Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "900" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by Activision that same year. Hawk, who retired from competing professionally in 2003, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential skateboarders of all time. Among Hawk's philanthropic activities is the Skatepark Project, which helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas around the world. == Early life == Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California, to Nancy (1924–2019) and Frank Hawk (1923–1995), and was raised in San Diego. He has two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve. As a child, Hawk was described as "hyperactive". One time, Hawk struck out in baseball and was so distraught that he hid in a ravine and had to be coaxed out by his father. His parents had him psychologically evaluated at school. The results were that Tony was "gifted", as he was tested with an IQ of 144, so school advisers recommended placing him in advanced classes. Hawk attended Jean Farb Middle School from 1980 to 1981. His parents supported his skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excess energy. Hawk's skills developed, and he made his television debut on Captain Kangaroo as "Skateboard Johnny" in 1981. Hawk became a professional skateboarder at age 14. By age 16, he was sponsored by Powell Peralta, Tracker, Sundek, Vans, and SIO. Hawk attended three high schools and graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1986. He later said Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi were his influences at the time. == Career == === Skateboarding === Tony Hawk is a trailblazer in vertical, or "vert", skateboarding, and remains one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. He got his first skateboard at age nine, a gift from his older brother. Hawk would then begin to practice at the now-defunct Oasis Skatepark, where he began to attract attention by performing advanced maneuvers for his age. Then by the age of 12, he was already dominating amateur competitions across California. Turning professional at just 14, Hawk quickly rose to the top; and signed with Powell Peralta professional team where he gained fame for his performances in the popular Bones Brigade videos. Hawks first ever professional victory came at the Del Mar Freestyle Contest – Pro Pool in 1982. By 16, Hawk had won 7 competitions and was widely recognized as the best competitive skateboarder in the world. With the money he made from skateboarding, Hawk bought his first house during his senior year in high school. Throughout the late 1980s, Hawk traveled the world, skating demos and contests. By the end of the decade Hawk had 31 victories including the TransWorld Skateboard Championships – Pro Half-Pipe (1986) and the Münster Monster Mastership Pro Half-Pipe (1989). However by the start of the early 1990s skateboarding had began to develop a bad reputation which led to Hawk falling on hard times. Despite this Hawk was still destined to continue his career even refinancing his first house and launched his own skateboard company, Birdhouse Projects. In the beginning Birdhouse wasn’t making much money, however as skateboarding surged back into popularity the company became one of the most successful skateboarding brands, making $25 million annually within five years. As for Hawk’s skateboarding career itself by the time he reached 25 in 1993, he had won 49 contests. 1995 seen the first annual X Games, where Hawk competed in two of the events winning a gold medal in the skateboard vert with a record score of 97.50 for a "perfect run". Additionally he won a silver medal in the park competition. Hawk returned for the second annual X Games the following year winning a silver in vert. However the 1997 X Games went a lot better for Hawk as he would double gold in both the vert and double vert events. With the success at that years nationally televised X Games Hawk's skateboarding brand continued to skyrocket in popularity. Additionally Hawk has credited those medals wins with "bringing the needed exposure to the sport of skateboarding." The following year in 1998 Hawk started his own skateboarding clothing line, and at that years X Games Hawk once again captured gold in the vert doubles and bronze in the vert. Tony pioneered late-grab airs – which a few early grabbing pros called cheating at the time – and invented over 100 tricks, including the backside Ollie to tail, varial, frontside hurricane, rodeo flip, stalefish, and Ollie 540. On June 27, 1999, at that years X Games Hawk became the first skateboarder to land a "900", a trick involving the completion of two-and-a-half mid-air revolutions on a skateboard, in which he was successful on his twelfth attempt. After completing the trick, Hawk said, "This is the best day of my life." Hawk captured double gold at that years events in the vertical doubles and verts best trick. He retired from professional competition that year, but Hawk continued to appear at the annual X Games winning his 7th gold medal at the event during the vert doubles in 2000. Hawk repeat as the vert doubles winner in 2001 and take home silver in the vert best trick. The following X games Hawk won bronze in the vert best trick and gold in the