Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk, born May 12th 1968, is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 in 1999, as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision. He is widely considered one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vertical skateboarding. In 2002, he created the Boom Boom HuckJam, an extreme sports exhibition and tour which launched in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, Hawk has made numerous appearances in films and other media, as well as his own series of video games. He has also been involved in various philanthropic activities including his own Tony Hawk Foundation which helps build skateparks in underprivileged areas, and also including collaborations with other athletes in the charity Athletes for Hope.

In 1989,  Hawk appeared as a skateboarder in the film, 'Gleaming the Cube' and later, in 2002, he appeared in the film 'xXx' . In 2004 he played himself in the Australian skateboarding movie 'Deck Dogz' and also in the film 'Drake & Josh Go Hollywood' in 2006. Hawk has had a cameo in the film 'The New Guy' and has appeared in 'Jackass: The Movie', skateboarding in a fat suit and 'Jackass 2', while skateboarding through an obstacle course. A video game series based on Hawk's skateboarding debuted in 1999. Since then, the series has spawned 16 titles, including main series titles, spin-offs, and repackages. The latest game of the series is the 'Tony Hawk: Ride', which involves riding on a skateboard-shaped controller.