Known for movies
Short Info
Net Worth | $3 Million |
Date Of Birth | October 17, 1938 |
Died | November 30, 2007, Clearwater, Florida, United States |
Spouse | Krystal Kennedy, Linda Knievel |
Mark | Famous for his spectacular motorcycle jumps in the 1970s and his equally spectacular accidents while doing them. |
Fact | Remained romantically involved with his second wife, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel-Knievel after their divorce, and they continued to live together. |
Evel Knievel was born Robert Craig Knievel on October 17, 1938 in Butte, Montana. He was the first of two children born to Robert E. and Ann Marie Knievel. His father was a miner and his mother was a homemaker. Knievel’s paternal grandparents were immigrants from Germany, and his maternal grandparents were of Irish and Norwegian descent.
Dang🔥🔥🔥Evel Knievel #bestoyever slays it🙌🏼
Available 👉🏼 https://t.co/N8cxxkyFkc
Get one and show us your #send !
Thanks Porter Howell for the awesome jump😎 pic.twitter.com/BxqroPs5KD— Evel Knievel (@evelknievel) April 16, 2022
Knievel was raised in the copper-mining town of Butte, Montana. He attended Butte Central Catholic High School, where he excelled in football and track. After graduating from high school in 1956, Knievel worked as a copper miner and as an insurance salesman. He also began to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a professional stuntman.
In 1966, Knievel attempted his first major stunt, jumping over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho on a rocket-powered motorcycle. The stunt failed, and Knievel was seriously injured. Undeterred, he continued to pursue his dream, and in 1967 he formed his own stunt show, “Evel Knievel’s Daredevils.”
Over the next decade, Knievel became a household name as he attempted a series of increasingly dangerous stunts. He jumped over cars, buses, trains, and even snakes. In 1974, he attempted his most famous stunt: jumping over the Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle. This time, he succeeded, and the jump was televised live on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”
Knievel’s career came to an end in 1977, when he crashed while attempting to jump over 13 buses at London’s Wembley Stadium. He suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, and was forced to retire from stunt riding.
In retirement, Knievel remained a popular figure, appearing on television and in commercials. He also wrote an autobiography, “Evel Knievel on Tour.” He died of pulmonary disease on November 30, 2007 at the age of 69.
At the time of his death, Knievel was estimated to have a net worth of $50 million.
General Info
Net Worth | $3 Million |
Date Of Birth | October 17, 1938 |
Died | November 30, 2007, Clearwater, Florida, United States |
Height | 1.83 m |
Profession | Stunt Performer |
Education | Butte High School |
Family
Spouse | Krystal Kennedy, Linda Knievel |
Children | Robbie Knievel, Kelly Knievel, Alicia Knievel, Tracey Knievel |
Parents | Robert Knievel, Ann Knievel |
Siblings | Nic Knievel |
Accomplishments
Awards | Guinness World Records |
Movies | Being Evel, Evel Knievel: Spectacular Jumps |
TV Shows | Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel |
Social profile links
Marks
# | Marks / Signs |
---|---|
1 | His red, white, and blue suit with cape he wore when he performed his stunts. |
2 | Famous for his spectacular motorcycle jumps in the 1970s and his equally spectacular accidents while doing them. |
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | Some of his motorcycle crashes happened because, once his bike left the ramp, he did not try to maintain control and was simply "hanging on for the ride". Later stunt riders discovered that by continuing to throttle and steer (as though the bike were still on the ground), they could maintain control and avoid crashing. |
2 | Inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio in 1999. |
3 | Was a high school dropout. |
4 | A delinquent in his early life and frequently in trouble with the law, he picked up the nickname "Evel". |
5 | His fortunes reversed by the end of the 1970s, after news of his assault and battery conviction broke, and he fell into alcoholism and depression in the 1980s. He enjoyed a mini-comeback in the 1990s in TV commercials and promotional appearances, but expressed regret that he had set no money aside during his heyday, to take care of his family later. |
