Tony Hawk

This article is about the skateboarder. For the video game series, see Tony Hawk's. For the British comedian, see Tony Hawks.

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 retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential skateboarders of all time.^[6]

Tony Hawk

Hawk in 2023
Personal information
Birth name	Anthony Frank Hawk
Nickname	"Birdman"[1]
Born	(1968-05-12) May 12, 1968 (age 57)[2] San Diego, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Skateboarder, entrepreneur
Years active	1981–present
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.92 m)
Weight	159 lb (72 kg)[citation needed]
Spouses	Cindy Dunbar ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1993)​ Erin Lee ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2004)​ Lhotse Merriam ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2011)​ Catherine Goodman ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	4, including Riley and Spencer
Website	tonyhawk.com
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Skateboarding
Events	Vert skateboarding Street skateboarding
Turned pro	1982
Retired	2003[3][4][5]
Medal record Summer X Games Representing  United States 1995 Newport Vert 1997 San Diego Vert 1997 San Diego Vert Doubles 1998 San Diego Vert Doubles 1999 San Francisco Vert Doubles 1999 San Francisco Vert Best Trick 2000 San Francisco Vert Doubles 2001 Philadelphia Vert Doubles 2002 Philadelphia Vert Doubles 2003 Los Angeles Vert Best Trick 1995 Newport Park 1996 Newport Vert 2001 Philadelphia Vert Best Trick 1998 San Diego Vert 1999 San Francisco Vert 2002 Philadelphia Vert Best Trick
Updated on April 23, 2013

Hawk has been involved in various philanthropic activities throughout his career. He founded 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)^[7][8] and Frank Hawk^[9] (1923–1995), and was raised in San Diego.^[10] He has two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve.^[11]

As a child, Hawk was described as "hyperactive".^[10] 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,^[12] so school advisers recommended placing him in advanced classes.^[13] 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.^[14] Hawk became a professional skateboarder at age 14.^[13] By age 16, he was sponsored by Powell Peralta, Tracker, Sundek, Vans, and SIO.^[15]

Hawk attended three high schools and graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 1986. He listed Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi as his influences at the time.^[16]

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, and by 12, he was already dominating amateur competitions across California.^[17]

Turning professional at just 14, Hawk quickly rose to the top; by 16, he was widely recognized as the best competitive skateboarder in the world. By the age of 25, he had entered 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.^[18]

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.^[19]

With the money he made from skateboarding, Hawk bought his first house during his senior year in high school.^[16]

Hawk skating in 1987 (Wassenaar, Netherlands)

On June 27, 1999, 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."^[20] He retired from professional competition that year,^[21] but Hawk continued to appear at the annual X Games until 2003, when he retired from performing. 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.^[22]

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.^[23] In 2009, Hawk was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony.^[24][25]

As of April 2020, Hawk is sponsored by Birdhouse, Vans,^[26] Independent, Bones, and Nixon.^[27][28][29] His current Pro model shoe is the Proto.^[30] Hawk was formerly sponsored by Theeve.^[31]

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.^[32][33]

Video game series

Main article: Tony Hawk's

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.^[34]

Hawk's role in the series was usurped by customizable player characters in later installments,^[35] 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.^[36] He later appears in Moscow to teach them the "360 Varial Heelflip Lien" move.^[37] 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,^[38] and in all gameplay modes except the story mode.^[39] 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 doing skate jam in 2012

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.^[40] 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!.^[41] 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.^[42] 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.^[43] 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.^[44]

In 2020, Hawk competed in season three of The Masked Singer as "Elephant". He was the first of Group B to be eliminated.^[45]

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".^[46] 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.^[47]

On March 27, 2024, Hawk made an appearance on AEW Dynamite in a pre-taped segment with Darby Allin.^[48]

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.^[49]

A series of amusement park rides known as Tony Hawk's Big Spin were built in three Six Flags parks in 2007 and 2008.^[50] 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.^[51] 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.^[52]

