Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United Stat ...

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

, and the owner of the skateboard company

Birdhouse A nest box, also spelled nestbox, is a man-made enclosure provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses or a birdbox/bird box, but some mammals such as bats ma ...

. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "

900 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are victorious at Balkh (Northern Afghan ...

" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

that same year. Hawk retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential skateboarders of all time. Hawk has been involved in various philanthropic activities throughout his career. He founded the Skatepark Project, which helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas around the world.

Early life

Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, to Nancy (1924–2019) and Frank Hawk (1923–1995), and was raised in San Diego. He has two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve. As a child, Hawk was described as " hyperactive". One time, Hawk struck out in baseball and was so distraught that he hid in a ravine and had to be coaxed out by his father. His parents had him psychologically evaluated at school. The results were that Tony was "gifted", as he was tested with an IQ of 144, so school advisers recommended placing him in advanced classes. Hawk attended Jean Farb Middle School from 1980 to 1981. His parents supported his skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excess energy. Hawk's skills developed, and he made his television debut on ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

'' as "Skateboard Johnny" in 1981. Hawk became a professional skateboarder at age 14. By age 16, he was sponsored by Powell Peralta, Tracker, Sundek,

Vans Vans (originally called the Van Doren Rubber Company) is an American apparel, accessories, and skateboarding shoes brand, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and ...

, and SIO. Hawk attended three high schools and graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1986. He listed Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi as his influences at the time.

Career

Skateboarding

Tony Hawk is a trailblazer in vertical, or "

vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

", skateboarding, and remains one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. He got his first skateboard at age nine, a gift from his older brother, and by 12, he was already dominating amateur competitions across

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Turning professional at just 14, Hawk quickly rose to the top; by 16, he was widely recognized as the best competitive skateboarder in the world. By the age of 25, he had entered 103 professional contests, winning 73 and finishing second in 19—a staggering record that may never be matched. He also held the title of National Skateboard Association vert skating world champion for an unprecedented 12 consecutive years. Tony pioneered late-grab airs – which a few early grabbing pros called cheating at the time – and invented over 100 tricks, including the backside Ollie to tail, varial, frontside hurricane, rodeo flip, stalefish, and Ollie 540. With the money he made from skateboarding, Hawk bought his first house during his senior year in high school. Tony Hawk ollie

On June 27, 1999, Hawk became the first skateboarder to land a "

", a trick involving the completion of two-and-a-half mid-air revolutions on a skateboard, in which he was successful on his twelfth attempt. After completing the trick, Hawk said, "This is the best day of my life." He retired from professional competition that year, but Hawk continued to appear at the annual

X Games The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and aired on ESPN networks and ABC. In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Mo ...

until 2003, when he retired from performing. On June 27, 2016, at age 48, Hawk performed what he claimed would be his final 900. In a video posted on the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

RIDE Channel, Hawk said, "Spencer was there on my first one, and now he was there on my last", after successfully landing a 900. Hawk was invited to US president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's June 2009 Father's Day celebration and skated in the hallways of the nearby

Old Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally known as the State, War, and Navy Building (SWAN Building), is a United States government building that is now part of t ...

on the White House grounds. This was the first time anyone had skateboarded on the White House grounds with permission from officials. In 2009, Hawk was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony. As of April 2020, Hawk is sponsored by

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

, and

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

. His current Pro model shoe is the Proto. Hawk was formerly sponsored by Theeve. In July 2021, Hawk briefly ended his competitive retirement to participate in the Vert Best Trick event at that year's X Games, finishing in fourth place out of nine competitors.

Video game series

A video game series based on Hawk's skateboarding, titled '' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater'', debuted in 1999. Since then, the series has spawned 18 titles so far, including ten main-series titles, four spin-offs, and four repackages. According to former

CEO

Bobby Kotick Robert A. Kotick (born 1963) is an American businessman who served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Activision Blizzard and its predecessor, Activision, from 1991 to 2023. He became the CEO of Activision through a hostile takeover during ...

, Hawk was offered $300,000 for the use of his name and likeness for the original '' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater'' game, and that Hawk was living in his car due to financial issues. Hawk's role in the series was usurped by customizable player characters in later installments, but he has remained a prominent character. In the fifth game in the series, '' Underground'', Hawk is a minor

non-player character A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...

whom the player meets in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, and skates against. Impressed with the player's skills, Hawk grants them entry into a skate competition. He later appears in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

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. He appeared as a kid in the '' Backyard Sports'' game, ''Backyard Skateboarding''.

Film and television

In 1986, Hawk was a featured skateboarder and skater-double for

Josh Brolin Josh James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film ''The Goonies'' (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starr ...

in the movie '' Thrashin'''. In 1987, Hawk made a brief appearance in the movie '' Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' with David Spade. In 1989, Hawk appeared as a skateboarder in '' Gleaming the Cube''. In 2002, he appeared in Neal H. Moritz's and Christopher Gilcrest's film '' xXx'' playing the role of one of Xander Cage's stuntman friends. In 2004, Hawk played himself in the Australian skateboarding movie '' Deck Dogz''. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance in the film '' Drake & Josh Go Hollywood'' as himself. Hawk also had a cameo in the movie ''

The New Guy ''The New Guy'' is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter, written by David Kendall and starring DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zooey Deschanel, Lyle Lovett, and Eddie Griffin. The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy H ...

'', and appeared in '' Jackass: The Movie'', skateboarding in a fat suit with Mat Hoffman and

Bam Margera Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV Reality tel ...

, as well as in '' Jackass Number Two'' skateboarding through an obstacle course. Hawk also appeared in the opening title sequences in ''

Jackass 3D ''Jackass 3D'' (known as ''Jackass 3'' on home media) is a 2010 American 3-D film, 3D reality film, reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the Jackass (franchise)#Films, ''Jackass'' film series, and the sequ ...

'' and '' Jackass Forever''. He appeared in the film following the 2006 Gumball Rally, '' 3000 Miles'', again with Bam Margera. Hawk also played the police officer who arrests Ryan Dunn in the movie '' Haggard: The Movie''. Hawk made a brief cameo appearance in ''

Lords of Dogtown ''Lords of Dogtown'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film that captures the rise of skateboarding culture in 1970s Santa Monica and Venice, California. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta, a key figure in the ska ...

'' as an

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

, where he is shown comically falling off the skateboard as he is a "rookie". Hawk voiced himself in the 2006 animated movie ''

Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage ''Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage'' is a 2006 animated sports film starring Tony Hawk, produced by Mainframe Entertainment. FUNimation Entertainment distributed the film in the United States, while Alliance Atlantis distributed it in Canada. In Ma ...

'', where he is kidnapped by circus freaks. Hawk was featured as an extra in the

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

music video " Smells Like Nirvana". He can be seen sitting in the bleachers during the crowd sweep near

Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bra ...

. Hawk also made a cameo appearance in the

Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhyt ...

music video for " I'm Just a Kid", he can be seen, in a crowd, at a high school, watching kids skating. On television, Hawk was a guest on the Nickelodeon kid's show ''

Yo Gabba Gabba! ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' is a Children's television series, children's Musical film, musical television series created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz (producer), Scott Schultz and developed by Kay Wilson Stallings. The series is about five cos ...

''. In 2001, he played himself in '' Max Steel''. Hawk also guest voiced on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode " Barting Over", where he played himself, along with fellow San Diegans

Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...

. In the episode, Hawk lends Homer a new board from his brand where complete rookies are able to perform at the top levels. Hawk ends up having a comical play off with him after Homer begins to show him up. Tony Hawk appeared as himself in '' MXC'' in a special "MXC Almost Live" episode in 2004. On the

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

show ''

Cyberchase ''Cyberchase'' is an animated series, animated science fantasy children's television series that airs on PBS Kids. The series centers around three children from Earth: Jackie, Matt and Inez, who are brought into Cyberspace, a digital universe, i ...

'', Hawk guest-starred as Slider's long-lost father Coop. In the '' CSI: Miami'' episode "Game Over" he played a game programmer who was murdered. Hawk also played on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

's '' Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?''. Hawk hosted

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

's "Hall of Game" sports award show on February 25, 2011. Hawk was on '' Take Two With Phineas and Ferb''. Hawk appeared on the internet cooking show '' Epic Meal Time'' on October 18, 2011, to celebrate the show's one-year anniversary, where he can be seen in the final scene eating a deep-fried pizza cake. Hawk reappeared on another Epic Meal Time video on July 20, 2013, as a guest on the educational cooking show ''Handle It''. Hawk assisted

Harley Morenstein Harley Morenstein (born July 20, 1985) is a Canadian YouTuber. He co-created, produces, and hosts the web show '' Epic Meal Time'' and its FYI television spin-off series, ''Epic Meal Empire''. He is one of the two remaining original members of ...

