Tony Hawk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tony Hawk

Hawk in 2023
Personal information
Birth name	Anthony Frank Hawk
Nickname(s)	"Birdman"
Born	(1968-05-12) May 12, 1968 (age 57) San Diego, California, U.S.
Occupation	Skateboarder, entrepreneur
Years active	1981–present
Height	6'3" (1.92 metre)
Weight	159 lb (72 kg)
Spouse(s)	Cindy Dunbar ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1993)​ Erin Lee ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2004)​ Lhotse Merriam ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2011)​ Catherine Goodman ​ (m. 2015)​
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Skateboarding
Event(s)	Vert skateboarding Street skateboarding
Turned pro	1982
Retired	2003
Medal record Summer X Games Representing  United States Gold 1995 Newport Vert Gold 1997 San Diego Vert Gold 1997 San Diego Vert Doubles Gold 1998 San Diego Vert Doubles Gold 1999 San Francisco Vert Doubles Gold 1999 San Francisco Vert Best Trick Gold 2000 San Francisco Vert Doubles Gold 2001 Philadelphia Vert Doubles Gold 2002 Philadelphia Vert Doubles Gold 2003 Los Angeles Vert Best Trick Silver 1995 Newport Park Silver 1996 Newport Vert Silver 2001 Philadelphia Vert Best Trick Bronze 1998 San Diego Vert Bronze 1999 San Francisco Vert Bronze 2002 Philadelphia Vert Best Trick
Updated on April 23, 2013.

Tony Hawk, also known as Birdman, is a famous American professional skateboarder. He is also an entrepreneur and owns the skateboard company Birdhouse. Tony Hawk helped create modern vertical skateboarding. In 1999, he was the first person to successfully land a "900" trick.

That same year, a popular skateboarding video game series was released, named after him. It was published by Activision. Tony Hawk stopped competing professionally in 2003. Many people consider him one of the best and most important skateboarders ever.

Tony Hawk has also done a lot of good work for charity. He started the Skatepark Project. This organization helps build skateparks in areas around the world where kids might not have safe places to skate.

Early Life and School

Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California. His parents were Nancy and Frank Hawk. He grew up in San Diego with his two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve.

When Tony was a kid, he was very energetic. His parents had him tested at school. The results showed he was "gifted" with a high IQ of 144. School advisors suggested he take advanced classes.

Tony's parents supported his skateboarding. It was a great way for him to use his extra energy. His skills grew quickly. In 1981, he appeared on the TV show Captain Kangaroo as "Skateboard Johnny."

Tony became a professional skateboarder when he was just 14 years old. By age 16, big companies like Powell Peralta, Tracker, Sundek, Vans, and SIO sponsored him. He went to three different high schools and graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1986.

Skateboarding Career

Tony Hawk is a true pioneer in vertical, or "vert", skateboarding. He is still one of the most famous people in the sport. He got his first skateboard at age nine, a gift from his older brother. By the time he was 12, he was already winning amateur competitions all over California.

Tony turned professional at only 14. He quickly became one of the best. By age 16, many people thought he was the top competitive skateboarder in the world. By the time he was 25, he had entered 103 professional contests. He won 73 of them and came in second in 19. This is an amazing record! He also held the title of National Skateboard Association vert skating world champion for 12 years in a row.

Tony invented over 100 tricks. Some of these include the backside Ollie to tail, varial, frontside hurricane, rodeo flip, stalefish, and Ollie 540. He even bought his first house during his senior year of high school with the money he earned from skateboarding.

Hawk skating in 1987 in the Netherlands

On June 27, 1999, Tony Hawk made history. He became the first skateboarder to land a "900". This trick involves spinning two-and-a-half times in the air on a skateboard. He finally landed it on his twelfth try. After he did it, Tony said, "This is the best day of my life."