vert doubles. Hawks 10th and final gold medal came at the 2003 X Games where he won the vert best trick, this would be his final X Games appearance for nearly 20 years as he retired from performing following the event. By the end of his career Hawk had participated in 103 professional contests winning 73 and finishing second in 19—a staggering record that may never be matched. He also held the title of National Skateboard Association vert skating world champion for an unprecedented 12 consecutive years from 1984-1996. On June 27, 2016, at age 48, Hawk performed what he claimed would be his final 900. In a video posted on the YouTube RIDE Channel, Hawk said, "Spencer was there on my first one, and now he was there on my last", after successfully landing a 900. Hawk was invited to US president Barack Obama's June 2009 Father's Day celebration and skated in the hallways of the nearby Old Executive Office Building on the White House grounds. This was the first time anyone had skateboarded on the White House grounds with permission from officials. In 2009, Hawk was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony. As of April 2020, Hawk is sponsored by Birdhouse, Vans, Independent, Bones, and Nixon. His current Pro model shoe is the Proto. Hawk was formerly sponsored by Theeve. In July 2021, Hawk briefly ended his competitive retirement to participate in the Vert Best Trick event at that year's X Games, finishing in fourth place out of nine competitors. Hawks most recent competition appearances came at the 2023 X Games in California, where he finished 9th in the vert best trick and a 7th place finish in the same event at X Games Japan. === Video game series === A video game series based on Hawk's skateboarding, titled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, debuted in 1999. Since then, the series has spawned 18 titles so far, including ten main-series titles, four spin-offs, and four repackages. According to former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Hawk was offered $300,000 for the use of his name and likeness for the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game, and that Hawk was living in his car due to financial issues. Hawk's role in the series was usurped by customizable player characters in later installments, but he has remained a prominent character. In the fifth game in the series, Underground, Hawk is a minor non-player character whom the player meets in Tampa, Florida, and skates against. Impressed with the player's skills, Hawk grants them entry into a skate competition. He later appears in Moscow to teach them the "360 Varial Heelflip Lien" move. Hawk and other skaters are briefly playable near the end of the game when they skate in a promotional video for the player's skate team, and in all gameplay modes except the story mode. He appeared as a kid in the Backyard Sports game, Backyard Skateboarding. === Film and television === In 1986, Hawk was a featured skateboarder and skater-double for Josh Brolin in the movie Thrashin'. In 1987, Hawk made a brief appearance in the movie Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol with David Spade. In 1989, Hawk appeared as a skateboarder in Gleaming the Cube. In 2002, he appeared in Neal H. Moritz's and Christopher Gilcrest's film xXx playing the role of one of Xander Cage's stuntman friends. In 2004, Hawk played himself in the Australian skateboarding movie Deck Dogz. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance in the film Drake & Josh Go Hollywood as himself. Hawk also had a cameo in the movie The New Guy, and appeared in Jackass: The Movie, skateboarding in a fat suit with Mat Hoffman and Bam Margera, as well as in Jackass Number Two skateboarding through an obstacle course. Hawk also appeared in the opening title sequences in Jackass 3D and Jackass Forever. He appeared in the film following the 2006 Gumball Rally, 3000 Miles, again with Bam Margera. Hawk also played the police officer who arrests Ryan Dunn in the movie Haggard: The Movie. Hawk made a brief cameo appearance in Lords of Dogtown as an astronaut, where he is shown comically falling off the skateboard as he is a "rookie". Hawk voiced himself in the 2006 animated movie Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage, where he is kidnapped by circus freaks. Hawk was featured as an extra in the "Weird Al" Yankovic music video "Smells Like Nirvana". He can be seen sitting in the bleachers during the crowd sweep near Dick Van Patten. Hawk also made a cameo appearance in the Simple Plan music video for "I'm Just a Kid", he can be seen, in a crowd, at a high school, watching kids skating. On television, Hawk was a guest on the Nickelodeon kid's show Yo Gabba Gabba!. In 2001, he played himself in Max Steel. Hawk also guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "Barting Over", where he played himself, along with fellow San Diegans Blink-182. In the episode, Hawk lends Homer a new board from his brand where complete rookies are able to perform at the top levels. Hawk ends up having a comical play off with him after Homer begins to show him up. Tony Hawk appeared as himself in MXC in a special "MXC Almost Live" episode in 2004. On the PBS Kids show Cyberchase, Hawk guest-starred as Slider's long-lost father Coop. In