Ata Johnson is the mother of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a former WWE wrestler and one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors. In addition, Ata was married to wrestler Rockey Johnson.
Dwayne’s mother and Dwayne himself have come a long way to get to where they are now, from poverty to traveling to every state and facing life-threatening situations. She frequently makes headlines for how she receives love from her famous son.
See how the highest-grossing actor always attributes his extraordinary success to Ata. In between, learn about her origins, previous marital life, and current situation.
Ata Johnson is a wrestler’s daughter.
Ata Johnson was born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia on October 25, 1948, in Hawaii, the daughter of Peter Maivia and Lia Maivia.
Ata, who is now 73 years old, is also related to a legendary clan of Samoan wrestlers. Her father, Peter Maivia, was also a “blood brother” of the Anoa’i family, having been born in Samoa in the 1930s. He was a professional wrestler who began his career in New Zealand under the tutelage of South Pacific legend Steve Rickard.
He later joined the WWE (then the WWF) in the 1970s and became famous under the ring name The High Chief. Before coming to the United States in 1970, Ata’s father won numerous championships in the South Pacific and Hawaii. In the 1970s, he dominated the west coast, winning multiple championships in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Johnson’s father also assisted in the training of many future Superstars, including Graham, Wild Samoan Afa, and Rocky Johnson, Ata’s future husband, and the Rock’s father.
Peter was diagnosed with cancer in 1981 and died in June 1982, at the age of 45.
Lia Maivia, Maivia’s mother, was a wrestler and one of the first female wrestling promoters. Her two brothers, Pater Maivia Jr., and Toa Maivia, were also in the same line of work.
Relationship Between Ata Johnson and Her Late Ex-Husband, Rocky Johnson
On December 22, 1978, Ata married Rock’s father, Canadian professional wrestler Wayde Douglas Bowles, better known as Rocky Johnson.
Ata Johnson welcomed Dwayne Johnson with her late ex-husband.
Rocky also wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance, and later, the WWE, beginning in the 1960s. Maivia’s father, Peter, initially opposed her marriage to Rocky due to his knowledge of the disadvantages of marrying a wrestler.
On May 2, 1972, she gave birth to their one and only child, Dwayne, with Rocky. The ex-couple met on the independent wrestling scene. Rocky had a daughter with his then-wife Una when he began an affair with Ata.
Ata and her ex-husband were impoverished.
Johnson and Rocky’s life began to unravel within a decade of their marriage.
First, Rocky was arrested in 1987 for a series of sensitive issues that ended his wrestling career. The fighting committee blacklisted him, which led to his descent into alcoholism.
The family’s economy soon began to crumble. Throughout the Rock’s childhood, the Johnsons struggled with poverty.
Maivia and her husband, as well as their son, used to live in small apartments all over the country. Dwayne once revealed that he and his parents traveled from state to state like gypsies.
She was also evicted from her apartment.
Among the financial difficulties that the Rock’s mother and father were experiencing, Ata Johnson lost her car in debt and faced eviction from her home when her future actor son was 14 years old.
Maivia’s son says the experience will stay with him for the rest of his life. The three-person family lived paycheck to paycheck and often wondered how they would pay the rent.
According to the Rock, his mother, Ata, and his father, Rocky relied on the independent wrestling circuit for income for several years. The former WWE champion revealed to The Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that they used to live in an efficiency that cost $120 per week.
When their son became a WWE superstar, their financial difficulties gradually faded. Despite this, Ata’s marriage to Dwayne’s father, Rocky Johnson, would end in 2003.
Rocky Johnson, Fitisemanu’s ex-husband, died of a heart attack in January 2020.
Johnson, Ata She once attempted suicide.
The Rock revealed in April 2018 that his mother attempted suicide.
According to the Fast And Furious star, Ata once got out of the car on Interstate 65 in Nashville and walked into oncoming traffic. The big rigs and cars, according to Dwayne, were swerving out of the way.
When Dwayne Johnson was 15, his mother attempted suicide.
He grabbed her and pulled her back onto the gravel shoulder of the road, according to the Jumanji actor. Dwayne was 15 at the time, and they had just lost their apartment.
It’s unclear where Johnson and his mother were at the time, or how they ended up on I-65 in Nashville. However, the Ballers alum claims Ata has no recollection of the suicide attempt.
Ata Johnson, Dwayne Johnson’s mother, survived a car accident.
Dwayne had a scare in August 2014 when his mother, Ata, and cousin, Lina Fanene, were hit by a drunk driver, a woman.
Ata Johnson was in a car accident in August 2014.
Dwayne Johnson revealed on Facebook in August 2014 that his mother and cousin had survived a car accident.
The former footballer from California later announced the news on Instagram, writing,
“This week, my mother and cousin @linafanene was hit head-on by a drunk driver – they survived. The first reaction is to track down the perpetrator and inflict unrelenting harm on them. But then you realize the most important thing is that my family survived, and we can now hug each other even tighter. Today, hug your own family even tighter and be thankful that you can tell them you love them.”
Johnson also shared a photo from the car accident, in which both vehicles appeared to be destroyed. The wrestler later tweeted the photo, writing that the accident was “100% avoidable.” Fortunately, Ata and Fanene were not seriously injured.
Her son, The Rock, has lavished her with gifts.
Aside from being famous as the mother of a Hollywood celebrity, Ata occasionally steals the internet spotlight by receiving extravagant gifts from her son.
The inseparable mother-son duo almost always causes a stir in the online community during the holidays, with the ex-WWE star lavishing her with extravagant gifts. The Rock first made headlines in 1999 when he gifted his parents their first home.
Dwayne took this gift-giving gesture to the internet for the first time in December 2012, when he presented his mother with a brand new White Cadillac SRX. The action star did the same for his father, who was still alive at the time.
Dwayne then gave Ata a brand new house for Christmas in 2018. He also posted it on Instagram.
“I liked this one. Surprise! For Christmas, I bought my mother a new house.”
wrote the 1995 NFL draft alongside a video of his mother reacting to her son purchasing the house of her choice.
Dwayne also gave his mother a brand-new Cadillac in December 2021, on the occasion of Christmas.
“I surprised my mother with a new car for Christmas. She was taken aback. “She let out a few good ugly cries.”
The Rampage star captioned it. Since ending his family’s financial hardships, the 2000 Royal Rumble winner has made it a point to ensure that his mother and father have everything they’ll ever need – houses, cars, etc.
Is Ata Johnson in a film?
While Peter’s daughter has yet to appear in a film, NBC will premiere Young Rock, a comedy series based on Dwayne Johnson’s real life, including his relationship with his mother, in February 2021.
Ata is the series’ other main character. In the series, Stacey Leilua plays her character, while Joseph Lee Anderson plays his famous father, wrestling champion Rocky Johnson.
Dwayne Johnson plays himself in the series created by Nahnatchka Khan and Jeff Chiang (both from the fame of Fresh Off the Boat).
She has three grandchildren.
For years, Ata aka Fitisemanu has been enjoying grandma’s time because her famous son is a father of three.
The California native is the father of three daughters: Simone Johnson with his ex-wife, Danny Garcia, and Jasmine and Tiana with his current wife, Lauren Hashian.
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