In February 2018, New York magazine reported that Hawk was working with Jeremy Burge to help design Emojipedia's skateboard emoji^[53] after the company's initial design was criticized by Hawk as "a skateboard you would buy at a department store in the '80s."^[54] The updated design was based on Hawk's own skateboard.^[55] Subsequent releases of the skateboard emoji from Apple and Samsung resemble Hawk's board (including 60mm wheels)^[56] despite no direct collaboration between Hawk and these companies.^[57]

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".^[58] In 2023, Hawk joined Goldfinger on stage and sang "Superman" during their performances at House of Blues^[59] and at the When We Were Young Festival.^[60] 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.^[61]

Contest victories

Hawk in 2015

No.	Year	Contest	Ref
1	1982	Del Mar Freestyle Contest – Pro Pool	[62]
2	1983	Del Mar Spring Nationals – Pool	[63]
3	1983	Summer World Series Finals, Del Mar – Pool	[64]
4	1984	Sundek Pro-Am Skateboard Challenge – Half-Pipe	[65]
5	1984	Booney Ramp Eagle Rock Contest – Pro	[66]
6	1984	NSA Finals – Pro Half-Pipe	[67]
7	1984	NSA Finals – Pro Pool	[67]
8	1985	NSA Spring Fling, Del Mar – Pro Pool	[68]
9	1985	NSA No. 3 Pro Contest – Pool	[69]
10	1985	NSA/Variflex Rage – Pro Combi-Pool	[70]
11	1985	Vision/Sims King of the Mountain Contest – Vert	[71]
12	1985	Skateboard Plus Pro-Am Contest – Pro Vert	[72]
13	1985	Shut Up And Skate Ramp Jam – Vert
14	1986	TransWorld Skateboard Championships – Pro Half-Pipe	[73]
15	1986	Southern Fried Shred Pro-Am – Pro	[74]
16	1986	Hot Tropics Pro Contest – Vert
17	1986	NSA Contest, Del Mar – Pool
18	1986	NSA Expo 86 (Vancouver) – Vert	[75]
19	1986	NSA Chicago Blowout Pro Contest – Vert
20	1986	NSA Bare Cover Pro Contest – Vert
21	1987	NSA Ramp N' Rage Down South Contest – Vert
22	1987	NSA Skatewave International Professional Championships – Vert
23	1987	NSA VP Fair Pro Championship Contest – Vert
24	1988	Airwalk Skate Fest Contest – Vert
25	1988	NSA Gotcha Grind Contest – Vert
26	1988	Capitol Burnout – Mini Ramp	[76]
27	1988	Torquay Ramp Riot II – Vert
28	1989	NSA Vertical Championships – Vert	[77]
29	1989	NSA Pro Finals – Street	[78]
30	1989	NSA Pro Finals – Vert	[78]
31	1989	Münster Monster Mastership [de] – Pro Half-Pipe	[79]
32	1990	Del Mar Fairgrounds – Vert
33	1990	Del Mar Fairgrounds – Street
34	1990	NSA Back to the City Contest – Street
35	1990	NSA Wheels for Wishes Contest – Vert
36	1991	NSA Pow Wow Street Style Contest – Street
37	1991	NSA Kona Spring Nationals – Vert
38	1991	NSA Capitol Burnout Contest – Vert	[80]
39	1991	Holy Masters Skate Contest – Vert
40	1991	NSA Pro Finals – Vert
41	1991	Münster Monster Mastership [de] – Pro Half-Pipe	[81]
42	1991	Münster Monster Mastership [de] – Street style	[81]
43	1992	NSA Kona Pro Contest – Mini Ramp
44	1992	NSA Spring Fling Contest – Street
45	1992	Mini and Vert Pro Contest – Vert
46	1992	Mini and Vert Pro Contest – Street
47	1992	Mini and Vert Pro Contest – Mini Ramp
48	1993	World Championship – Vert
49	1993	Münster Monster Mastership [de] – Pro Half-Pipe
50	1995	X Games – Vert
51	1995	Hard Rock Café & Vans World Championships – Vert
52	1996	Hard Rock Triple Crown of Skateboarding Contest – Vert
53	1997	Hard Rock Triple Crown of Skateboarding Contest – Vert
54	1997	X Games – Vert
55	1997	X Games – Vert Doubles
56	1997	Hard Rock Café & Vans World Championships – Vert Doubles
57	1998	Sean Miller Memorial SPOT Pro Contest – Vert
58	1998	X Games – Vert Doubles
59	1998	Woodward Skatecamp Contest – Vert	[82]
60	1998	Woodward Skatecamp Contest – Street	[82]
61	1998	Goodwill Games – Pro Street Doubles	[82]
62	1998	Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding Contest – Vert	[82]
63	1998	Hard Rock Café & Vans World Championships – Best Trick	[83]
64	1998	Münster Monster Mastership [de] – Pro Half-Pipe
65	1999	X Trials Pro Contest – Vert
66	1999	X Games – Vert Doubles
67	1999	X Games – Vert Best Trick
68	1999	Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding Finals – Vert
69	1999	MTV Sports and Music Festival – Best Trick	[84]
70	2000	X Games – Vert Doubles
71	2001	X Games – Vert Doubles
72	2002	X Games – Vert Doubles
73	2003	X Games – Vert Best Trick
All contest results are covered in Thrasher magazine and can be checked in its archives.[85]