the CSI: Miami episode "Game Over" he played a game programmer who was murdered. Hawk also played on Fox's Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. Hawk hosted Cartoon Network's "Hall of Game" sports award show on February 25, 2011. Hawk was on Take Two With Phineas and Ferb. Hawk appeared on the internet cooking show Epic Meal Time on October 18, 2011, to celebrate the show's one-year anniversary, where he can be seen in the final scene eating a deep-fried pizza cake. Hawk reappeared on another Epic Meal Time video on July 20, 2013, as a guest on the educational cooking show Handle It. Hawk assisted Harley Morenstein (Sauce Boss) in cooking egg rolls. The video features promotion for Hawk's own YouTube channel, RIDE Channel. He also guest-starred on the ABC comedy Last Man Standing. He played himself in an episode of Rocket Power. Hawk appeared in the TV series Breaking In, The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange, The Cleveland Show, Sesame Street, and So Random!. Hawk appeared in the movie Parental Guidance as himself. In 2013, he and Eric Koston appeared as reporters in an episode of The Aquabats! Super Show!, another series by Yo Gabba Gabba! creator and longtime friend of Hawk's, Christian Jacobs. He also appeared in Disney's Zeke and Luther as himself. In 2015, Hawk acted as a stunt double for Will Ferrell during a skateboarding scene in the film Daddy's Home. Hawk sustained an injury that required 10 stitches in his leg while filming the scene. In 2020, Hawk competed in season three of The Masked Singer as "Elephant". He was the first of Group B to be eliminated. In 2022, Hawk did a guest voice role in The Casagrandes episode "Skaters Gonna Hate" where it was revealed that he had a history with Carlos Casagrande back when he operated as "Carlos X". That same year, HBO released a documentary on him titled Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off. Hawk worked with Laughing Dragon Studios to develop the animated series Skatebirds. Hawk also served as a presenter at the 94th annual academy awards in March of 2022. On March 27, 2024, Hawk made an appearance on AEW Dynamite in a pre-taped segment with Darby Allin. In 2025 Hawk appeared as a special guest in an episode of The Tiny Chef Show, along with doing a guest appearance in the Big City Greens episode "Locked in/City Wayne" voicing the character Jagger. === Other ventures === Hawk hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius XM from 2004 to 2019 called "Tony Hawk's Demolition Radio". In 2021, Hawk partnered with fellow skateboarder and former SiriusXM host Jason Ellis for the weekly podcast "Hawk vs. Wolf". In 2002, Hawk started a show tour featuring freestyle motocross, skateboarding, and BMX. It started in Las Vegas and went on to 31 cities around the U.S. and eventually to Six Flags amusement parks. A series of amusement park rides known as Tony Hawk's Big Spin were built in three Six Flags parks in 2007 and 2008. The ride was originally billed as the "Tony Hawk experience" and was designed to have the look and feel of a giant red-and-black skatepark. It offered a full "extreme sports" experience, with monitors in the queue lines displaying highlights of the history of action sports and a large spinning Tony Hawk figure crowning the ride. In 2010, Six Flags cancelled its license and the rides were renamed to Pandemonium. The ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom was moved to Six Flags Mexico in 2012. Additionally, a water park ride called Tony Hawk's Half pipe (renamed The Half pipe in 2011) was opened at Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland. In February 2018, New York magazine reported that Hawk was working with Jeremy Burge to help design Emojipedia's skateboard emoji after the company's initial design was criticized by Hawk as "a skateboard you would buy at a department store in the '80s." The updated design was based on Hawk's own skateboard. Subsequent releases of the skateboard emoji from Apple and Samsung resemble Hawk's board (including 60mm wheels) despite no direct collaboration between Hawk and these companies. In 2021 Hawk founded the Vert Alert, a dedicated vertical skateboarding competition in Salt Lake City, partnering with the Utah Sports Commission and Vans for a free two-day event including pro contests, amateur qualifiers, and a legends demo with skateboarders such as Steve Caballero and Andy Macdonald. In 2022, Hawk signed a contract with Cleopatra Records, and released his first single, a cover of The Jam's "In the City", featuring punk rock supergroup Punk Rock Karaoke. The single was released on July 22, 2022, with its B-side, a cover of The Damned's "Neat Neat Neat". In 2023, Hawk joined Goldfinger on stage and sang "Superman" during their performances at House of Blues and at the When We Were Young Festival. He also performed "Superman" and a cover of Agent Orange's "Bloodstains" with Australian band Birdman, during his tour An Evening with Tony Hawk across Australia in January 2024. In 2025, Hawk opened Chick & Hawk in Encinitas, CA. Chick & Hawk is a chicken sandwich restaurant that pays homage to skate culture. == Contest victories == == Tricks invented == == Awards and honors == All contest victories and X Games medals can be found above. === Notable skateboarding achievements === 12× Consecutive National Skateboarding Association Vert Champion: 1983–1995 16× X Games Medalist 10× X Games Gold Medalist 2× Vert Gold Medal: 1995, 1997 6× Vert Doubles Gold Medal: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 2× Vert Best Trick Gold Medal: 1999, 2003 3× X Games Silver Medalist Park Silver Medal: 1995 Vert Silver Medal: 1996 Vert Best Trick Silver Medal: 2001 3× X Games Bronze Medalist 2× Vert Bronze Medal: 1998, 1999 Vert Best Trick Bronze Medal: 2002 7× Münster Monster Mastership Medalist 5× Münster Monster Mastership Gold Medal 4× Pro Half-Pipe Gold Medal: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998 Street Style Gold Medal: 1991 2× Münster Monster Mastership Streetstyle Pro Silver Medal: 1989, 1993 5× Hard Rock Cafe and Vans World Champion 3× Vert: 1995, 1996, 1997 Vert Doubles: 1997 Best Trick: 1998 World Championships at Antwerp, Belgium – Vert World Champion: 1993 2× Hard Rock Triple Crown of Skateboarding – Vert Champion: 1996, 1997 2× Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding Vert Champion: 1998, 1999 TransWorld Skateboard Championships – Pro Half-Pipe Champion: 1986 Del Mar Spring Nationals – Pool Champion: 1983 Summer World Series Finals at Del Mar – Pool Champion: 1983 24× National Skateboarding Association Contest Champion: 1983–1992 === Media awards === Inaugural Thrasher Skater of the Year: 1990 TransWorld Skateboarding Awards 4× Best Vert Skater: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Runner-Up: 2002 Legend Award: 2008 Alternative Athlete of the Year ESPY Award: 2000 Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year Inaugural Nominee: 2000 ESPN Action Sports Achievement Award: 2001 5× Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 Young Hollywood Awards – Cultural Icon Award: 2002 Make-A-Wish Foundation Favorite Male Athlete: 2002 Laureus World Sports Academy Member & Ambassador: 2003 Teen Choice Awards Male Athlete of the Year: 2004 2× Nominee: 2002, 2003 Extreme Athlete of the Year: 2001 Extreme Male Athlete of the Year: 2000 Nominee: 1999 Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night XII – Entrepreneur of the Year Award: 2006 X-Dance Athlete of the Year: 2008 STOKED Awards – Achievement Award: 2008 Kids for Peace – Peace Hero Award: 2009 James Joyce Award: 2009 United States Sports Academy – Distinguished Service Award: 2009 RWJF Steve Patterson Award – The Tony Hawk Foundation: 2013 WORLDZ Summit – Titan Award: 2016 Clio Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award: 2019 Vital Voices – Voices of Solidarity Award: 2023 San Diego Sports Medicine Foundation – Taste at the Cove Fundraiser – Community Legend Honoree === Video game awards === 2× Game Informer Game of the Year: 1999, 2000 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences D.I.C.E. Awards – Tony Hawk's Video Games 2× Console Game of the Year Nominee: 1999, 2000 Console Sports Game of the Year: 2001 3× Nominee: 1999, 2000, 2002 Game of the Year Nominee: 2000 Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering Nominee: 2000 2× Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Nominee: 2000, 2003 Hand-Held Mobile Game of the Year Nominee: 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering Nominee: 2001 Outstanding Achievement in Animation Nominee: 2001 2× Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack Nominee: 2003, 2004 Console Action Sports Game of the Year: 2004 Nominee: 2003 2× Sports Game of the Year: 2006, 2020 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 2× Favorite PlayStation Game: 2000, 2001 Favorite Dreamcast Game: 2001 Favorite Game Boy Game: 2001 Electronic Gaming Monthly Game of the Year: 2000 BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards Hand-Held Game of the Year: 2001 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Video Game of the Year: 2001 VSDA/EMA Awards Video Game of the Year: 2001 GameCube Video Game of the Year: 2002 2× Xbox Video Game of the Year: 2002, 2004 Teen Choice Awards Video Game of the Year Nominee: 2003 Spike Video Game Awards Best Sports Game: 2003 Nominee: 2004 Best Music Nominee: 2003 Game of the Year Nominee: 2003 Best Song in a Video Game Nominee: 2004 2× Best Individual Sports Game: 2005, 2006 Nominee: 2007 2× Best Soundtrack Nominee: 2005, 2007 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack: 2004 Nominee: 2005 === Halls of fame === Breitbard Hall of Fame Class of 2002 Skateboarding Hall of Fame Class of 2009 – Inaugural Inductee California Hall of Fame Class of 2019 Shacknews Hall of Fame Class of 2024 – Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Münster Monster Mastership Hall of Fame == Image and legacy == In December 2011, Hawk was listed by Transworld Skateboarding magazine as the second-most-influential skateboarder of all time, particularly for the invention of the backside ollie to tail. In January 2013, professional skateboarder John Cardiel, ranked by Transworld Skateboarding as the eleventh most influential skateboarder of all time, listed Hawk as one of his most important influences, as well as Mark Gonzales and Christian Hosoi. Cardiel explained, "... the insane 540s with no hands, and, just like, all his tricks; he had the ramps, all his