Anthony Frank Hawk, better known as “Tony Hawk”, is one of the greatest skaters in the history of the sport.
He’s also the most famous, with his many epic achievements, video games, and entrepreneurial efforts turning him into a household name.
But there are a lot of things that you might not know about the one they call “Birdman”,
The Basics About Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk was born Mar 12, 1968, making him 53 as of June 2021. He was born in San Diego, California, to Nancy Hawk and Frank Peter Rupert Hawk, and he was the youngest of four children (Pat, Lenore, and Steve).
- Full Name = Anthony Frank Hawk
- Height = 6ft 3in (1.91 m)
- Weight = 171lb (78kg)
- School = Torrey Pines High School
Hawk was gifted as a child, registering an IQ score of 144. After a few troubled years in which he struggled to find his way, he was eventually placed in advanced classes and found some solace in skateboarding.
Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding Career
As a young skater, Tony Hawk’s influences included Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi.
He turned pro in 1982 and quickly established himself as one of the sport’s most promising young skaters.
Although he was just 14 when he turned pro, Hawk already had the skills to win and claimed his first major title just a year later at the Spring Nationals Contest.
The Summer World Series followed, and he went on to claim dozens of major titles throughout his career.
Tony Hawk is considered to be the pioneer of vertical skateboard and one of his most notable achievements came in 1999, when he successfully landed a “900” at the X-Games.
He succeeded after 10 failed attempts, completing one of the toughest tricks in the sport and adding to his legendary status.
Film, TV, and Video Game Appearances
Tony Hawk appeared as a double for Josh Brolin in the 1986 skater flick Thrashin’.
He was also a featured skateboarder in the film, marking his first major appearance on the silver screen.
He had a bit-part in Police Academy 4 a year later and then appeared in Gleaming the Cube, another classic skateboarding film from the 1980s.
Other noteworthy appearances include The Simpsons, Lords of Dogtown, Sharknado 5, and an episode of Trailer Park Boys.
However, all these appearances came after the biggest one of all: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, a video game series available on Amazon.
Pro Skater was a revolutionary skateboarding video game that first released in 1999 and introduced millions of kids and teenagers to skateboarding and Tony Hawk.
The sequel was released in 2000, followed by a third game in 2001.
He starred in many more video games thereafter and also appeared as a side character in several others, including Pro Surfer and Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX.
Tony Hawk Answers Questions About, Well, Tony Hawk
FAQs About Tony Hawk
Still got a few questions about Hawk and his illustrious career?
Let’s look at some of the most commonly asked questions about Tony Hawk.
How Much is Tony Hawk Worth?
It is said that Hawk has a total net worth of between $130 and $180 million.
It’s hard to pinpoint it exactly, but he has earned a lot of money from sponsorships, endorsements, film/TV appearances, and skateboarding.
He also has his own businesses.
Did Tony Hawk Die?
The internet has killed every major celebrity over the last couple of decades.
In some cases, it seems to kill them every few months.
But he’s not dead.
He is alive and well, and that post you saw on social media was either a lie, joke, or (probably) a naive friend sharing everything they see without reading into it.
Does Tony Hawk Still Skate?
Tony Hawk retired from professional skateboarding way back in 2003.
However, it is said that’s he still skates every day and clearly still has a passion for the sport.
There are some videos out there of an older, post-career Hawk performing tricks and enjoying himself at the skatepark.
His days of 900s might be behind him, though.
How Many Bones has Tony Hawk Broken?
Hawk has suffered numerous injuries, concussions, and breaks over his long and illustrious career.
He has lost teeth, been knocked out several times, and has broken fingers, cracked ribs, sprained ankles, and received numerous gashes.
You don’t make it as the world’s most decorated skateboarder without a few hospital visits and extensive medical bills!
How Many Tony Hawk Games are There?
The first Tony Hawk Pro Skater was released back in 1999 by Neversoft.
It was followed by a second, third, and fourth Pro Skater, after which there were two underground games, as well as American Wasteland, Downhill Jam, Project 8, and Proving Ground.
Robomodo took over in 2008, and that’s when we saw the release of games like Motion, Vert, Ride, Shred, Pro Skater HD, Shred Session (which was pulled after a soft launch on mobile), and eventually, Pro Skater 5.
Pro Skater 5 pretty much killed the series and the developer’s reputation.
In 2015, the Tony Hawk licensing deal was coming to an end and the game was unfinished, so the creators quickly released it and then created a “day one patch” that contained the actual game.
It meant that you could only play the game if you downloaded the patch and wouldn’t receive it if you couldn’t connect to the internet.
The game itself was also very poor and was trashed by critics and fans alike.
Robomodo went out of business shortly afterward and Pro Skater 5 seemed like the final nail in the coffin for the classic skate game.
In 2018, Skate Jam was released by Maple Media for iOS and Android, and we were then treated to the remastered Pro Skater 1 + 2 in 2020.
In total, there have been 21 games in the Tony Hawk skateboarding series, but if you ask the average casual fan, someone who grew up playing those early titles, they’ll probably estimate at 4 or 5.
The successive games were just too disappointing to remember for the majority of fans.
Can Tony Hawk Surf?
Here is a video of Tony Hawk surfing at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch.
That One Time Tony Hawk Took His Skateboard On A Plane
Tony Hawk tweeted this exchange with a fellow passenger about his experience traveling with a skateboard on the plane.
Woman on plane retrieving her luggage in the overhead:
— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) April 16, 2018
“Who’s skateboard is this? It’s blocking my bag”
me: that’s mine, you can pass it here
her: “It’s yours? You ride it?
me: yes
her: “Are you any good at it?”
me: sometimes
her: cackles maniacally, exits plane
Tony Hawk Can Break Down Every Trick In The Skating Book
Tony is just fun to watch skate and break down skate tricks. Here is almost 25 minutes of Tony Hawk greatness.
