Dwayne Johnson - Early Life

Early Life

Dwayne Johnson was born to Ata Johnson (née Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson in Hayward, California. His maternal grandfather, "High Chief" Peter Maivia, was also a wrestler. His maternal grandmother, Lia Maivia, was one of wrestling's few female professional promoters, taking over Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling after her husband's death in 1982, until 1988. His father is of Black Nova Scotian origin, and his mother has Samoan heritage.

Johnson briefly lived in Auckland, New Zealand, with his mother's family. While there, his mother ensured he was exposed to one of the urban Polynesian cultural strongholds of the southern hemisphere. Johnson attended Richmond Road Primary School, before returning to the United States with his parents.

He spent 10th grade at President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As he entered 11th grade, his father's job required his relocation to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the state's Lehigh Valley region. He began playing football at Freedom High School in the East Penn Conference. He was also a member of the school's track and field and wrestling teams.

On April 17, 2009, changes to Canadian nationality law came into effect, making all people born in the first generation abroad after 1947 to Canadian-born parents automatically (and retroactively to date of birth) Canadian citizens. Johnson, through his father, thus became a Canadian.