According to celebritynetworth.com, the pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk net worth is $140 million.
Nicknamed “Birdman,” Tony Hawk has many other accolades to his name including his own skateboard company and a video games series bearing his name. He is also a pioneer of vertical skateboarding.
Though he has now retired from professional skateboarding, he is still regarded among the best and most influential all-time skateboarders.
Hawk's Early Life
Tony Hawk was born Antony Frank Hawk in San Diego, California. His parents were Nancy and Frank Hawk. Tony was the youngest sibling; he has an older brother, Steve, and two older sisters, Lenore and Pat.
Childhood and Education
Hawk’s mother described him as “challenging” as he was hyperactive and highly strung as a child. She once described him as being “so hard on himself and expected himself to do so many things.”
Once, after being struck out during a baseball match, Tony Hawk was so upset that he went and hid in a ravine and his father had to coax him out. These frustrations with himself led his parents to seek psychological evaluation.
They learnt that Tony was very intelligent with an IQ of 144. Between 1980 and 1981, Hawk attended Jean Farb Middle school and was put in advanced classes.
In total, Hawk went to three high schools because his parents moved so three times. In 1986, he graduated from Torrey Pines High School, in the North County Coastal area of San Diego.
When Tony Hawk talks about his schooling, he remembers himself as a bit of an outsider.
Speaking of his time there Hawk's recalled, "My careers teacher scolded me for finishing workbook assignments that he hadn't given yet. He told me I wouldn't make it in the workplace if I didn't follow instructions. He was absolutely correct, and I am thank for his guidance".
Once he had become a professional skateboarder, he travelled a great deal. This meant he was a lot more cultured compared to other kids and had a more worldly view.
At school, Tony Hawk excelled at mathematics and physics. He described himself as “nerdy” and really into computers. However, he has also mentioned that he wasn’t such a good student in his senior year due to how much travelling he was doing.
Tony Hawk's Net Worth Explained – How He Started Skateboarding
Tony Hawk received his first skateboard at the age of nine; it was a gift from his brother. It gave him an outlet for his extra energy and went on to change his life.
His brother, Steve, was 13-years-older than Tony but played a huge role and influence on his early life.
From his "witty-but-inappropriate humor, an appreciation for good writing, and a love for skateboarding", Tony would owe a great deal to his older siblings influence.
Hawk’s parents fully supported his skateboarding hobby and as his skills developed, they soon realised he had a real talent. By the age of 14 years old, Tony Hawk was a professional skateboarder.
Becoming a World Champion and Household Name
As successful as he was, Tony Hawk had made enough money to be able to buy his first house during his senior year of high school. This is when Hawk realised this was the career for him.
Hawk was the world champion for the National Skateboard Association for 12 years running, an impressive feat to achieve once let alone twelve times!
As well as being reigning champion, Hawk was also the first-ever skateboarder to land a “900” in June 1999. This trick is a 900-degree or two-and-a-half revolution aerial spin on the longitudinal axis.
This is considered to be among the most technically demanding skateboarding tricks.
Hawk’s successful 900 was at the X Games V after ten failed attempts. Despite being after regulation time, an announcer allowed him to have another try despite protests from other contestants.
Twice, Hawk managed to land on his board but unfortunately, it flew from under him.
However, in the end, he managed the first-ever successful 900.
Hawk has gone on to repeat the trick many times over the years.
On 27th June 2016, exactly 17 years from his first 900, Hawk completed what he declared to be his last, at the grand age of 48.
Game-Changer: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
In 1999, the same year that Tony Hawk became the first-ever skateboarder to complete a 900, a video game series entitled Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater debuted.
The game was well received by skateboarding fans and even gamers who had no previous interest in the sport.
The slick, smooth and addictive gameplay together with the now iconic soundtracks, would keep gamers entertained for hours and would ensure that the franchise would go down in history as one of the best ever.
After this first successful title, the video game series has gone to have a further 17 editions (ten main-series titles, four repackages, and four spin-offs) and has sold millions of copies worldwide.
Film and Television Work
Tony Hawk has a number of television and film appearances to his name. In 1986, he appeared in Thrashin’ as Josh Brolin’s skateboard and skater-double.