(Sauce Boss) in cooking egg rolls. The video features promotion for Hawk's own YouTube channel, RIDE Channel. He also guest-starred on the ABC comedy '' Last Man Standing''. He played himself in an episode of '' Rocket Power''. Hawk appeared in the TV series '' Breaking In'', ''

The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange ''The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange'', or simply ''The Annoying Orange'', is an American television series created by Tom Sheppard and Dane Boedigheimer for Cartoon Network. Based on the characters from Boedigheimer's web series ' ...

'', ''

The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry (voice actor), Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Family Guy'', and the second television ...

'', ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'', and '' So Random!''. Hawk appeared in the movie '' Parental Guidance'' as himself. In 2013, he and

Eric Koston Eric Koston (born April 29, 1975) is a Thai born American professional skateboarder and company owner. He has been featured in the ''Tony Hawk's'' video game series and the Electronic Arts (EA) video games ''Skate 2'' and ''Skate 3''. Koston c ...

appeared as reporters in an episode of ''

The Aquabats! Super Show! ''The Aquabats! Super Show!'' is an American action-comedy musical television series which aired from March 3, 2012 to January 8, 2014 on The Hub Network, later resuming as an independent YouTube series from September 2019 to July 2021. The ser ...

'', another series by ''Yo Gabba Gabba!'' creator and longtime friend of Hawk's, Christian Jacobs. He also appeared in Disney's Zeke and Luther as himself. In 2015, Hawk acted as a stunt double for

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

during a skateboarding scene in the film Daddy's Home. Hawk sustained an injury that required 10 stitches in his leg while filming the scene. In 2020, Hawk competed in season three of '' The Masked Singer'' as "Elephant". He was the first of Group B to be eliminated. In 2022, Hawk did a guest voice role in '' The Casagrandes'' episode "Skaters Gonna Hate" where it was revealed that he had a history with Carlos Casagrande back when he operated as "Carlos X". That same year,

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

released a documentary on him titled ''Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off''. Hawk worked with Laughing Dragon Studios to develop the animated series ''Skatebirds''. On March 27, 2024, Hawk made an appearance on

AEW Dynamite ''AEW Dynamite'', also known as ''Wednesday Night Dynamite'' or simply ''Dynamite'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American Professional wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It air ...

in a pre-taped segment with

Darby Allin Samuel Ratsch (born January 7, 1993), better known by the ring name Darby Allin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is a former two-time AEW TNT Championship, AEW TNT Champion and a former AEW Wo ...

Other ventures

Hawk hosted a weekly radio show on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

from 2004 to 2019 called "Tony Hawk's Demolition Radio". In 2021, Hawk partnered with fellow skateboarder and former SiriusXM host Jason Ellis for the weekly podcast "Hawk vs. Wolf". In 2002, Hawk started a show tour featuring

freestyle motocross Freestyle motocross (also known as FMX) is a variation on the sport of motocross in which motorcycle riders attempt to impress judges with jumps and stunts. The two main types of freestyle events are: *Big air (also known as "best trick"), in wh ...

, skateboarding, and

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...

. It started in Las Vegas and went on to 31 cities around the U.S. and eventually to

Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...

amusement parks. A series of amusement park rides known as Tony Hawk's Big Spin were built in three

parks in 2007 and 2008. The ride was originally billed as the "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. In 2010, Six Flags cancelled its license and the rides were renamed to Pandemonium. The ride at

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly known as Six Flags Marine World, Marine World, The New Marine World Theme Park, and Marine World Africa USA) is a 135-acre (55 ha) animal theme park located in Vallejo, California, off of Interstate 80 i ...

was moved to Six Flags Mexico in 2012. Additionally, a water park ride called Tony Hawk's Half pipe (renamed The Half pipe in 2011) was opened at

Six Flags America Six Flags America is an amusement park in Woodmore, Maryland, United States,Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County; i ...

