Breaking Bones for a Living: The Johnny Knoxville Story
Johnny Knoxville, born Philip John Clapp on March 11, 1971, first came into the public consciousness at the start of the millennium as ringleader of the ‘Jackass’ television programme. After graduating from high-school in his native Knoxville, Tennessee, Clapp decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, changing his name to Johnny Knoxville in tribute to his roots.
Finding it hard to get a big break in the City of Angels, Knoxville supported himself and his family by working in commercials as an extra and eventually started writing for skateboarding magazine ‘Big Brother’, performing stunts that would include testing self-defense equipment on himself, which would go on to become a staple of the magazine.
After meeting skateboard crew CKY and director Spike Jonze the concept of ‘Jackass’ was born. The show ran for 3 seasons and featured Knoxville and his cohorts Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn and Steve-O amongst others, performing daring stunts, often incorporating humour to provide the viewer with can’t-watch-can’t-look-away footage, ranging from the simple – letting a succession of people kick Knoxville in the groin while wearing a protective cup; to the more elaborate – riding a miniature rocket.
The show instantly became a hit on MTV, turning the ‘Jackass’ cast into celebrities overnight and helping Knoxville land parts in Hollywood films such as ‘Men in Black II’, ‘The Ringer’ and most notably, the big-screen adaptation of ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’. The show was not without critics however, as some claimed the show was a new intellectual low in entertainment; despite the disclaimers and warnings aired at the start of episodes, the show and MTV’s parent company Viacom still received lawsuits following copycats attempting to perform the onscreen stunts themselves, often with less-than-successful results.
After the show ended two Jackass films were made featuring footage even more extreme than what was allowed on TV. Both opened at No. 1 at the US Box office, and helped to successfully launch ‘Jackass’ spin-offs ‘Viva La Bam’, ‘Wildboyz’ and ‘Dr. Steve-O’.
More recently, Johnny Knoxville made headlines due to a particularly nasty motorbike accident. As part of a tribute to trailblazing daredevil Robert “Evel” Knievel, Johnny attempted to do a back flip on a motorcycle going up a small dirt hill. Unfortunately he lost control of the bike, sending it skywards for a few seconds before plummeting onto Knoxville’s body. The accident left Johnny with a torn urethra, but thanks to proper safety precautions, motorbike insurance and the best health care, Knoxville was able to make a full recovery within months.
As for the future, there are rumours of a third ‘Jackass’ film being in production, but regardless whether it happens or not fans can expect to continue to see Johnny Knoxville taking risks on the big screen so they don’t have to.
Daniel Collins writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.
