Johnny Knoxville facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnny Knoxville
Knoxville in 2010
Born	Philip John Clapp (1971-03-11) March 11, 1971 (age 54) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Stunt performer actor comedian producer writer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Melanie Cates ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2008)​ Naomi Nelson ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2024)​
Children	3
Relatives	Roger Alan Wade (cousin)

Johnny Knoxville is a famous American stunt performer, actor, and comedian. His real name is Philip John Clapp, and he was born on March 11, 1971. He is most well-known for creating and starring in the wild MTV show Jackass. This show, which ran from 2000 to 2001, featured him and his friends doing crazy stunts and pranks.

After the TV show, Johnny Knoxville and the Jackass crew made several movies. The first Jackass movie came out in 2002. Later films included Jackass Number Two (2006) and Jackass 3D (2010). In 2013, he starred as his character Irving Zisman in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, which was the first Jackass film with a story. The latest movie, Jackass Forever, was released in 2022.

Besides Jackass, Johnny Knoxville has acted in many movies and TV shows. Some of his film roles include Men in Black II (2002), Walking Tall (2004), and The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). He also voiced Leonardo in the 2014 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Early Life and First Stunts

Johnny Knoxville was born Philip John Clapp in Knoxville, Tennessee. His father, Philip, sold tires and cars, and his mother, Lemoyne, taught Sunday school. He has two older sisters. His cousin, singer-songwriter Roger Alan Wade, gave him a book called On the Road, which made him want to become an actor.

Knoxville went to South-Doyle High School in Knoxville. He played baseball there and was a good pitcher. After finishing high school in 1989, he moved to California to pursue acting. At first, he mostly appeared in commercials and as an extra in small roles.

When he couldn't find a big acting job, he decided to create his own chances. He started writing ideas for articles to pitch to magazines. One idea was to test self-defense equipment on himself. This caught the attention of Jeff Tremaine's skateboarding magazine Big Brother. The stunts were filmed and included in Big Brother magazine's "Number Two" video. This was the beginning of his stunt career.

Johnny Knoxville's Career

The Jackass Years

Knoxville at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con

Johnny Knoxville came up with many of the ideas for Jackass. He is often seen as the main leader of the group. The show was directed by Jeff Tremaine, who made a first episode using footage from Big Brother and Bam Margera's CKY videos.

With help from Tremaine's friend, film director Spike Jonze, they showed their idea to different TV networks. MTV decided to pick it up, and that's how Jackass started. Knoxville starred in all the Jackass movies, including Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 2.5, Jackass 3D, Jackass 3.5, Jackass Forever, and Jackass 4.5.

Knoxville also took part in the Gumball 3000 car rally for Jackass with co-stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius. Before Jackass aired on MTV, Knoxville and his friends turned down an offer to do their stunts weekly on Saturday Night Live. However, Knoxville did host an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2005.

Acting Roles

Johnny Knoxville has appeared in many feature films. He played a two-headed alien in Men in Black II (2002). He also worked with director John Waters in A Dirty Shame (2004). In the same year, he was a supporting character to The Rock in Walking Tall.

In 2005, he starred in Daltry Calhoun. He also played an office worker who pretended to be disabled to join the Special Olympics in The Ringer. He had a role in Lords of Dogtown as Topper Burks. He made a small appearance in the 2000 movie Coyote Ugly. He also lent his voice to two episodes of King of the Hill.

Knoxville was a guest star in an episode of Viva La Bam called "Prank Wars." In this episode, he and Ryan Dunn played pranks on Bam Margera. He also voiced himself in an episode of Family Guy. He helped produce The Dudesons in America and the show Nitro Circus on MTV.

In 2012, Knoxville guest-starred as the voice of Johnny Krill, an extreme sports fan, in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants called "Extreme Spots". He voiced Leonardo in the 2014 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Behind the Scenes: Production

Knoxville (right) with Jeff Tremaine (left) and Bad Grandpa co-star Jackson Nicoll

Johnny Knoxville has a production company called Dickhouse Productions. He owns and runs it with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze, who are also part of the Jackass franchise. Dickhouse has worked on documentaries like The Birth of Big Air (2010), which is about Mat Hoffman. They also produced The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (2010).

In 2014, Knoxville and Derek Freda started a new production company called 'Hello Junior'. This company continues Knoxville's work with Paramount Pictures, especially after the success of Bad Grandpa in 2013.

Professional Wrestling Appearances

Johnny Knoxville and the Jackass crew have also been involved with WWE, a professional wrestling company. He made his WWE TV debut on October 13, 2008, on Raw, where he had a small rivalry with The Great Khali. He also appeared on Raw again in 2010.

On January 1, 2022, Knoxville announced he would be in the Royal Rumble match, a big wrestling event. His entry was confirmed on SmackDown, where he started a rivalry with Sami Zayn. He entered the Royal Rumble at number 9 but was eliminated by Zayn. Knoxville later returned to SmackDown and challenged Zayn for a championship, but Zayn attacked him. The next week, Knoxville distracted Zayn during a match, helping another wrestler win the championship. Zayn then challenged Knoxville to a match at WrestleMania 38. Knoxville accepted, and it was an "Anything Goes" match. At WrestleMania, Knoxville won against Zayn with help from other Jackass members like Chris Pontius, Wee Man, and director Jeff Tremaine.

Podcast Host

In April 2024, Johnny Knoxville started his own podcast called "Pretty Sure I Can Fly with Johnny Knoxville & Elna Baker".

Personal Life

Johnny Knoxville married Melanie Lynn Cates on May 15, 1995. Their daughter was born on January 4, 1996. She can be heard in the credits of Jackass Number Two and was seen in the credits of Jackass 3D. Knoxville and Cates separated in 2006 and their divorce was finalized in 2008.

In December 2009, Knoxville's girlfriend Naomi Nelson gave birth to their son. Knoxville and Nelson got married on September 24, 2010. Their second child, a daughter, was born in October 2011. In June 2022, it was reported that Knoxville had filed for divorce from Naomi Nelson.

Filmography

Feature Films

Television Shows

Video Games

Music Videos

Web Series

See also

In Spanish: Johnny Knoxville para niños