. In February 2018, ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine reported that Hawk was working with

Jeremy Burge Jeremy Burge (born 14 July 1984) is an Australian emoji historian, founder of Emojipedia, creator of World Emoji Day and widely regarded as an expert on emoji. Business Insider listed Burge in the ''UK Tech 100'' in 2016, 2017 and 2018 referr ...

to help design

Emojipedia Emojipedia is an emoji reference website which documents the meaning and common usage of emoji characters in the Unicode Standard. Most commonly described as an emoji encyclopedia or emoji dictionary, Emojipedia also publishes articles and prov ...

's skateboard

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis; , ) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram, or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of modern emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from type ...

after the company's initial design was criticized by Hawk as "a skateboard you would buy at a department store in the '80s." The updated design was based on Hawk's own skateboard. Subsequent releases of the skateboard emoji from

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

and

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

resemble Hawk's board (including 60mm wheels) despite no direct collaboration between Hawk and these companies. In 2022, Hawk signed a contract with

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

, and released his first single, a cover of

The Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...

's " In the City", featuring punk rock supergroup Punk Rock Karaoke. The single was released on July 22, 2022, with its B-side, a cover of The Damned's " Neat Neat Neat". In 2023, Hawk joined Goldfinger on stage and sang "Superman" during their performances at

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers''. The ...

and at the When We Were Young Festival. He also performed "Superman" and a cover of

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...

's "Bloodstains" with Australian band Birdman, during his tour ''An Evening with Tony Hawk'' across Australia in January 2024.

Contest victories

Tricks invented

Awards and honors

All

contest CONTEST is the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism strategy, first developed by Sir David Omand and the Home Office in early 2003 as the immediate response to 9/11, and a revised version was made public in 2006. Further revisions were publish ...

victories and

medals can be found above.

Notable skateboarding achievements

12× Consecutive National Skateboarding Association

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

Champion: 1983–1995 * 16×

Medalist ** 10×

Gold Medalist *** 2×

Gold Medal: 1995, 1997 *** 6×

Doubles Gold Medal: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 *** 2×

Best Trick Gold Medal: 1999, 2003 ** 3×

Silver Medalist ***

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

Silver Medal: 1995 ***

Silver Medal: 1996 ***

Best Trick Silver Medal: 2001 ** 3×

Bronze Medalist *** 2×

Bronze Medal: 1998, 1999 ***

Best Trick Bronze Medal: 2002 * 7× Medalist ** 5× Gold Medal *** 4× Pro

Half-Pipe A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding. Overview The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps ...

Gold Medal: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998 *** Street Style Gold Medal: 1991 ** 2× Streetstyle Pro Silver Medal: 1989, 1993 * 5×

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...

and

World Champion ** 3×

: 1995, 1996, 1997 **

Doubles: 1997 ** Best Trick: 1998 * World Championships at

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

–

World Champion: 1993 * 2×

Hard Rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

Triple Crown of Skateboarding –

Champion: 1996, 1997 * 2×

Triple Crown of Skateboarding

Champion: 1998, 1999 * TransWorld Skateboard Championships – Pro

Champion: 1986 * Del Mar Spring Nationals – Pool Champion: 1983 * Summer World Series Finals at Del Mar – Pool Champion: 1983 * 24× National Skateboarding Association

Contest CONTEST is the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism strategy, first developed by Sir David Omand and the Home Office in early 2003 as the immediate response to 9/11, and a revised version was made public in 2006. Further revisions were publish ...

Champion: 1983–1992

Media awards

* Inaugural ''Thrasher'' Skater of the Year: 1990 *

TransWorld Skateboarding ''Transworld Skateboarding'' (''TWS'') is an international magazine on skateboarding that was based in Carlsbad, California, United States. The publication also ran an accompanying website and video production company. In February 2019, the pub ...

Awards ** 4× Best Vert Skater: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 *** Runner-Up: 2002 ** Legend Award: 2008 * Alternative Athlete of the Year ESPY Award: 2000 * Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year Inaugural Nominee: 2000 *