Tricks invented

Trick[86]
720
900
360 flip mute to fakie
360 frontside rock ‘n’ roll
360 ollie to backside boardslide
360 varial disaster
360 varial McTwist
360 varial to tail
540 body varial
Airwalk
Airwalk to fakie
Alley-oop backside bluntslide
Backside heelflip body varial
Backside ollie one foot
Backside ollie to tail
Backside pop shove-it
Backside rewind grind
Backside varial
Bluntslide to fakie
Cab backside smith
Cab body varial
Cab lipslide
Cab revert
Cab shove-it
Cab to tail
Double kickflip varial indy
Eggplant to fakie
Fakie heelflip varial lien
Fakie to fakie 540
Fakie to fakie frontside rock ‘n’ roll
Fakie to fakie lien 540
Fakie to fakie stalefish 540
Fingerflip air to fakie
Fingerflip backside air
Frontside 270 to switch crook
Frontside bluntslide
Frontside body varial revert
Frontside cab
Frontside cab disaster
Frontside cab disaster revert
Frontside cab revert
Frontside cab tailgrab
Frontside G twist
Frontside G twist body varial
Frontside G twist madonna
Frontside G twist varial
Frontside hurricane
Frontside hurricane to fakie
Frontside kickflip body varial
Frontside L twist to tail
Frontside nosegrind
Frontside noseslide
G twist 360 varial
G twist heelflip body varial
G twist varial disaster revert
Gymnast plant
Half cab body varial lien
Half cab frontside blunt revert
Half cab to bluntslide
Half elguerial
Heelflip slob air
Heelflip varial lien
Heelflip varial lien revert
Indy 540
Invert to layback air
Kickflip McTwist
Lipslide revert
Madonna
Nollie heelflip indy
Ollie 540
Ollie to indy air
Rodeo flip
Sacktap
Saran wrap
Shove-it frontside nosegrind
Shove-it rock ‘n’ roll
Shove-it to backside smith
Slob G Twist one foot
Stalefish
Stalefish 540
Stalefish frontside 540
Switch 540
Switch backside ollie
Switch indie air
Switcheroo to fakie
Tailgrab one foot 540
Varial 540
Varial 720
Varial G twist

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^[87]

