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Background:
"I'm Bam Margera. And I feel like kicking my dad's a**, all day today." Bam
Margera.
Professional skateboarder, actor, and radio personality Bam Margera was first
recognized as the creator of "CKY" skate/prank/stunt videos series. He gained
even more popularity as a member of the Jackass crew (with Johnny Knoxville,
Steve-O and Christ Pontius) and the star of MTV’s “Viva la Bam” (2003-2005).
Moviegoers could catch him in Jackass: The Movie (2002) and in his own movie,
Haggard: The Movie (2003). He is currently producing a movie entitled Dream
Seller (to be released on video) and a follow-up to Haggard entitled Kiss a Good
Man’s A**. He will also star in the soon-to-be released Jackass: Number Two, the
sequel to Jackass: The Movie. Bam’s voice can be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio
on his own program, “Radio Bam.”
5' 8" tall, of Italian descent Bam Margera has been on the cover or featured in
such top publications as Rolling Stone, People, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Mag,
Complex, and Revolver. He was voted the most influential/powerful person under
30 by Stuff Magazine (August 2006, Power Issue) and was listed in “Favorite
athlete turned TV Star” in a 2005 Teen People Poll.
On a more personal front, Bam became engaged to longtime girlfriend Jennifer
Rivell on June 5, 2003, but they broke up in April 2005. He is currently engaged
to Melissa Rothstein, to whom he proposed in the King of Prussia Shopping Mall.
The couple is planning to marry in October of 2006.
In March 2006, Bam rose public’s eyebrows when he was arrested for unlawful
possession of a dangerous weapon, after trying to pass through a security
check-point at LAX airport in Los Angeles with brass knuckles. He was released
the next morning after posting $20,000 bond. More recently, in August 2006,
Bam’s uncle, Vincent “Don Vito” Margera, who often appeared in his shows and CKY
videos, was formally charged with child sexual assault.
Bam Bam
Childhood and Family:
Born Brandon Cole Margera on September 28, 1979 in West Chester, Pennsylvania,
Bam Margera is the youngest son of Phil and April Margera. His older brother is
Jess Margera, drummer for Camp Kill Yourself (CKY), whose music has appeared in
numerous skate videos. He also has a niece named Ava Elizabeth, daughter of
Jess.
When he was 3 years old, he got his nickname “Bam” from his grandfather who
often called him “Bam Bam” because of his wild nature. He went to East High
School but later dropped out in 11th grade. He eventually received his GED at
the insistence of his parents.
The snake-paranoia currently resides in his large castle-type house, named
Castle Bam.
CKY Mastermind
Career:
Bam Margera began skateboarding in 1988 and soon broke onto the national scene
as a very young pro-skater with his creative street style and wild antics. As a
teenager, the West Chester, Pennsylvania native created and filmed skating,
pranks and stunts video series, called CKY (named after his brother Jess' band,
Camp Kill Yourself), in his hometown. The video include appearances from pro
skaters, the bands HIM and CKY, Bam's parents Phil and April Margera, brother
Jess Margera, as well as Ryan Dunn, Raab Himself and Rake Yohn. To date, four
CKY videos have been released, Landspeed: CKY, CKY2K, CKY 3 and CKY4: The Latest
And Greatest. The video series has sold over one million DVD and VHS copies
worldwide.
Bam had his first breakthrough in 2000 when he teamed up with Johnny Knoxville,
Steve-O and Christ Pontius in a half-hour extreme television show “Jackass.” The
show, which features people performing various dangerous, ridiculous, and
self-injuring stunts and pranks, was originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002.
After the show went off the air, the cast reunited in 2002 to film a “farewell”
to the fans of the show, a full-length motion picture version entitled Jackass:
The Movie. Filmed on a budget of just $5 million, the movie was a commercial
success and topped the box office during its debut weekend. The movie also
earned Bam and his friends an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best On-Screen
Team.
Bam took the money he made from the movie and produced his own movie in 2003
entitled Haggard: The Movie. The comedy film was based on the true story of how
Ryan Dunn’s baggy girlfriend cheated on him and also features many other members
of the CKY Crew. Several famous professional skaters such as Tony Hawk, Jason
Ellis, and Bucky Lasek, and other CKY stars such as, Chris Raab, Don Vito, Jess,
and Phil Margera also appeared in the movie. Bam also has a small speaking part
in that year’s skateboarding movie Grind.
That same year, Bam was also given his own TV show on MTV, "Viva la Bam," a
reality comedy show focusing on his life and his friends, which also featured
his parents Phil and April, his uncle Vincent “Don Vito” Margera, and Ryan Dunn,
Raab Himself, and many others. The follow-up and spin-off to the popular series
"Jackass" debuted on October 26, 2003, and has since been seen by fans
worldwide. The fifth and final season of the series finished on August 14, 2005.
The "Viva la Bam" DVD’s are the fastest selling DVD‘s in MTV history. In 2005,
"Viva la Bam" gave Bam a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV
Reality/Variety Star.
Meanwhile, Bam continues to evolve in film and stunts. He has also been animated
as a character into a number of pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk's video games,
including Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Tony Hawk's
Underground, 'Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and the
upcoming Tony Hawk's Project 8.
He also has been heavily involved in the music industry through his work
directing music videos. He has directed four music videos for the Finnish band
HIM (songs “Buried Alive By Love,” “The Sacrament,” “And Love Said No,” and
“Solitary Man”) and for The 69 Eyes (single “Lost Boys”). Additionally, the
owner of record label “Filthy Note Records” has signed Swedish hard rock band
Vains of Jenna and has produced their first video "Noones Gonna Do It For You."
Bam also can be heard every Monday evening on Sirius Satellite Radio on his own
program, a top-rated weekly show called “Radio Bam.”
As a professional skater, the fan of skaters Boulala, Penny, Maldonado, Keri
Getz, Saari, and Hoofbite successfully landed The Loop in Phoenix, Arizona, in
the January of 2005. He became the 13th known skater to land it, and was the
first street skater to successfully land it. Bam is sponsored by leaders in the
skate boarding industry companies like Element, Destructo, Adio and Electric.
Bam, who has his own production company called "Bam Margera Productions," is
currently producing a movie entitled Dream Seller (The Dream Seller is a
nickname for long-time friend and fellow skater Brandon Novak), a skateboarding
movie which is due to be released on video in 2006. It is a true story about a
young up-and-coming pro skater who got hooked on heroin at the age of 14, but
later was able to clean himself up and got back on the track.
Additionally, Bam is now working on a follow-up to Haggard entitled Kiss a Good
Man’s A**. He will also star in Jackass: Number Two, the sequel to Jackass: The
Movie, alongside almost all of the original cast. The movie, which features more
painful stunts and bizarre practical jokes, will be released on September 22,
2006.
As for his TV work, Bam has started on a new animated series for MTV slated to
air in the summer and had two special episodes of “Viva la Bam” entitled "Viva
La Spring Break."
Awards:
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