He stopped competing professionally that year. However, Tony continued to appear at the yearly X Games until 2003. On June 27, 2016, when he was 48, Tony Hawk performed what he said would be his last 900. He shared a video on his YouTube RIDE Channel. In the video, he said, "Spencer was there on my first one, and now he was there on my last," after successfully landing the trick.

In June 2009, Tony Hawk was invited to a Father's Day celebration by US president Barack Obama. He even skated in the hallways of the nearby Old Executive Office Building at the White House. This was the first time anyone had skateboarded on the White House grounds with official permission. In 2009, Tony Hawk was honored by being added to the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.

As of July 2025, Tony Hawk is sponsored by Birdhouse, Vans, Independent, Bones, and Nixon. His current signature shoe is called the Proto. In July 2021, Tony briefly returned to competitive skating. He took part in the Vert Best Trick event at the X Games and finished fourth.

Video Game Series

A very popular video game series based on Tony Hawk's skateboarding started in 1999. It is called Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Since then, the series has released 18 different games. These include ten main games, four spin-offs, and four re-released versions.

Tony Hawk was offered $300,000 to use his name and image for the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game. At that time, he was reportedly having money problems.

Even though later games let players create their own characters, Tony Hawk remained an important character. In the game Underground, he is a character you meet in Tampa, Florida. You skate against him, and he is impressed by your skills. He then helps you get into a skate competition. He also appears in Moscow to teach you a special trick.

Film and Television Appearances

Tony Hawk has appeared in many movies and TV shows. In 1986, he was a skateboarder and stunt double for Josh Brolin in the movie Thrashin'. He also had small roles in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987) and Gleaming the Cube (1989).

He appeared as himself in films like xXx (2002), Deck Dogz (2004), and Drake & Josh Go Hollywood (2006). Tony Hawk was also in several Jackass movies, often doing skateboarding stunts. He even voiced himself in the 2006 animated movie Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage.

Tony Hawk at a skate jam in 2012

On TV, Tony Hawk has been a guest on kids' shows like Yo Gabba Gabba! and Rocket Power. He voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Barting Over". He also appeared on CSI: Miami, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and hosted Cartoon Network's "Hall of Game" sports award show.

In 2020, Tony Hawk competed on The Masked Singer as "Elephant." In 2022, HBO released a documentary about him called Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off.

Other Projects

Tony Hawk hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM called "Tony Hawk's Demolition Radio" from 2004 to 2019. Since 2021, he has co-hosted the weekly podcast "Hawk vs. Wolf."

In 2002, Tony started a show tour that featured freestyle motocross, skateboarding, and BMX. It traveled to many cities across the U.S. and even to Six Flags amusement parks.

Some amusement park rides called Tony Hawk's Big Spin were built in Six Flags parks. These rides were designed to look like a giant skatepark. In 2010, the rides were renamed Pandemonium.

In 2018, Tony Hawk worked with Jeremy Burge to help design the skateboard emoji for Emojipedia. He wanted to make sure it looked like a real skateboard.

In 2022, Tony Hawk released his first music single. It was a cover of "In the City" by The Jam. He also performed the song "Superman" with the band Goldfinger at festivals in 2023.

Awards and Honors

Tony Hawk has received many awards and honors throughout his career.

Skateboarding Achievements

• He was the National Skateboarding Association Vert Champion 12 times in a row, from 1983 to 1995.
• He has won 16 X Games medals, including 10 gold medals.
  • His X Games gold medals include:
    • 2 for Vert (1995, 1997)
    • 6 for Vert Doubles (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
    • 2 for Vert Best Trick (1999, 2003)
• He won 5 World Championships with Hard Rock Cafe and Vans.
• He was the Vert World Champion at Antwerp, Belgium in 1993.
• He won 24 National Skateboarding Association Contests between 1983 and 1992.

