England* Super Bowl XXX, held on January 28, 1996* A mark indicating "extra strong"* Alcoholic beverages...
playing the role of one of Xander Cages stuntman friends, and later in the movie, a skateboarder at a party. In 2004 he played himself in the Australian skateboarding movie
Deck DogzDeck Dogz is a 2005 Australian skater film, written and directed by Steve Pasvolsky and starring Sean Kennedy, Ho Thi Lu and Richard Wilson with a guest appearance by Tony Hawk. It was filmed in and around Adelaide and Sydney, Australia...
. In 2006, Tony Hawk appeared in a cameo on the film
Drake & Josh Go HollywoodDrake & Josh Go Hollywood is the made-for-TV film starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck from the Nickelodeon television series Drake & Josh. The film first aired on January 6, 2006 and was released on DVD on January 31, 2006...
as himself; when Drake & Josh steal his car to escape from two crooks with the Geo (
iPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
s) that carry illegal information for counterfeiting money. Tony Hawk also asks for the cops to give Drake & Josh a police escort to Sunset Studios, for a performance on
TRLTotal Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. Hawk has had a cameo in film
The New GuyThe New Guy is a 2002 American teen comedy directed by Ed Decter. The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy Gillespie Harrison. Dizzy is an unpopular, high school band geek going through a hellish senior year...
. Hawk appeared in
Jackass: The MovieJackass: The Movie is a 2002 American reality film directed by Jeff Tremaine with the tagline "Do not attempt this at home." It is a riskier and uncensored continuation of the stunts and pranks by the various characters of the MTV television series Jackass, which had completed its unique series...
with
Mat HoffmanMat Hoffman is an American BMX rider considered one of the best vert-ramp riders in the history of the sport. He is nicknamed "The Condor" and owns the BMX Freestyle brand Hoffman BMX Bikes, based out of Oklahoma City, OK.-Bio:...
and
Bam MargeraBrandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew...
, skateboarding in a fat suit and Jackass 2, while skateboarding through an obstacle course. Tony appears in the film following the 2006
Gumball RallyThe Gumball 3000 is an annual international road rally which takes place on public roads, with a different route around the world each year. Founded in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, it sees an annual entry of 120 cars, which are mostly exotic and powerful sports cars. However, more unusual entries ...
,
3000 Miles3000 Miles is a 2007 documentary film, filmed during the 2006 Gumball 3000 rally. The film predominantly follows two cars; Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn in Bam's Lamborghini Gallardo, and Tony Hawk, Mike Vallely and Mike Escamilla in a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 on their 3000 mile journey from London to...
, again with
Bam MargeraBrandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew...
. He also plays the police officer who arrests Ryan Dunn in the movie
Haggard: The MovieHaggard: The Movie is a 2003 American independent comedy film based on the true story of how reality television personality Ryan Dunn's promiscuous girlfriend cheated on him. The film was financed, directed and produced by Bam Margera.- Plot :...
. Hawk also made a brief cameo appearance in
Lords Of DogtownLords of Dogtown is a 2005 biographical film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, written by Stacy Peralta. The film is based on the story of "The Z-Boys", an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport...
as an
astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, where he is shown comically falling off the skateboard as he is a "rookie". He played himself in an episode of
Rocket PowerRocket Power is an American animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon.-Premise:Rocket Power involves the daily situations of a group of best friends named Oswald "Otto" Rocket, Regina "Reggie" Rocket, Maurice "Twister" Rodriguez, and Sam "Squid" Dullard, as they live in the fictional...
.
Hawk was featured as an extra in the
"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
video "Smells like Nirvana". He can be seen sitting in the bleachers during the crowd sweep near
Dick Van PattenRichard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
. He also made a cameo appearance in the
Simple PlanSimple Plan is a Canadian pop punk band from Montréal, Québec. The band has had no line up changes since its inception in 1999. Members are Pierre Bouvier , Jeff Stinco , Sébastien Lefebvre , David Desrosiers and Chuck Comeau...
music video for "
I'm Just a Kid"I'm Just a Kid" is the debut single by Simple Plan, written by Pierre Bouvier. It appeared on their debut album No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls...
", he can be seen, in a crowd, watching kids at a high school skating..
On television, he has also appeared in
What I Like About YouWhat I Like About You is an American television sitcom set mainly in New York City, following the lives of two sisters, Valerie Tyler and Holly Tyler . The series ran on The WB Television Network from September 20, 2002, to March 24, 2006, with a total of 86 episodes produced...
,
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,
The Tom Green ShowThe Tom Green Show is a North American television show that first aired in September 1994 on Rogers Television 22, a community channel in Ottawa, Ontario, until 1996, and was later picked up by The Comedy Network in 1997...
,
The Naked Brothers BandThe Naked Brothers Band is an American television musical comedy created by Polly Draper. The show depicts the daily lives of Draper's sons, who lead a faux rock band from New York City. As a mockumentary, the storyline is a hyperbole of their real lives, and the fictional presence of a camera is...
and
Zeke and LutherZeke and Luther is an American Disney XD sitcom about two best friends setting their sights on becoming the world's greatest skateboarders. The show stars Hutch Dano, Adam Hicks, Daniel Curtis Lee and Ryan Newman ....
,
So Random, and
All ThatAll That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...
. Hawk was a guest on the kid's show on Nickelodeon,
Yo Gabba Gabba. In 2000, he played himself in Max Steel. He also guest voiced on
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "
Barting Over"Barting Over" is an episode of The Simpsons advertised by Fox, and indicated on-screen, to be the 300th episode of the show . It aired on February 16, 2003. In this episode, Bart discovers that he used to be a child star in commercials—and that Homer blew all the money he earned...
", where he played himself, along with fellow San Diegans
Blink-182Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
. In the episode, Hawk lends Homer a new board from his brand where complete rookies are able to perform at the top levels. He ends up having a comical play off with him after Homer begins to show him up. On the
PBS KidsPBS Kids is the brand for children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States founded in 1993. As with all PBS programming, PBS Kids programming is non-commercial. It is aimed at children ages 2 to 10...
show
CyberchaseCyberchase is an American educational television series for children age 6-12, that teaches children discrete mathematics. The show airs on Public Broadcasting Service and PBS Kids GO! in the United States. Seasons one through five were produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Nelvana...
, he guest starred as Slider's long-lost father, Coop. In the
CSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
episode "Game Over" he played a game programmer who was murdered. In 2008, he played on
Million Dollar PasswordMillion Dollar Password is an updated version of the game show Password on CBS, which was hosted by Regis Philbin and ran from June 1, 2008 to June 14, 2009. Based upon a format created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman, FremantleMedia produced the program.-Production and broadcast history:Million...
. Hawk also played on Fox's
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. Tony Hawk helped design the world famous
Canvey IslandCanvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
skate park in 1982 and has hosted
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's "Hall of Game" sports award show on February 25, 2011. Hawk was also on the Live-Action/Animated Talk Show
Take Two With Phineas and FerbTake Two with Phineas and Ferb is a spin-off series from Phineas and Ferb that premiered on Disney Channel on December 3, 2010. The series revolves around Phineas and Ferb interviewing celebrities...
. Hawk appeared on the internet cooking show
Epic Meal TimeEpic Meal Time is a YouTube cooking show known for creating extremely high-calorie meals, generally out of meat products and including alcohol . It debuted in October 2010, and since then has started to release an episode every Tuesday. It is hosted by Harley Morenstein and a group of his friends...
on October 28, 2011 to celebrate the show's one year anniversary, where he can be seen in the final scene eating a deep-fried pizza cake.
Video games
A video game series based on his skateboarding debuted in 1999. Since then, the series has spawned 16 titles, including main series titles, spin-offs, and repackages. The latest game of the series is the Tony Hawk: Ride, which involves riding on a skateboard-shaped controller.
