The film industry is replete with rags to riches stories of talented nobodies, who reached the zenith through a combination of talent, hard work, perseverance, and luck. Where many fade away, a few survive and attain that elusive success. One such success story is this reigning superstar, a near-billionaire, who was once a petty criminal thrown out by his own family.

The actor who saw multiple arrests by age 17
Before he became The Rock, Dwayne Johnson was a football player, son of wrestler Rocky Johnson, and a rebel without a cause. Growing up in Hawaii, Dwayne was evicted out of his home at age 14, following which he turned to a life of crime to make ends meet. In a previous interview with Muscle and Fitness, the actor has said that by the age of 17, he had been arrested ‘eight or nine times’ over his involvement in a local theft ring in his hometown. He and his associates would steal high-end jewellery and gadgets off tourists.

When Dwayne Johnson was left broke and penniless

But despite his ‘criminal’ ways, Johnson wanted to get out of that life. He worked on his body and that helped him get a scholarship to the University of Miami to play football. From there, he was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. However, the success was short-lived. In his first season itself, Johnson was sacked from the team. In a Facebook post years ago, the actor revealed, “I was cut from the team, told I wasn’t good enough — and sent home with $7 (Rs 250 in those days) to my name.”

Dwayne Johnson’s rise to fame and superstardom

Professional wrestling came as a saviour for Johnson. In 1996, he signed with World Wrestling Federation (now Entertainment), the top wrestling promotion in the world. In 1997, he adopted his now-iconic persona of The Rock and soon became one of the company’s biggest names, winning several world championships till his first retirement in 2004. He began his film career in 2001 with a cameo in The Mummy Returns, followed by leading roles in The Scorpion King and Walking Tall. But it was after his appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise in 2011 that he tasted commercial success. Over the next few years, he gave hits like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, San Andreas, Baywatch, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as well as more appearances in the Fast franchise.

In 2019, Forbes named him as the highest-paid actor of all time after he earned $89.4 million in 2018 alone. He increased his earnings to $123 million in 2023, breaking his own record. As per Forbes, his films, wrestling appearances, and businesses have made him incredibly wealthy, to the tune of $800 million (Rs 6600 crore).

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