Media and Other Awards

• He was the first Thrasher Skater of the Year in 1990.
• Transworld Skateboarding magazine named him Best Vert Skater four times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001). They also gave him the Legend Award in 2008.
• He won the Alternative Athlete of the Year ESPY Award in 2000.
• He won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete five times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008).
• He received the Cultural Icon Award at the Young Hollywood Awards in 2002.
• He was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2009.
• He was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2019.

Video Game Awards

The Tony Hawk's video game series has won many awards:

• It was named Game Informer Game of the Year twice (1999, 2000).
• It won the Console Sports Game of the Year in 2001.
• It won the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite PlayStation Game twice (2000, 2001).
• It won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Video Game of the Year in 2001.
• It won the Spike Video Game Award for Best Sports Game in 2003.

Personal Life

Family

Tony Hawk has been married four times. In April 1990, he married Cindy Dunbar. Their son, Riley Hawk, was born in 1992. Riley is also a professional skateboarder. Tony and Cindy divorced in 1993. Riley is married to Frances Bean Cobain.

Tony was married to Erin Lee from 1996 to 2004. They have two children, Spencer (born 1999) and Keegan (born 2001). Spencer is an electronic music producer known as Gupi.

Tony was married to Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011. Their daughter, Kadence, was born in 2008.

Tony Hawk married his fourth wife, Cathy Goodman, on June 27, 2015, in Ireland.

Interests and Hobbies

Tony Hawk bought a camcorder in Japan and an Amiga 2000 computer in the late 1980s. He used these for editing videos. In 2012, Tony decided to invest in Bitcoin, a digital currency. This "fun project" became a significant source of income and interest for him.

Charity Work

Tony Hawk at the opening of the Needles Skate Park in 2004. He donated $10,000 to help build it.

In 2002, Tony Hawk started the Tony Hawk Foundation. He did this because there weren't enough safe and legal skateparks in America. As of June 2018, his foundation has given out $5.8 million. This money has helped build 596 skatepark projects.

In 2015, the foundation received an award for using sports to improve community health. In 2007, Tony Hawk and other famous athletes started a charity called Athletes for Hope. This group encourages people to volunteer and support their communities. In 2020, the Tony Hawk Foundation changed its name to The Skatepark Project to better explain its goal.

In March 2022, a HBO documentary about Tony Hawk helped raise money for people in Ukraine. In 2023, Tony auctioned a signed photo to raise money for the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund. This fund plans to build a skate park in honor of Tyre Nichols.

Filmography

Tony Hawk has appeared in many films and television shows, often as himself or in roles related to skateboarding.

Television Appearances

• The Jersey (2000)
• Jackass (2000–2001)
• Rocket Power (2001)
• Max Steel (2001)
• The Simpsons (2003)
• Cyberchase (2005)
• CSI: Miami (2005)
• Yo Gabba Gabba! (2007)
• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2008)
• Sesame Street (2009)
• Hall of Game Awards (Host, 2011)
• Epic Meal Time (2011, 2013)
• Zeke and Luther (2010, 2012)
• Last Man Standing (2012)
• The Aquabats! Super Show! (2013)
• The Masked Singer (2020)
• The Casagrandes (2022)
• Saturday Night Live (2023)
• AEW Dynamite (2024)

Film Appearances

• Thrashin' (1986)
• Police Academy 4 (1987)
• Gleaming the Cube (1989)
• Max Keeble's Big Move (2001)
• The New Guy (2002)
• XXX (2002)
• Jackass: The Movie (2002)
• Lords of Dogtown (2005)
• Drake & Josh Go Hollywood (2006)
• Jackass Number Two (2006)
• Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage (voice, 2006)
• Jackass 3D (2010)
• Parental Guidance (2012)
• Daddy's Home (skateboarding stunt double, 2015)
• Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017)
• Jackass Forever (2022)
• Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)

Images for kids

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  Hawk in 2015

• 

  Hawk in 2015

See also

In Spanish: Tony Hawk para niños

• Tony Hawk's
• The Skatepark Project
• Birdhouse Skateboards