• 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 [de] Medalist
  • 5× Münster Monster Mastership [de] Gold Medal
    • 4× Pro Half-Pipe Gold Medal: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998
    • Street Style Gold Medal: 1991
  • 2× Münster Monster Mastership [de] 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^[88][89]
    • Runner-Up: 2002^[90]
  • Legend Award: 2008^[91]
• Alternative Athlete of the Year ESPY Award: 2000^[92]
• Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year Inaugural Nominee: 2000
• ESPN Action Sports Achievement Award: 2001^[93]
• 5× Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
• Young Hollywood Awards – Cultural Icon Award: 2002^[94]
• Make-A-Wish Foundation Favorite Male Athlete: 2002^[95]
• Laureus World Sports Academy Member & Ambassador: 2003^[96]
• 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^[97][98]
• X-Dance Athlete of the Year: 2008^[99]
• STOKED Awards – Achievement Award: 2008^[100]
• Kids for Peace – Peace Hero Award: 2009
• James Joyce Award: 2009^[101]
• United States Sports Academy – Distinguished Service Award: 2009^[102]
• RWJF Steve Patterson Award – The Tony Hawk Foundation: 2013^[103]
• WORLDZ Summit – Titan Award: 2016^[104][105]
• Clio Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement Award: 2019^[106]
• Vital Voices – Voices of Solidarity Award: 2023^[107]
• San Diego Sports Medicine Foundation – Taste at the Cove Fundraiser – Community Legend Honoree^[108]

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^[109]
  • 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^[110]
• Skateboarding Hall of Fame Class of 2009 – Inaugural Inductee^[111][112]
• California Hall of Fame Class of 2019^[113]
• Shacknews Hall of Fame Class of 2024 – Tony Hawk's Pro Skater^[114]
• Münster Monster Mastership [de] Hall of Fame^[115]

Image and legacy

Hawk speaking about the importance of skateboarding in people's lives at the California Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2019

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.^[116][117]

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."^[118]

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.^[119]

In 2012, Reynolds recruited Hawk's son Riley, who was 19 years old at the time, for Reynolds' skateboard deck company, Baker.^[119]

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:^[120]

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.^[121]

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.^[122] Riley is also a professional skateboarder.^[123] Hawk and Dunbar divorced in 1993.^[10] Riley is married to Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love.^[124] They have a son together.^[125]

Hawk was married to Erin Lee from 1996 to 2004.^[10] 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.^[126] Their wedding was held in Fiji and Rancid played for them as the wedding band.^[127][128] The couple's daughter Kadence was born in 2008.^[129]

Hawk married his fourth wife, Cathy Goodman, on June 27, 2015, in a ceremony in Limerick, Ireland.^[130]

Interests

Hawk purchased a camcorder in Japan and had a friend translate the controls for him, and an Amiga 2000 in the late 1980s.^[131] NewTek sent him a Video Toaster for his Amiga in exchange for appearing in a promotional video alongside Wil Wheaton and Penn Jillette,^[132] which he later used for editing a promotional video for the TurboDuo game Lords of Thunder in 1993.^[133][134]

Philanthropy

Hawk at the opening of the Needles Skate Park in Needles, California, in 2004. Hawk donated $10,000 to the building of the park and made an appearance at the grand opening.

Hawk created the Tony Hawk Foundation in 2002 in response to the lack of safe and legal skateparks in America.^[135] As of June 2018, his foundation has awarded US$5.8 million, aiding 596 skatepark projects.^[136] 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.^[137] 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,^[138] 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.^[139] In 2012, Hawk decided to invest money into digital currency, Bitcoin. His "fun project" became a big source of income and interest for him.^[140]

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.^[141]

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.^[142]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role/Notes	Ref.
2000	The Jersey	Himself (episode "The Girlfriend", along with Dave Mirra)
2000–2001	Jackass	Himself (3 episodes)
2001	Rocket Power	Himself (voice, episode "Enter the Hawk-Trix")
2001	Max Steel	Himself (voice, episode "Extreme")	[143]
2002	What I Like About You	Himself (Pilot episode	[144]
2003	The Simpsons	Himself (voice, episode "Barting Over")
2004	MXC	Geek Team Leader/Himself
2005	Cyberchase	Coop (voice, episode "Measure For Measure")
2005	CSI: Miami	Season 3 episode 18 (Skateboarder/game tester/game programmer/victim)
2007	Yo Gabba Gabba!	Himself (episode "Move")	[145]
2007	Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?	Himself – Contestant	[146]
2008	The Suite Life of Zack & Cody	Himself
2009	Sesame Street	Himself (episode #4191, "Abby Makes Seasons Change")	[147]
2011	Hall of Game Awards	Host
2011	Take Two with Phineas and Ferb	Himself (episode "Tony Hawk")
2011	So Random!	Himself
2011	Epic Meal Time	Himself (episode "Fast Food Pizza Cake")	[148]
2011	The Cleveland Show	Himself (voice, episode "Back to Cool")	[149]
2011	Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil	Hush (voice)	[150][151]
2010 and 2012	Zeke and Luther	Himself (two episodes)
2012	Last Man Standing	Himself (episode "Moon Over Kenya")	[152]
2012	Breaking In	Himself (episode "Heatherses")	[153]
2013	Epic Meal Time: Handle It	Himself (episode "Steak Bacon 'N Cheese Eggroll")	[154]
2013	The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange	Ripe Rind (voice, episode "Fast and Fruitious")	[155]
2013	The Aquabats! Super Show!	Journalist (episode "Return of the Aquabats!")	[156]
2013 and 2022	Hell's Kitchen	Himself
2014	Comedy Bang! Bang!
2014	Video Game High School
2015	Gaming Show (In My Parents' Garage)
2016	The Eric Andre Show
2017	Skylanders Academy	Flame
2017	Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park USA
2017	Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
2018	The Super Slow Show
2018	Ballers	Himself (episode "Forgiving is Living")	[157]
2019	The Burger Show
2020	The Masked Singer	Elephant	[45]
2020	Nickelodeon's Unfiltered	Himself
2020	Game Changer	Himself (episode "Tell Us About Yourself")
2020	Group Chat	Himself
2021	Celebrity Wheel of Fortune	Himself	[158]
2022	The Casagrandes	Himself
2022	Middlemost Post	Hawkman	[159]
2023	The Really Loud House	Himself
2023	Saturday Night Live	Himself
2023	Canada's Got Talent	Himself
2024	AEW Dynamite	Himself (March 27 episode)	[160]
2024	Loot	Himself (episode "Space for Everyone")	[161]
2025	The Tiny Chef Show	Guest star (episode "Spicy Cauliflower Bites")
2025	Big City Greens	Jagger/Allen (voice, episode "Locked In")
TBA	Skatebirds	Developer	[162]

Films

Year	Title	Role/Notes	Ref.
1986	Thrashin'	Skating competitor
1987	Police Academy 4	Skateboarder extra	[163]
1987	The Search for Animal Chin	Himself
1989	Gleaming the Cube	Member of Brian's skate crew
1989	Ban This	Himself
1996	Escape from L.A.	Surfing stunt double for Peter Fonda in the tsunami wave scene filmed on a Wave Loch sheet wave in Texas.	[164]
1997	Arnette: My Way	Himself	[165][166]
1998[a]	The End	Himself
2001	Max Keeble's Big Move	Himself
2002	The New Guy	Himself (cameo)
2002	Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator
2002	XXX	Cameo
2002	Jackass: The Movie	Himself
2003	Haggard: The Movie	Cop
2005	Lords of Dogtown	Astronaut (cameo)
2005	Tony Hawk's HuckJam Diaries	Himself	[167][168]
2005	Deck Dogz	Himself
2005	Black Label: Who Cares? The Duane Peters Story		[169]
2005	The Reality of Bob Burnquist	Himself	[170]
2006	Drake & Josh Go Hollywood	Himself
2006	Jackass Number Two	Himself
2006	Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage	Himself (voice)
2006	3000 Miles	Himself	[171]
2010	Jackass 3D	Himself
2011	The Other F Word
2012	Waiting for Lightning		[172]
2012	Bones Brigade: An Autobiography		[173][174][175]
2012	Parental Guidance
2013	Bonus Brigade		[176]
2014	Unity	Narrator (documentary)
2015	Daddy's Home	Skateboarding stunt double	[177]
2017	Sharknado 5: Global Swarming	The Hawk
2021	Humanity Stoked	Himself (documentary)	[178]
2022	Jackass Forever	Himself
2022	Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off	Himself	[179]
2022	Jackass 4.5	Himself
2023	Glory of the Seat: the Chair Olympics Story	Himself	[180]
2024	The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie	Hawk Sanders

