Happy birthday, Dwayne Johnson!

In honor of his 43rd birthday this week, here are 10 reasons we’re celebrating the life of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

10. Dwayne Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California, the son and grandson of professional wrestlers. Here he is as a baby, foreshadowing his football career:

 

And here he is 23 years later playing pro in Canada for the Calgary Stampeders:

 

9. Following that short time playing ball, Johnson joined the family business by becoming a wrestler for the WWE. He went by the stage name Rocky Maivia, a combination of his father and grandfather’s names, but later he famously cooked up the nickname The Rock.

 

8. In recent years, he has picked up a new nickname, “franchise Viagra,” because he joins already begun film series and gives them new “oomph.” He addressed the label in his most recent SNL hosting gig back in March, seen here: 

 

7. Johnson technically made his feature film debut in the 1999 documentary Beyond the Mat. Watch a scene of him brutally fighting Mankind:

 

6. We can thank the popularity of his first stint hosting Saturday Night Live in 2000 as a major reason why Johnson decided to pursue an acting career. Here’s one of his first SNL sketches, playing Superman/Clark Kent:

 

5. Here is Dwayne Johnson’s movie career in 5 great gifs:

 

 

4. He's also been known to contribute to his movie’s soundtracks. Watch the goofy music video for his cover of the country classic “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man” from Be Cool:

 

3. He also has a great sense of humor about his fashion sense in the 1990s. After an unflattering photo of Johnson popped up online, he went on to embrace it and encourage fans dressing up as his younger self for Halloween:

 

 

 

 

2. The next big step in Johnson’s movie career will be playing Black Adam in the DC Cinematic Universe. Check out some fan art imagining him in this supervillain role:

 

 

1. Johnson’s newest movie -- in theaters May 22 -- is the disaster epic San Andreas. Watch the new trailer below.