Known for movies

Short Info

Net Worth$3 Million
Date Of BirthOctober 17, 1938
DiedNovember 30, 2007, Clearwater, Florida, United States
SpouseKrystal Kennedy, Linda Knievel
MarkFamous for his spectacular motorcycle jumps in the 1970s and his equally spectacular accidents while doing them.
FactRemained 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.

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 BirthOctober 17, 1938
DiedNovember 30, 2007, Clearwater, Florida, United States
Height1.83 m
ProfessionStunt Performer
EducationButte High School

Family

SpouseKrystal Kennedy, Linda Knievel
ChildrenRobbie Knievel, Kelly Knievel, Alicia Knievel, Tracey Knievel
ParentsRobert Knievel, Ann Knievel
SiblingsNic Knievel

Accomplishments

AwardsGuinness World Records
MoviesBeing Evel, Evel Knievel: Spectacular Jumps
TV ShowsRichard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel

Social profile links

Marks

#Marks / Signs
1His red, white, and blue suit with cape he wore when he performed his stunts.
2Famous for his spectacular motorcycle jumps in the 1970s and his equally spectacular accidents while doing them.

Facts

#Fact
1Some 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.
2Inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio in 1999.
3Was a high school dropout.
4A delinquent in his early life and frequently in trouble with the law, he picked up the nickname "Evel".
5His 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.
6Contracted 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.
7Caught 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).
8Settled 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.
9Remained romantically involved with his second wife, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel-Knievel after their divorce, and they continued to live together.
10Grandfather of Krysten Knievel.
11Father of Robbie Knievel, Alicia Knievel, Emma Knievel, Kelly Knievel and Tracy Knievel.
12Owned 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.
13When 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.
14Is the cousin of NFL Kicker Adam Vinatieri.
15Suffered 35 broken bones as a result of his motorcycle daredevil antics; a Guinness-certified world record.
16Born at 2:40pm-MST
17His 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

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Bionic Woman1977TV SeriesEvel Knievel
Freebie and the Bean1974Motorcyclist (uncredited)

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel2007TV Movie documentaryHimself
Jimmy Kimmel Live!2004TV SeriesHimself
E! True Hollywood Story2004TV Series documentaryHimself - Interviewee
Wide World of Sports 40th Anniversary Special2001TV Movie documentaryHimself
Touch of Evel2000TV Movie documentary
ESPN SportsCentury2000TV Series documentaryHimself
Biography1998TV Series documentaryHimself
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1997TV SeriesHimself
ABC's Wide World of Sports 30th Anniversary Special1991TV MovieHimself
Good Morning America1978-1989TV SeriesHimself
Showtime Championship Boxing1989TV SeriesHimself - Audience Member
The Pat Sajak Show1989TV SeriesHimself
The Last of the Gladiators1988DocumentaryHimself
The Devil at Your Heels1981DocumentaryHimself
Death Defiers1977TV SpecialHimself - Host
The Mike Douglas Show1970-1977TV SeriesHimself - Stuntman / Himself - Co-Host / Himself - Motorcycle Daredevil
ABC's Wide World of Sports1967-1977TV SeriesHimself
Viva Knievel!1977Himself
Donny and Marie1976TV SeriesHimself
The Sonny and Cher Show1976TV SeriesHimself
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Evel Knievel1975TV SpecialHimself
Andy Williams Presents1974TV MovieHimself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1973-1974TV SeriesHimself
Not So Easy - A Motorcycle Safety Film1973Documentary shortHimself - Rider
The Joey Bishop Show1968-1969TV SeriesHimself
New American Bandstand 19651968TV SeriesHimself

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Aim for the Roses2016DocumentaryHimself
Being Evel2015DocumentaryHimself
The Sixties2014TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - Stuntman
True Evel2013TV Movie documentaryHimself
The Great Ride2011TV SeriesHimself
David Blaine: Beautiful Struggle2010TV Movie documentaryHimself
30 for 302010TV Series documentaryHimself - Legendary Daredevil
The O'Reilly Factor2008TV SeriesHimself (segment "American TV Icon")
Rome Is Burning2007TV SeriesHimself
Cheap Seats: Without Ron Parker2006TV SeriesHimself

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

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