| Johnny Knoxville  AKA Philip John Clapp
Born: 11-Mar-1971
Birthplace: Knoxville, TN
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Daredevil Nationality: United States
Executive summary: MTV Jackass Knoxville wanted to be an actor, and won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, but he disliked the place and dropped out after just a few weeks. Instead he ended up happily married, and writing for Larry Flynt's skateboarding magazine, Big Brother. Working on an article about self-defense equipment, Knoxville decided to test out the equipment on himself. He shot himself with pepper spray, a taser, a stun gun, and a .38 -- and filmed it. When MTV saw the film, Jackass was born, consisting of an endless array of stupid pranks and dangerous stunts: foolish bicycle jumps, gross-out eating accomplishments, etc.
"It's fucking ridiculous, because we were just doing skateboard videos for ourselves and we never even thought to do it for television. People approached us, we tried it, and it kinda worked."
The stunts inevitably inspired copycats and drew the ire of concerned parents. In one segment, Knoxville intentionally set himself on fire and used his body as a barbecue. When a particularly stupid 13-year-old tried the same trick at home, it was less funny. (Or much funnier.)
Knoxville eventually quit Jackass, not over the lawsuits, he says, but because the show had gone "as far as we could on television, we couldn't really take it any higher." But the show gave Knoxville enough name recognition to land small movie roles, in films such as Men in Black II and Walking Tall. He also made a feature film, Jackass: The Movie, featuring stunts too boneheaded even for television.
He plays the self-described "Prince of Puke" in John Waters' A Dirty Shame.
Father: Phillip Clapp (tire dealer)
Mother: Lemoyne Clapp
Wife: Melanie Clapp (clothing designer, m. 1995, div. 2008)
Daughter: Madison (b. 1996)
High School: South Young High School, Knoxville, TN (1989)
University: American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Pasadena, CA (dropped out)
Big Brother Writer
Animal Bite multiple
Polygraphed Howard Stern Show
TELEVISION
Jackass
Viva La Bam
MTV
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Jackass: Number Two (22-Sep-2006) Himself
The Ringer (23-Dec-2005)
Daltry Calhoun (25-Sep-2005)
The Dukes of Hazzard (24-Jun-2005)
Lords of Dogtown (3-Jun-2005)
A Dirty Shame (12-Sep-2004)
Walking Tall (02-Apr-2004)
Grand Theft Parsons (06-Nov-2003)
Jackass: The Movie (21-Oct-2002) Himself
Men in Black II (26-Jun-2002)
Deuces Wild (3-May-2002)
Big Trouble (2-Apr-2002)
Don't Try This at Home: The Steve-O Video (2001) Himself
Life Without Dick (2001)
Coyote Ugly (31-Jul-2000)
Desert Blues (1995)
Official Website:
http://www.absolutjackass.net/
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