Johnny Knoxville is a funny man.
He does wild stunts on TV. He also acts in movies. He likes to make people laugh. It is his big job.
Do you like funny shows?
Johnny Knoxville is an actor and stuntman.
He made a famous show called Jackass. He does many wild stunts for it. He also makes movies with his friends.
He was a star in many films. He even used his voice for a turtle. He was Leonardo in a movie.
He grew up in Tennessee. He played on a baseball team there. He moved to California to act.
He likes to make people laugh. He makes many new movies.
Johnny Knoxville is an American actor and stuntman.
He is very famous for a show called Jackass. He helped create the show. He also stars in it. The show features wild stunts. He does these stunts with his friends.
Knoxville has made many Jackass movies. One movie is called Bad Grandpa. In that film, he plays a character named Irving Zisman. He also voiced Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. He has been in many other films too. These include Men in Black II and The Dukes of Hazzard.
He was born in Tennessee. As a boy, he played baseball. He was a good pitcher. He moved to California to act. He once worked as a stand-in for Keanu Reeves. He wanted to find big roles. He started writing his own ideas for magazines. This helped him find his way to Jackass. He even tried professional wrestling in the WWE. He won a big match at WrestleMania 38. He also has a new podcast. It is called Pretty Sure I Can Fly.
Johnny Knoxville is a famous American actor and stuntman.
He is best known for creating and starring in the show Jackass. This show features wild stunts performed by a group of friends. Knoxville often acts as the leader of this crew. He also makes many movies with the same team. One special film is called Bad Grandpa, released in 2013. In that movie, he plays a character named Irving Zisman.
He also voiced the character Leonardo in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
Knoxville's career began with a lot of hard work. He moved to California after graduating high school in 1989. At first, he worked as an extra in movies. He even served as a stand-in for Keanu Reeves. This happened during the filming of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992. When he could not find big roles, he got creative. He started writing ideas for magazines to find work. He eventually filmed stunts for a magazine called Big Brother. These videos helped lead to the start of Jackass.
His journey started in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was born there on March 11, 1971. His father was a car and tire salesman. His mother was a Sunday school teacher. Growing up, Knoxville watched his father play pranks on workers. This might have helped his interest in funny stunts. When he was fourteen, his cousin gave him a book. The book was called On the Road by Jack Kerouac. This book helped spark his interest in acting.
Knoxville has worked on many different types of projects. He helped start a company called Dickhouse Productions. He runs this company with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze. They made a documentary called The Birth of Big Air in 2010. He also appeared in the movie Men in Black II in 2002. In 2005, he was in The Dukes of Hazzard and The Ringer. He even tried professional wrestling in the WWE. In 2022, he won a big match at WrestleMania 38. He also started a podcast in April 2024.
Many people know Knoxville for his brave and silly stunts. He even turned down a chance to be on Saturday Night Live. He wanted to keep his own style of comedy. He has shown that you can make your own luck. By filming his own ideas, he changed television. His work shows how much fun can come from being bold. He continues to make movies for fans around the world. A new Jackass movie is planned for June 26, 2026.
Philip John Clapp is an American actor and stuntman known professionally as Johnny Knoxville. He is most famous for co-creating and starring in the MTV reality stunt show Jackass. This series launched in 2000 and focused on extreme, often painful, physical stunts. Knoxville is often considered the de facto leader of the Jackass crew.
He has helped lead the franchise through many films and television projects. His work combines physical comedy with high-risk stunts to entertain audiences.
Knoxville's path to fame involved a specific process of creating his own opportunities. After moving to California in 1989, he worked as an extra and a stand-in. He served as a stand-in for Keanu Reeves during the 1992 filming of Bram Stoker's Dracula. When traditional acting roles were hard to find, he began pitching article ideas to magazines. He eventually filmed stunts to test self-defense equipment for Big Brother magazine. These filmed stunts were included in the Big Brother "Number Two" video. This footage later helped Jeff Tremaine develop the pilot for Jackass.
The Jackass franchise includes several distinct types of media. There are many reality television episodes and several feature-length films. The film series includes Jackass: The Movie (2002), Jackass Number Two (2006), and Jackass 3D (2010). There are also "point-five" installments like Jackass 2.5 and Jackass 4.5. A different style of project is Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013). This was the first film in the series to use a scripted storyline. In this film, Knoxville plays a character named Irving Zisman.
Knoxville's career is rooted in his upbringing in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was born on March 11, 1971, to Lemoyne and Philip Clapp. As a child, he watched his father play pranks on employees at his tire store. At age fourteen, a book titled On the Road by Jack Kerouac sparked his interest in acting. He was also an athlete, playing baseball for South-Young High School. He was named to the All-Knoxville Interscholastic League Honorable Mention. He even played as a pitcher in the Knoxville Area All Star game.
The scale of Knoxville's work is visible in his massive filmography. He has appeared in many major films, including Men in Black II (2002) and The Dukes of Hazzard (2005). He also provided the voice for Leonardo in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. Beyond acting, he co-founded the production company Dickhouse Productions. He runs this company with Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze. They have produced projects like the documentary The Birth of Big Air (2010). He also formed a new company called Hello Junior in 2014.
Knoxville has also ventured into the world of professional wrestling. He made his WWE television debut on October 13, 2008, against The Great Khali. In 2022, he participated in the Royal Rumble match, entering at number 9. He later entered a feud with wrestler Sami Zayn. This culminated in an "Anything Goes" match at WrestleMania 38. Knoxville won that match with help from several Jackass members. This shows how his stunt background connects to professional sports entertainment.
His career has also touched various other media platforms. He has participated in the Gumball 3000 rally with his co-stars. In April 2024, he started a podcast titled "Pretty Sure I Can Fly with Johnny Knoxville & Elna Baker." He has also worked on television shows like King of the Hill and SpongeBob SquarePants. The Jackass film series is nearing its end. A fifth movie is scheduled for theatrical release on June 26, 2026. This will be the final Jackass movie produced.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (2)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.