Videos

Hawk in 2015

Year	Title	Ref.
1982	Powell Peralta: Skateboarding in the 80s	[181]
1984	Powell Peralta: The Bones Brigade Video Show
1985	Sure-Grip: Summer Sessions	[182]
1985	Powell Peralta: Future Primitive	[183]
1986	NSA 86' Vol. 1: Southwest Regional Championships	[184]
1987	NSI: On the Prowl	[185]
1988	Vision: Psycho Skate	[186]
1988	NSI: Ohio Skateout	[187]
1988	Vision: The Vision Pro Skate Escape	[188]
1988	Thrasher: Savannah Slamma	[189]
1988	Powell Peralta: Public Domain	[190]
1988	Powell Peralta: Axe Rated	[191]
1989	NSI: Savannah Slamma III	[192]
1990	Powell Peralta: Propaganda
1990	All Pro Mini Ramp Jam Hawaiian Style	[193]
1991	Powell Peralta: Celebraty Tropical Fish
1991	Tracker: The Brotherhood	[194]
1991	Tracker: Stacked	[195]
1991	Powell Peralta: Eight
1992	Birdhouse Projects: Feasters	[196]
1992	Birdhouse Projects: Ravers	[197]
1993	Birdhouse Projects: Untitled	[198]
1993	411VM: Issue 1	[199]
1994	Hook-Ups: Asian Goddess	[200]
1995	Tracker: Hi-8	[201]
1996	TransWorld: Uno	[202]
1996	Las Vegas Pro Vert '96	[203]
1996	Airwalk Skateboarding Video 96	[204]
1996	Midnight Oil Music Video: "Surf's Up Tonight"[b]	[164]
1998	Baker Bootleg	[205]
1999	Big Brother: Boob	[206]
1999	411VM: Issue 36	[207]
2000	Tony Hawk's Trick Tips Vol. 1	[208]
2000	Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour	[209][210]
2000	ON Video: Fall 2000	[211]
2000	411VM: Issue 38	[212]
2001	Collage	[213][214]
2001	CKY 3
2001	Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour	[215]
2001	Hook-Ups: Destroying America	[216]
2001	Adio: One Step Beyond	[217]
2002	OP King of Skate	[218]
2002	Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour	[219]
2002	The Making of Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam	[220]
2002	411VM: Issue 50	[221]
2002	CKY4: The Latest & Greatest
2003	Thrasher: S.O.T.Y. Video	[222]
2004	411VM: Issue 66	[223]
2004	Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour	[224]
2005	Adio: Rock Adio	[225]
2005	Red Dragon: Skateboard Party	[226]
2006	Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour 2	[227]
2007	Birdhouse: The Beginning	[228]
2007	Tony Hawk's Secret Skatepark Tour 3	[229]
2009	Birdhouse: It's Always Sunnies in Australia	[230]
2010	Birdhouse: East Coast Tour	[231]
2011	Birdhouse: Tour Du Monde	[175]
2017	Birdhouse: "Saturdays"	[232]
2021	Nasty Neckface's Wicked Workshop	[233]

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1992	Smells Like Nirvana	Featured as an extra (audience member)	Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic	[234]
2002	I'm Just a Kid	Cameo appearance	Single by Simple Plan	[235]
2022	Wild in the Streets	Appearance	As part of the 40th Anniversary reissue	[236]

Video games

Year	Title
1999	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
2000	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
2001	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
2001	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x
2002	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
2003	Tony Hawk's Underground
2004	Tony Hawk's Underground 2
2005	Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
2006	Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
2006	Tony Hawk's Project 8
2007	Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
2008	Tony Hawk's Motion
2009	Tony Hawk: Vert
2009	Tony Hawk: Ride
2010	Tony Hawk: Shred
2012	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD
2014	Tony Hawk's Shred Session
2015	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
2018	Tony Hawk's Skate Jam
2020	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
2025	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

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

1. re-released in 2001.
2. Hawk was featured as a surf stuntman in the music video filmed on the Wave Loch sheet wave in Texas.