Amusement park rides
A series of amusement park rides known as Tony Hawk's Big Spin were built in three
Six FlagsSix Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
parks in 2007 and 2008. The ride was originally billed as the "total Tony Hawk experience" and was designed to have the look and feel of a giant red-and-black skatepark. It offered a full "extreme sports" experience, with monitors in the queue lines displaying highlights of the history of action sports and a large spinning Tony Hawk figure crowning the ride. Additionally, a water park ride called Tony Hawk's Halfpipe was opened at Six Flags America in Bowie, MD.
In-game likeness and appearances
Tony Hawk was originally designated as the protagonist of the
Tony Hawk series. Hawk appears as a
player characterA player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
in all of the Tony Hawk games.
Hawk's role in the series was usurped by customizable player characters in later installments, but he has remained a prominent character. In the 2003 game
Tony Hawk's UndergroundTony Hawk's Underground, abbreviated to THUG, is a skateboarding video game, available for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, and Xbox platforms released in 2003. A PC version was released exclusively in Australia as a budget release in 2005. This version was ported by Beenox. In 2004,...
, he is a minor
non-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
whom the player meets in
Tampa, FloridaTampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
and skates against. Impressed with the player's skills, Hawk grants them entry into a skate competition. He later appears in
MoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to teach them the "360 Varial Heelflip Lien" move. Hawk and other skaters are briefly playable near the end of the game when they skate in a promotional video for the player's skate team, and in all gameplay modes except the story mode.
Personal life
Hawk married Cindy Dunbar in April 1990. They had a son, Riley Hawk (born December 6, 1992) whom they named for one of Hawk's ancestors. Riley also skates for
Lakai Limited FootwearLakai Footwear Limited is a footwear company based in Torrance, California that creates shoes designed for and inspired by skateboarding. Lakai was founded by professional skateboarders and Girl Skateboards co-founders Mike Carroll and Rick Howard in 1999...
and Hawk's own
Birdhouse SkateboardsBirdhouse Skateboards is a skateboard company formed by ex-Powell Peralta pros Tony Hawk and Per Welinder in 1992....
. The couple divorced in 1993.
Hawk married Erin Lee in 1996. They had two sons, Spencer (born July 26, 1999) and Keegan (born March 18, 2001). Lee and Hawk divorced in 2004.
Hawk married Lhotse Merriam on January 12, 2006, on the island of
TavaruaTavarua is a heart shaped island in Fiji. It has an area of . The island is close to the main Fijian isand, Viti Levu, and is surrounded by a coral reef....
,
FijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. The couple's first child, a daughter named Kadence Clover Hawk, was born on June 30, 2008. The couple announced their divorce on February 7, 2011.
Philanthropy
Tony launched the Tony Hawk Foundation, which has given away more than $3.4 million to help build well over 400 skateparks around the U.S.A. The Foundation supports projects in low income areas and helps underprivileged kids. In 2007, Hawk,
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
,
Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
,
Lance ArmstrongLance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
,
Warrick DunnWarrick De'Mon Dunn is a former American football running back, and current minority owner of the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, after playing college football at Florida State...
,
Jeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
,
Mia HammMariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
,
Andrea JaegerAndrea Jaeger is a former World No. 2 professional tennis player from the United States whose brief but highly successful tennis career ended prematurely due to major shoulder injuries. Jaeger reached the singles final of Wimbledon in 1983 and the French Open in 1982...
,
Jackie Joyner-KerseeJacqueline "Jackie" Joyner-Kersee is a retired American athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women's heptathlon as well as in the women's long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those four different events...
,
Mario LemieuxMario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
,
Alonzo MourningAlonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player, who played most of his 15-year NBA career for the Miami Heat....
and
Cal Ripken, Jr.Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
founded the charity Athletes for Hope which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes and aims to inspire all people to volunteer and support their communities.
External links