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

Action Sports Achievement Award: 2001 * 5× Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards#Awards, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete: 2001 Kids' Choice Awards, 2001, 2003 Kids' Choice Awards, 2003, 2004 Kids' Choice Awards#Sports, 2004, 2005 Kids' Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2005, 2008 Kids' Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2008 * Young Hollywood Awards – Cultural Icon Award: 2002 * Make-A-Wish Foundation Favorite Male Athlete: 2002 * Laureus World Sports Awards, Laureus World Sports Academy Member & Ambassador: 2003 * Teen Choice Awards ** Teen Choice Awards#Sports, Male Athlete of the Year: 2004 Teen Choice Awards, 2004 *** 2× Nominee: 2002 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2002, 2003 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2003 ** Teen Choice Awards#Sports, Extreme Athlete of the Year: 2001 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2001 ** Teen Choice Awards#Sports, Extreme Male Athlete of the Year: 2000 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2000 *** Nominee: 1999 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 1999 * Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night XII – Entrepreneur of the Year Award: 2006 * X-Dance Athlete of the Year: 2008 * STOKED Awards – Achievement Award: 2008 * Kids for Peace#Peace Hero Awards, Kids for Peace – Peace Hero Award: 2009 * James Joyce Award: 2009 * United States Sports University, United States Sports Academy – Distinguished Service Award: 2009 * Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, RWJF Steve Patterson Award – The Tony Hawk Foundation: 2013 * WORLDZ Summit – Titan Award: 2016 * Clio Awards, Clio Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award: 2019 * Vital Voices – Voices of Solidarity Award: 2023 * San Diego Sports Medicine Foundation – Taste at the Cove Fundraiser – Community Legend Honoree

Video game awards

* 2× List of Game of the Year awards#Game Informer, ''Game Informer'' Game of the Year: 1999, 2000 * Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences D.I.C.E. Awards – Tony Hawk's#Games, Tony Hawk's Video Games ** 2× D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year Nominee: 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console, 1999, 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2000 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Sports Game of the Year, Console Sports Game of the Year: 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2001 *** 3× Nominee: 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console, 1999, 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2000, 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2002 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year, Game of the Year Nominee: 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Winners and Nominees, 2000 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering Nominee: 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2000 ** 2× D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design, Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Nominee: 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2000, 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2003 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Mobile Game of the Year, Hand-Held Mobile Game of the Year Nominee: 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2001 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering Nominee: 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2001 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Animation Nominee: 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2001 ** 2× D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition, Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack Nominee: 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2003, 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Craft Awards, 2004 ** D.I.C.E. Award for Sports Game of the Year, Console Action Sports Game of the Year: 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console, 2004 *** Nominee: 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Console Awards, 2003 ** 2× D.I.C.E. Award for Sports Game of the Year#2000s, Sports Game of the Year: 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards#Genre Awards, 2006, 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards#Genre Awards, 2020 * Blockbuster Entertainment Awards ** 2× Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Video Games, Favorite PlayStation Game: 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Favorite Playstation Game, 2000, 7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Favorite PlayStation Game, 2001 ** Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Video Games, Favorite Dreamcast Game: 7th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Favorite Dreamcast Game, 2001 ** Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Video Games, Favorite Game Boy Game: 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards#Favorite Game Boy Game, 2001 * List of Game of the Year awards#Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' Game of the Year: 2000 * BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards#Games – Mobile Device, BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards Hand-Held Game of the Year: 2001 * Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards#Awards, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Video Game of the Year: 2001 Kids' Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2001 * OTT.X, VSDA/EMA Awards ** Video Game of the Year: 2001 ** GameCube Video Game of the Year: 2002 ** 2× Xbox Video Game of the Year: 2002, 2004 * Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, Teen Choice Awards Video Game of the Year Nominee: 2003 Teen Choice Awards#Miscellaneous, 2003 * Spike Video Game Awards ** Best Sports Game: Spike Video Game Awards#2003 awards, 2003 *** Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2004 awards, 2004 ** Best Music Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2003 awards, 2003 ** Game of the Year Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2003 awards, 2003 ** Best Song in a Video Game Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2004 awards, 2004 ** 2× Best Individual Sports Game: Spike Video Game Awards#2005 awards, 2005, Spike Video Game Awards#2006 awards, 2006 *** Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2007 awards, 2007 ** 2× Best Soundtrack Nominee: Spike Video Game Awards#2005 awards, 2005, Spike Video Game Awards#2007 awards, 2007 * MTV Video Music Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack: 2004 MTV Video Music Awards#Winners and nominees, 2004 ** Nominee: 2005 MTV Video Music Awards#Winners and nominees, 2005

Halls of fame

* San Diego Hall of Champions#Inductees, Breitbard Hall of Fame Class of 2002 * Skateboarding Hall of Fame Class of 2009 – Inaugural Inductee * California Hall of Fame Class of 2019 * ''Shacknews'' Hall of Fame Class of 2024 – Tony Hawk's Pro Skater * Hall of Fame