6 | Contracted Hepatitis C in 1993 due to blood transfusions required from his many accidents. Underwent a 1999 liver transplant and numerous other surgeries that left him largely disabled. |
7 | Caught in the moment, after a dangerous 1999 stunt on Fox Network, proudly proclaimed, "White men *CAN* jump!", in humorous defiance to the basketball movie, White Men Can't Jump (1992). |
8 | Settled a lawsuit with singer Kanye West, who had used Knievel's image and motifs in a music video, a few weeks prior to his death. West's own mother passed away only weeks before the case was settled. |
9 | Remained romantically involved with his second wife, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel-Knievel after their divorce, and they continued to live together. |
10 | Grandfather of Krysten Knievel. |
11 | Father of Robbie Knievel, Alicia Knievel, Emma Knievel, Kelly Knievel and Tracy Knievel. |
12 | Owned a Honda dealership in Moses Lake, Washington in the mid-1960s; any potential buyer who could beat Knievel at arm-wrestling got $500 off their car purchase. He formed a traveling stunt show called "Evel Knievel's Motorcycle Daredevils" with other cyclists, as publicity for the dealership. |
13 | When first written about by the press, he insisted that his nickname not be spelled with an I; knowing his fans were mostly youngsters, he didn't want parents to perceive him as "evil", or as an evildoer. As a public figure, Knievel promoted a healthy, active lifestyle for young people. |
14 | Is the cousin of NFL Kicker Adam Vinatieri. |
15 | Suffered 35 broken bones as a result of his motorcycle daredevil antics; a Guinness-certified world record. |
16 | Born at 2:40pm-MST |
17 | His son, Robbie Knievel, took over his father's mantle as stuntman and daredevil, even completing the jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, which Evel failed in 1968. |
Pictures
Movies
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Bionic Woman | 1977 | TV Series | Evel Knievel |
Freebie and the Bean | 1974 | Motorcyclist (uncredited) |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 2004 | TV Series | Himself |
E! True Hollywood Story | 2004 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Interviewee |
Wide World of Sports 40th Anniversary Special | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Touch of Evel | 2000 | TV Movie documentary | |
ESPN SportsCentury | 2000 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Biography | 1998 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Late Night with Conan O'Brien | 1997 | TV Series | Himself |
ABC's Wide World of Sports 30th Anniversary Special | 1991 | TV Movie | Himself |
Good Morning America | 1978-1989 | TV Series | Himself |
Showtime Championship Boxing | 1989 | TV Series | Himself - Audience Member |
The Pat Sajak Show | 1989 | TV Series | Himself |
The Last of the Gladiators | 1988 | Documentary | Himself |
The Devil at Your Heels | 1981 | Documentary | Himself |
Death Defiers | 1977 | TV Special | Himself - Host |
The Mike Douglas Show | 1970-1977 | TV Series | Himself - Stuntman / Himself - Co-Host / Himself - Motorcycle Daredevil |
ABC's Wide World of Sports | 1967-1977 | TV Series | Himself |
Viva Knievel! | 1977 | Himself | |
Donny and Marie | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
The Sonny and Cher Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Evel Knievel | 1975 | TV Special | Himself |
Andy Williams Presents | 1974 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1973-1974 | TV Series | Himself |
Not So Easy - A Motorcycle Safety Film | 1973 | Documentary short | Himself - Rider |
The Joey Bishop Show | 1968-1969 | TV Series | Himself |
New American Bandstand 1965 | 1968 | TV Series | Himself |
Archive Footage
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Aim for the Roses | 2016 | Documentary | Himself |
Being Evel | 2015 | Documentary | Himself |
The Sixties | 2014 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself - Stuntman |
True Evel | 2013 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
The Great Ride | 2011 | TV Series | Himself |
David Blaine: Beautiful Struggle | 2010 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
30 for 30 | 2010 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Legendary Daredevil |
The O'Reilly Factor | 2008 | TV Series | Himself (segment "American TV Icon") |
Rome Is Burning | 2007 | TV Series | Himself |
Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia