How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson went from broke to filthy rich

He is the highest paid Hollywood actor of all time, but it hasn't always been that way for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Photo / Art Streiber, NBC

To say Dwayne Johnson has had a colourful life would be an understatement.

The 47-year-old Hollywood megastar, affectionately known as "The Rock", has been a college NFL player, a wrestler, studied criminology and psychology and now makes a sweet living in showbiz.

Sweet living is also an understatement.

Forbes just announced Johnson as the highest-paid actor of all time, the star raking in $89.4 million in the last year thanks to his movies Hobbs & Shaw, Jumanji: The Next Level and his hit shows Ballers and The Titan Games.

In 2018, Johnson brought in $124 million — the most Forbes had ever recorded a single Hollywood actor making in the history of its Celebrity 100 list.

His films have grossed more than $3.5 billion in North America and more than $10.1 billion worldwide, making Johnson one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time.

"I work extremely hard but never anticipated (in my wildest dreams) I'd become the highest-paid actor in Forbes' history," Johnson wrote on Instagram.

"I don't have a Harvard MBA, but my business philosophy and acumen has been sharpened over time and thru failure."

But it hasn't always been that way. In fact, Johnson's story is a classic tale of rags to riches.

Before he was 17, Johnson has previously admitted he was arrested "eight or nine times" over his involvement in a theft ring.

He had a rough upbringing in Hawaii, where he was evicted from his home at 14 and turned to a life of crime to make ends meet.

He became involved in a crime group that would target tourists and their belongings, revealing details of what he would steal in a 2014 interview with Muscle and Fitness.

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"High-end clothes and jewellery. In Waikiki there's a couple high-end blocks where there's your Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Armani, jewellery stores, plenty of jewellery stores," he said.

"There are a lot of tourists that come into Waikiki, and there's a lot of money. A lot of foreign money that comes in, and we were part of a theft ring that would target those groups.

"We would target the money, we would target the high-end clothes and we would target the jewellery — turn around and sell it, best we could.

"At 14, when I started training, is when I also started getting arrested for fighting, theft, all kinds of stupid sh*t that I shouldn't have been doing.

"But, I still found time to go to the Boys Club every afternoon to hit the speed bag, hit the heavy bag, hit the iron. I was building my body because, again, it's that eviction mentality. But, I would still f**k around, get in trouble and get arrested.

"I'll never forget my mom crying, and I'll never forget the thought I had, 'Well, the only thing I can do is just go build my body' because the men who were successful that I knew of, Stallone, Arnold, Bruce Willis … They were men of action.''

So act he did. An already fit Johnson accepted a full scholarship to the University of Miami to play football before moving to Canada to play for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a linebacker.

Unfortunately it wasn't a lucrative — or successful — venture.

His production company, Seven Bucks Production, doesn't bear that name by accident. That was how much money Johnson had when he lucked out on his first big dream of making the NFL.

In a series of Instagram posts last year, Johnson opened up about his dark past when he was cut from his Canadian club, which left him broke, miserable and depressed.

"Not an easy concept to process, but the idea that sometimes our biggest and most important dreams that DON'T COME TRUE are often times the BEST THING that never happened," he said in a video post on the set of shooting his film Jungle Cruise.

"Before I get called to set, I look up and see a CFL game on my TV. I do a double take and realise that's the same field I played on when I played in the CFL."

He then realised the man he was watching on TV was Wally Buono, who coached and mentored him but ultimately had to crush his dreams and cut him from the team.

"I appreciate that man so much, and I appreciate playing on that very field … I wanted to make it so badly, but guys sometimes in life something you want so badly, sometimes they're the best dreams that never happen, so for me playing in the NFL was the best thing that never happened."

Johnson said he was always the "hardest worker in the room" and did everything he could to make it in the CFL.

"Instead, I was cut from the team, told I wasn't good enough — and sent home with $7 bucks to my name," Johnson said in his post.

"After years of blood, sweat, guts and tears, my dream was over. Fell into depression, didn't know what to do or where to turn.

"Eventually, I picked myself back up again, said f**k this and refocused and committed myself to a different path."

After getting cut from the team, Johnson ended up moving back to his parents' house in Florida.

He turned to pursuing a career as a professional wrestler, revealing he got paid "40 bucks per match in flea markets" before his big break in wrestling.

After competing in several trial matches for the World Wrestling Federation (now known as the World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE), Johnson signed a contract with the organisation in 1996.

He went by his ring name "The Rock" and, in 1998, hit the brink of fame when he defeated high-profile wrestler Mankind to take out his first WWF championship. Their ongoing feud became a drawcard for viewers, upping The Rock's fanbase and fame.

After a few years in the game, and rising in the ranks to be one of the most popular wrestlers thanks to his charisma, glitz and flamboyance, as well as his catchphrase "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?", Johnson temporarily retired from the WWE in 2004 to pursue a full-time acting career. He had already appeared in several films including The Mummy Returns (2001) and The Scorpion King (2002).

And it seemed he had finally found his true calling.

Johnson's acting career didn't take long to balloon, with the star nabbing lead roles in big budget films Doom (2006), Gridiron Gang (2006) and The Game Plan (2007).

In 2011, he scored the role of Luke Hobbs for the first time in the Fast Five franchise, which would mark the beginning of Johnson's status as one of Hollywood's top action stars. He netted a solid $10 million for the original film.

Two years later, Johnson was named by Forbes as the top-grossing actor of 2013, with his films bringing in $1.3 billion worldwide that year.

In subsequent years he took centre stage in films like San Andreas, Hercules, Moana, Baywatch, Jumanji and, more recently, The Fast and the Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, where he had the star power to command salaries north of $20 million.

Now, Johnson is worth $280 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

One of his most-loved qualities among his army of fans is his relentless attitude despite his struggles with depression, difficult upbringing and several setbacks.

Johnson, who has three-year-old daughter Jasmine with his long-term partner Lauren Hashian, as well as an 18-year-old daughter Simone with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, regularly inspires his 153 million Instagram followers with his zest for life and uplifting messages.

His fans feel like his friend. He isn't driven by money or fame but his loyal supporters.

"My goal when I was wrestling in flea markets for $40bucks per match (well before the bright lights of the @wwe) is still the exact same goal I have today — ALWAYS put my AUDIENCE FIRST," he wrote on Instagram after Forbes named him the highest-paid actor ever.

"I have one boss — the world. Send you home happy, and I've done my job."

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