Image and legacy

In December 2011, Hawk was listed by ''Transworld Skateboarding'' magazine as the second-most-influential skateboarder of all time, particularly for the invention of the backside ollie to tail. In January 2013, professional skateboarder John Cardiel, ranked by ''Transworld Skateboarding'' as the eleventh most influential skateboarder of all time, listed Hawk as one of his most important influences, as well as Mark Gonzales and Christian Hosoi. Cardiel explained, "... the insane 540s with no hands, and, just like, all his tricks; he had the ramps, all his ramps, all the ramps he had—I thought that was insane. Tony Hawk's the best." In an interview for the online series ''Free Lunch'', produced by Hawk's RIDE Channel, professional skateboarder Andrew Reynolds (skateboarder), Andrew Reynolds said:

Tony Hawk—he's like, basically, to me it says, "You can be a skater and take over everything and be, you know ... and use skateboarding to be a businessman, a role model to young people," um, he's just the best. And, he called my house when I was fifteen, and was, like, "Do you wanna do something with us?" not knowing anything about me.

In 2012, Reynolds recruited Hawk's son Riley Hawk, Riley, who was 19 years old at the time, for Reynolds' skateboard deck company, Baker Skateboards, Baker. Hawk often posts on Twitter about encounters he has with people who do not recognize him or wonder if he is truly Tony Hawk. Various publications have speculated about Hawk's motivation:

The cynical among us might argue that as he slides inexorably out of cultural relevancy, Tony Hawk desperately needs to remind us that he's still here, still famous. Others might say he’s trying to communicate that he’s fed up with it all, his stream of tweets a not-so-subtle hint... But no. Tony Hawk... thinks it is the funniest thing in the world, and he will keep thinking it is the funniest thing in the world, and keep tweeting about it, for the rest of his life.

Personal life

Relationships

In April 1990, Hawk married Cindy Dunbar, whom he began dating in high school. Their son, Riley Hawk, was born on December 6, 1992, and was named after one of Hawk's ancestors. Riley is also a professional skateboarder. Hawk and Dunbar divorced in 1993. Riley is married to Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of late Nirvana (band), Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole (band), Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. They have a son together. Hawk was married to Erin Lee from 1996 to 2004. They have two children, Spencer (born in 1999) and Keegan (born in 2001). Spencer is an electronic music producer who releases music as Gupi. Hawk was married to Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011. Their wedding was held in Fiji and Rancid (band), Rancid played for them as the wedding band. The couple's daughter Kadence was born in 2008. Hawk married his fourth wife, Cathy Goodman, on June 27, 2015, in a ceremony in Limerick, Ireland.

Interests

Hawk purchased a camcorder in Japan and had a friend translate the controls for him, and an Amiga 2000 in the late 1980s. NewTek sent him a Video Toaster for his Amiga in exchange for appearing in a promotional video alongside Wil Wheaton and Penn Jillette, which he later used for editing a promotional video for the TurboDuo game ''Lords of Thunder'' in 1993.

Philanthropy

Hawk created the Tony Hawk Foundation in 2002 in response to the lack of safe and legal skateparks in America. As of June 2018, his foundation has awarded US$5.8 million, aiding 596 skatepark projects. In 2015, the foundation received the Robert Wood Johnson Sports award, which honors recipients for their innovative and influential approaches to using sports to build a culture of health in their communities. In 2007, Hawk, Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, and Cal Ripken Jr. founded the charity Athletes for Hope, an organization that aims to inspire all people to volunteer and support their communities through the actions of professional athletes. In 2020, the Tony Hawk Foundation changed its name to The Skatepark Project to better describe the organization's mission. In 2012, Hawk decided to invest money into digital currency, Bitcoin. His "fun project" became a big source of income and interest for him. In 2023, Hawk auctioned a signed photograph of himself and Rick Thorne, with 50% of the proceeds to be donated to the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund. The fund was created following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of law enforcement officers. One of the fund's plans involve building a skate park in Nichols' honor.

Filmography

Television

Films

Videos

Music videos

Video games

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hawk, Tony Tony Hawk, 1968 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American philanthropists American skateboarders Businesspeople from San Diego Male actors from California Male actors from San Diego Sportspeople from Carlsbad, California Skateboarders from San Diego X Games competitors