ramps, all the ramps he had—I thought that was insane. Tony Hawk's the best." The California Museum’s official biography on Hawk reads "Tony Hawk is a pioneer of vertical, or vert, skateboarding and one of the most famous skateboarders in the sport’s history." In an interview for the online series Free Lunch, produced by Hawk's RIDE Channel, professional skateboarder Andrew Reynolds said: Tony Hawk—he's like, basically, to me it says, "You can be a skater and take over everything and be, you know ... and use skateboarding to be a businessman, a role model to young people," um, he's just the best. And, he called my house when I was fifteen, and was, like, "Do you wanna do something with us?" not knowing anything about me. In 2012, Reynolds recruited Hawk's son Riley, who was 19 years old at the time, for Reynolds' skateboard deck company, Baker. Hawk often posts on Twitter about encounters he has with people who do not recognize him or wonder if he is truly Tony Hawk. Various publications have speculated about Hawk's motivation: The cynical among us might argue that as he slides inexorably out of cultural relevancy, Tony Hawk desperately needs to remind us that he's still here, still famous. Others might say he's trying to communicate that he's fed up with it all, his stream of tweets a not-so-subtle hint... But no. Tony Hawk... thinks it is the funniest thing in the world, and he will keep thinking it is the funniest thing in the world, and keep tweeting about it, for the rest of his life. == Personal life == === Relationships === In April 1990, Hawk married Cindy Dunbar, whom he began dating in high school. Their son, Riley Hawk, was born on December 6, 1992, and was named after one of Hawk's ancestors. Riley is also a professional skateboarder. Hawk and Dunbar divorced in 1993. Riley is married to Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. They have a son together. Hawk was married to Erin Lee from 1996 to 2004. They have two children, Spencer (born in 1999) and Keegan (born in 2001). Spencer is an electronic music producer who releases music as Gupi. Hawk was married to Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011. Their wedding was held in Fiji and Rancid played for them as the wedding band. The couple's daughter Kadence was born in 2008. Hawk married his fourth wife, Cathy Goodman, on June 27, 2015, in a ceremony in Limerick, Ireland. === Interests === Hawk purchased a camcorder in Japan and had a friend translate the controls for him, and an Amiga 2000 in the late 1980s. NewTek sent him a Video Toaster for his Amiga in exchange for appearing in a promotional video alongside Wil Wheaton and Penn Jillette, which he later used for editing a promotional video for the TurboDuo game Lords of Thunder in 1993. Hawk is a supporter of the San Diego Padres baseball team, and on October 2, 2024 he threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to one of their games. Additionally Hawk enjoys punk and ska music with some of his favorite bands including DEVO, Frank Black, The Clash, Nine Inch Nails and Dead Kennedys. === Philanthropy === Hawk created the Tony Hawk Foundation in 2002 in response to the lack of safe and legal skateparks in America. As of June 2018, his foundation has awarded US$5.8 million, aiding 596 skatepark projects. In 2015, the foundation received the Robert Wood Johnson Sports award, which honors recipients for their innovative and influential approaches to using sports to build a culture of health in their communities. In 2007, Hawk, Andre Agassi, Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Mia Hamm, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning, and Cal Ripken Jr. founded the charity Athletes for Hope, an organization that aims to inspire all people to volunteer and support their communities through the actions of professional athletes. In 2020, the Tony Hawk Foundation changed its name to The Skatepark Project to better describe the organization's mission. In 2012, Hawk decided to invest money into digital currency, Bitcoin. His "fun project" became a big source of income and interest for him. Since its inception The Skatepark Project, has funded over 660 public skatepark constructions across all 50 U.S. states with more than $13 million in grants. In March 2022, an HBO documentary about Hawk raised money for humanitarian relief in Ukraine by raffling off access to an advance screening and afterparty. Half of the proceeds were donated to Direct Relief. In 2023, Hawk auctioned a signed photograph of himself and Rick Thorne, with 50% of the proceeds to be donated to the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund. The fund was created following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of law enforcement officers. One of the fund's plans involve building a skate park in Nichols' honor. == Filmography == === Films === === Television === === Videos === === Music videos === === Video games === == Bibliography == Hawk, Tony (2000). Hawk – Occupation: Skateboarder. New York, New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 0-06-019860-5. == See also == Tony Hawk's The Skatepark Project Birdhouse Skateboards == Notes == == References == == External links == Official website Tony Hawk at IMDb Tony Hawk at the X Games (archive)