Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - The People's Champion

Although Dwayne Johnson is not a superhero out of a comic book, he does have an alter ego.

By day he is a somewhat mild-mannered husband and father. But at night when he steps into the ring, he becomes the chair-flinging, wisecracking wrestler known as The Rock.

In the late 1990s the charismatic Johnson

with his exotic good looks and signature eyebrow arch, helped make World Wrestling Smackdowns a part of must-see TV.

By the mid-2000s, he had such a following that he was dividing his time between the mat and the big screen

Some observers felt that Hollywood had found its next big-budget action idol, and many predicted that Johnson would have no problem filling the shoes of America's favorite muscleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was born into a professional wrestling family in 1972.

An injury ended his college football career, so he entered the ring with the Word Wrestling Federation. As "The Rock," he famously feuded with wrestler Steve Austin and won the WWF Heavyweight title six times.

Johnson then parlayed his wrestling fame into a film career

appearing in projects like 2001's The Mummy Returns and 2010's Tooth Fairy. His recent projects include Furious Seven (2015) and San Andreas (2015)

Johnson is a third-generation wrestler.

His mother's father, Peter "High Chief" Maivia, was a professional wrestler of Samoan descent whose heritage served as the basis for his ring persona. Samoa is an island nation located in the South Pacific, and Maivia played the part of an island native, wearing his hair long, wrestling barefoot, and sporting traditional tattoos over most of his body. While on the wrestling circuit he became acquainted with an up-and-coming African American wrestler named Rocky Johnson. During a visit with Maiva's family, Johnson met High Chief's daughter, Ata. The two eventually married, and on May 2, 1972, the couple had a son, whom they named Dwayne Douglas Johnson.

When The Rock was unveiled on August 11, 1997

the crowd went wild, and over the next several years fans stood in line to catch the next installment in his wrestling storyline. Producers pitted him against various characters in mock grudge matches, and The Rock won, then lost, then regained his federation championship several times.

Along the way, Johnson became perhaps the most popular wrestler in the history of the sport.

He was known as The People's Champion, and his signature eyebrow move even took on a nameThe People's Eyebrow. In addition, The Rock became a merchandising gold mine. His image appeared on T-shirts, posters, and Halloween masks; and there were Rock action figures and video games. By the 2000s, according to Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly, the WWF was bringing in $120 million in merchandise sales per year, thanks solely to Johnson.

Johnson's appeal was not limited to wrestling fans

although he is credited with almost doubling the WWF's female fan base, thanks in large part to his movie-star good looks. He was so popular that in 2000, when he published his autobiography, The Rock Says, the book stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for an astonishing twenty weeks.

Johnson drew record crowds at book signings

and began popping up on television, both to promote his book and to take on small acting roles. He made several appearances on the late-night comedy program Saturday Night Live, and was featured on such TV shows as DAG, Star Trek: Voyager, and That '70's Show. The next logical step was the big screen.

Outside the ring, The Rock has launched a successful acting career, dropping the stage name and simply going by Dwayne Johnson.

He first made a big splash as the Scorpion King, a supernatural bad guy, in 2001's The Mummy Returns. Johnson returned to this role the following year for The Scorpion King. Trying his hand at comedy, he appeared in 2005's Be Cool with John Travolta and Uma Thurman and 2007's The Game Plan.

Johnson's acting career to continued to thrive through his appearances in such films as Driver (2010) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013).

In 2014, he starred as the most famous strong men of all time in Hercules. Johnson also returns to wrestling from time to time, including a 2014 appearance with Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 30.

In 2015, Johnson dominated the big screen with two big action films.

He appeared in Furious Seven and starred in San Andreas. Johnson also debuted his first dramatic comedy series that same year. He plays Spencer Strasmore, a retired pro footballer turned financial planner, on Ballers.

Finally, here’s Mr. Johnson’s famous catch phrase: