Dwayne Johnson Posts Sweet Tribute To His Mother On Her Birthday

Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Dwayne Johnson’s Hollywood success reached a new high this past weekend when he debuted his first superhero role in the DCEU with Black Adam. Coming off the movie’s box office debut and impressive audience reaction, the actor is taking a break from touting the blockbuster to honor his mother, Ata Johnson, who just turned 74 this week. 

The Rock shared a sweet video to Instagram of him dancing with his mother in celebration of her as he wished her the “happiest of birthdays.” Check out the post: 

It looks like Dwayne Johnson recently held a party for his mom to mark the occasion. Upon showcasing the cute moment between mother and son, The Rock said it’s “such joy” to see his mom “smile and proudly display” their culture. In the video, Dwayne and Ata Johnson are doing a traditional Samoan dance together as guests around them laughed and The Rock’s daughter comes into the frame to grab some money he had just thrown during the routine. 

Johnson also recently shared that he surprised his mom with a home he bought for her which was fully designed for her already. The Rock said that while he’s purchased her homes over the years, he wanted to give her the one of her dreams after she told him: “After a lifetime of traveling, I want this home to be my last. That's my dream.”

Over the years Dwayne Johnson hasn’t shied away from sharing his relationship with his mother. While making the Fast and the Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw, the actor revealed that Ata Johnson was insistent on playing the action character’s mother in the movie. However, The Rock got real with her saying she’s “not really an actress” and Lori Pelenise Tuisano played the role instead. 

Feels like a very typical mom-son conversation to want to be extra involved in one’s things, but hey, The Rock kept it honest. Ata Johnson does have a few Hollywood credits under her belt, as herself in two Wrestlemania specials and appearing in two Young Rock episodes in 2021. 

Ata Johnson is Dwayne Johnson’s only living parent following the 2020 death of his father Rocky Johnson, who passed away at 75 years old. Rocky Johnson was a professional wrestler who was married to Ata from 1978 to 2003, when they divorced. Ata is a grandma to Dwayne Johnson’s three children, 21-year-old Simone, 6-year-old Jasmine and 4-year-old Tiana. 

Amidst Dwayne Johnson celebrating a massive moment in his career with the release of Black Adam, it’s clear his priorities with his family remain important to him as he celebrates her birthday with traditional dancing. Following the reactions to Black Adam, you can check out what upcoming The Rock movies are next up here on CinemaBlend. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.