Born:
March 11, 1971
in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Best Known For:
Fronting offbeat comedy stunt show Jackass.
Early-life:
Born Philip John Clapp on March 11, 1971, in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of a used-car salesman. He was a sickly child and almost died while suffering simultaneous bouts of flu, pneumonia and bronchitis. He is also asthmatic. He decided to become an actor after reading Jack Kerouac's On The Road, and after high school, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, but dropped out after three weeks. Rather than going straight into acting, he took a job on skateboarding magazine Big Brother.
Career:
Made his movie debut in 1995's Desert Blues, but it was an article about self-defence equipment, which he tested on himself, which brought him to the attention of MTV. As a result, he, magazine editor Jeff Tremaine and director Spike Jonze created Jackass, in which various people do bizarre and often dangerous stunts. The show became a massive success at home and abroad, prompting big screen spin-offs. He's since attempted to establish himself as a film actor, and has appeared in Coyote Ugly, Men in Black II, Grand Theft Parsons, Walking Tall, The Dukes of Hazzard, Killshot, and Bad Grandpa.
Quote:
"People think by challenging me they're going to show they're tough. But I'm not tough. Decent drinker. Not such a bad kisser. But not a great fighter."
Trivia:
He is a big fan of Johnny Cash.