Who is Dwayne Johnson’s father? Actor admits late dad’s ‘capacity to love’ was limited

American actor and professional wrestler Dwayne Johnson spoke about his family dynamics at a recent press conference for his forthcoming film, The Smashing Machine, scheduled for release on October 3.

Speaking about the inspiration for his role as famous MMA fighter Mark Kerr, The Rock shared he didn’t take any from his father, the late Canadian wrestler Rocky Johnson, who went by the nickname ‘Soulman,’ according to LadBible reports.

Dwayne stated that in the movie, he tried to show the “kind, gentle, tender, and empathetic” side of Kerr. However, his father lacked that sort of “tenderness.”

“It wasn't really my dad. He was homeless by the time he was 13, so his capacity for love was very limited, and that's the man that raised me,” Johnson Junior explained.

Elsewhere, Dwayne Johnson spoke about losing 60lbs for his role, sporting a wig and prosthetics, and undergoing a massive physical transformation, looking much leaner than usual. Notably, the majority of fans have lauded his new look, while a few have suggested he should consider changing his nickname to ‘The Pebble.’

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All you need to know about Dwayne Johnson’s father

Rocky Johnson, whose real name was Wayde Douglas Bowles, was a pro wrestler who was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, in August 1944. He began his career in 1964 and took his ring name as a tribute to the boxers Rocky Marciano and Jack Johnson. He was also a boxer.

Johnson Senior was part of the American regional wrestling circuit and became the first Black champion in the history of WWE, along with Tony Atlas. He also won other wrestling titles, including several National Wrestling Alliance tournaments and the WWF Tag Team Championship.

Rocky Johnson was married twice, first to Una Sparks (from 1966 to 1978) and later to Ata Maivia (from 1978 to 2003). He had eight children, including Dwayne Johnson (born in 1972). Rocky retired in 2004.

The Rock was trained in wrestling by his father, and his early ring name, ‘Rocky Mavia’, was a tribute to Johnson Senior and his maternal grandfather, Peter ‘High Chief’ Maivia.

On January 15, 2020, Rocky Johnson, who was a WWE Hall of Famer, died from a pulmonary embolism in Lutz, Florida, aged 75.

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Here's what The Rock has said about his father over the years

During a 2016 interview with GQ, Dwayne Johnson was asked with whom he identified more, Rocky Johnson or Peter Maivia. He responded by saying:

“The easy answer would be for me to say, ‘Oh, both!’ But that wouldn’t be the truth. The most truthful answer is that, for a long time, I identified with my grandfather more. He was a very proud man... loved, respected, considered one of the toughest men ever in pro wrestling.”

The Rock continued, “But as I got older and I got into the wrestling business, then got out of the wrestling business and had children, and then I really started identifying with my dad. This is so good – this is like having a therapy session!”

When asked what helped him understand his father, Dwayne Johnson shared a story of Christmas from when Rocky was 13. The Rock explained that it was the time when his paternal grandfather died and Rocky became the “man of the house.”

According to his anecdote, Rocky Johnson dared his mother’s new boyfriend not to cross a line he drew with his shovel. However, when he disregarded it, Rocky knocked him unconscious. Later, when the cops came and asked Rocky’s mother to decide who would stay, his son or his boyfriend, she seemingly chose the latter.

“My grandmother told my dad, at 13, you have to go. That’s how he grew up. Everything stopped for him at 13. So, those feelings of being abandoned and being alone drove him to build himself up, to make it as a pro wrestler, so these are things I understand...” Dwayne Johnson noted.

He concluded, “And I understand them more now that I am older. When I was young, my dad was tough... It was tough love, and I can appreciate that... now. For the longest time, though, I didn't.”

In the aftermath of his father’s demise, Dwayne Johnson shared how he didn’t have the opportunity to reconcile with his father, as he died soon after they fought. He spoke of this again last year in a social media tribute to mark Black History Month.

The Rock shared a clip of his dad winning a wrestling belt and wrote it was the “regret” of his life that he “never had a chance to say goodbye.”

“I regret not reconciling our complicated father/son s**t before I lost him. Raised me with tough fatherly love and an even tougher hand. The more I live life, the more grateful I am for it. See you down the road, Soulman,” he added.

The Fast & Furious star also mentioned being raised with a “tough and complex love,” but stressed that love was there all along. Dwayne Johnson shared that despite challenges and struggles, his dad was a “life adapter” and taught him to be the same: “Work hard and adapt.”