Although Johnny Knoxville initially set out to be an actor, it would be his daredevil antics on the Jackass television series that would bring him to worldwide fame. Set in motion by an early video of Knoxville testing self-defense tools on himself, Jackass became a hit show on MTV showcasing Knoxville and the rest of the cast, including Steve-O and Bam Margera, subjecting themselves to various painful situations. Originally, the offer was for the stunts to be a bit segment on Saturday Night Live.
Jackass spawned two films, but Knoxville also used his newfound fame to kick start his acting career, appearing in movies such as The Dukes of Hazzard, Walking Tall, Men In Black II and Lords of Dogtown.
Airport Grenade Incident
Knoxville was detained at LAX on January 15, 2009, after a fake grenade was found in his carry-on bag. The actor was cited and released. Replicas of weapons are not permitted in an airport.TMZ: Knoxville Pinned in Airport Grenade Incident (January 15, 2009)
Knoxville explains the fake grenade mix-up on January 16 stating, '"A few days ago, I was filming some commercials for this show we are doing for MTV called Nitro Circus, so I took a bunch of silly props in my carry-on bag to the shoot. When the shoot was over, the wardrobe girl packed my luggage so I could go home and, unbeknownst to me, she packed a FAKE hand grenade (a prop grenade that I'd taken to the shoot) in the front zipper of my luggage. Needless to say, when I was packing to go out of town this morning with my girlfriend and daughter, I didn't see the FAKE grenade in my luggage. The cops did their job and verified that it wasn't real. Also, they were cool as they could be to me, considering the situation, and it is no one's fault but my own."People: Johnny Knoxville Explains Fake Grenade Mix-Up (January 16, 2009)
Johnny Knoxville Timeline
Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
March 11, 1971: Born
2000-2002: Jackass
2002: Jackass: The Movie
2002: Men in Black II
2004: Walking Tall
2004: A Dirty Shame
2005: Lords of Dogtown
2005: The Dukes of Hazzard
2005: The Ringer
2006: Jackass Number Two