How The Rock went from failed football star to highest-paid actor and 'sexiest man alive'

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has been on an incredible run of late and things have only gotten better.

Along with Forbes naming him the highest-paid actor in the world in August with $64.5 million earned in the past year, People magazine has just anoited him the Sexiest Man Alive in its annual issue.

Johnson has been able to do this by looking good while gaining major coin from franchises like "Fast and the Furious" and "San Andreas," which have put his lifetime worldwide box-office gross at over $6 billion. And coming up he's got a "Baywatch" movie and "Jumanji" sequel.

He's also stepping into the superhero world in the near future, as he's signed on to be Doc Savage.

That's not to mention his other endeavors like a YouTube channel, a production company, and endorsement deals. And Johnson knows how to connect with his fans via social media like no other star.

Here we look back on the incredible career of The Rock, from a washed-up football player with only $7 to his name to Hollywood mega-star.

Frank Pallotta and Mallory Schlossberg contributed to an earlier version of this story.

Before he was "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson was born on May 2, 1972, in Hayward, California.

Source: Biography

Wrestling is in Johnson's blood. His father, Rocky "Soul Man" Johnson, was a member of the first African-American tag-team champions, and his grandfather Peter Maivia was one of the first Samoan wrestlers.

Source: YouTube

Johnson didn't go straight to wrestling. His first sport was football. After starring in high school, he played in college for the Miami Hurricanes. Over his tenure at the University of Miami, Johnson started just once but appeared in 39 games and had 77 tackles, and he was a part of the 1991 national championship team.

Source: ESPN