Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name the Rock, is an American actor, film producer, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) during the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Johnson wrestled for the WWF for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over in North America and over worldwide, making him one of the world's highest-grossing and highest-paid actors.
After accepting an athletic scholarship to play football at the University of Miami, he was a member of the 1991 national championship team, but largely was a backup player. Despite aspirations at professional football he went undrafted in the 1995 NFL draft, and was briefly signed with the Calgary Stampeders before being cut in his first season. In 1996, Johnson's father Rocky assisted in helping him secure a contract with the WWF. Johnson quickly rose to global prominence, aided by a gimmick he employed as a charismatic trash talker. Johnson left WWE in 2004 and returned in 2011 as a part-time performer until 2013, making sporadic appearances until retiring in 2019. A 10-time world champion, including the promotion's first of African-American descent, he is also a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a five-time Tag Team Champion, the 2000 Royal Rumble winner, and WWE's sixth Triple Crown champion. Johnson headlined the most-bought professional wrestling pay-per-view (WrestleMania XXVIII) and was featured among the most watched episodes of WWE's flagship television series (Raw and SmackDown).
Johnson's first film role was in The Mummy Returns (2001). The following year he played his first leading role in the action fantasy film The Scorpion King (2002). He has since starred in family films The Game Plan (2007), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Tooth Fairy (2010), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and Jungle Cruise (2021), as well as the action films Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), G.