Dwayne Johnson

Half-black and half-Samoan, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a prolific athlete, actor, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a second generation pro-wrestler on both sides of his family and is considered an honorary member of the Anoa’i family of professional wrestlers from American Samoa. Johnson rose to stardom as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), where his stage name was a tribute to his father and grandfather’s wrestling careers. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers.

Dwayne Johnson left his wrestling career behind in 2004 to pursue a career in acting. Before appearing in blockbuster movies, Johnson had guest appearances in a variety of popular shows at the time, such as SNL, That ‘70s Show, and Star Trek. He is currently the highest paid Hollywood actor starring in major action movies and franchises including the Fast & Furious franchise and recently starred as the demi-god, Maui in Disney’s Academy Award-nominated animated film, Moana. He has recently broadened his vision and moved into producing, with his name attached to projects like Jumaji and an upcoming movie on the first ruler of Hawai’i. As an AAPI community member, Johnson’s career has continued to bring light to the invisibility of AAPI entertainers, as he has been cast as the lead in the majority of the films with AAPI representation.