One year later, he briefly appeared in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol with David Spade.
In 1989, Hawk appeared in a neo-noir film called Gleaming the Cube as a skateboarder.
It was in 2004 when Tony Hawk first played himself in a movie. This appearance was in the Australian skater film Deck Dogz, which was written and directed by Steve Pasvolsky.
Hawk has since gone on to have many cameos, including in The New Guy, Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two – where he skateboarded in a fat suit – Jackass 3D.
In 2006, he voiced himself in an animated movie entitled Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage in which he is kidnapped by circus freaks. He has also appeared in The Masked Singer.
In terms of TV appearances, Tony Hawk has appeared in All That, The Naked Brothers Band, Zeke and Luther, Viva La Bam, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and The Tom Green Show among others.
Other Ventures
Tony Hawk began a show tour called Boom Boom HuckJam in 2002.
This show featured BMX and freestyle motocross as well as skateboarding. There were 31 cities in the tour after starting in Las Vegas.
Hawk also has his name put to a series of rides at amusement parks including Tony Hawk’s Big Spin and has even launched his own YouTube channel called “RIDE Channel”.
In response to a fundamental lack of legal and safe skateparks in the U.S., in 2002, Hawk created the Tony Hawk Foundation.
This changed its name to The Skatepark Project in 2020 in a bid to describe its mission more clearly.
Family and Personal Life
While in high school, Tony Hawk began dating Cindy Dunbar who he went on to marry in April 1990. Their son Riley was born two and a half years later and is now also a professional skateboarder.
Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last, and the pair were divorced in 1993.
Tony Hawk remarried in 1996 to Erin Lee. Together they had two sons, Spencer, who was born in 1999 and Keegan in 2001. Spencer produces electronic music under the name of Gupi.
Although this marriage lasted longer than his first, the couple divorced after 8 years in 2004.
In 2006, Hawk married Lhotse Merriam in Fiji and they welcomed a daughter Kadence in 2008. Once again, this marriage was short-lived, lasting just five years.
In 2015, Hawk married for the fourth time. He married Cathy Goodman in Limerick in Ireland.
The couple remain together to this day.
Tony Hawk Quotes
“Do what you love. Follow your passion. In the end, you are going to be happy. It doesn’t matter if you are a huge financial success. I went through tough times. But all along, I got to do what I loved.”
“Don’t be afraid of girls. That is my big regret. Knowing what I know about girls, I should have just gone for it. Guys are such wimps.”
“Being different is awesome! All of those who are different are more interesting than those who are clamouring for acceptance because they follow the path.”
“The biggest lesson I learned from my dad is to support children even if they’re doing something that is unorthodox.”
“When your daughter asks you to be a fairy for her 5th birthday party… you better be a damned fairy.”
“I’m proud that I was able to use my recognition to, maybe, raise the awareness of skateboarding and help grow it, and to help fund public skateparks. That’s the legacy, just trying to grow the entire sport.”
"The irony about selling out is that they only call you a sell-out when you stuff finally sells - I've had products bearing my name since I was 14, but nobody was buying them then".
Summary Tony Hawk Net Worth 2021
- Tony Hawk Net Worth is $140 million.
- Being an intelligent child and somewhat of an outsider, Hawk struggled with disappointment when he didn’t meet his own high standards.
- Hawk got his first skateboard as a young child and took to it straight away.
- By the age of 14, Tony Hawk was already a professional skateboarder and he even managed to earn enough money to buy a house before he graduated from high school.
- He travelled a lot due to his work as a skateboarder and missed a lot of his senior year at high school.
- Tony Hawk was the first-ever skateboarder to complete a 900 trick. The last time he completed this was when he was 48 and he said it would likely be his last.
- As well as skateboarding, Tony Hawk has appeared in many movies and TV shows. While often playing the role of a skateboarder, he has also cameoed as himself.
- Tony Hawk also has a successful video game series made about him and he began his own foundation to support the construction of new and legal skateparks in the United States.
- In his personal life, Tony Hawk has been married four times and has three sons and one daughter.
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