I don’t know about you, but every time I think of Johnny Knoxville, I wince as my mind flashes back to one of his many death-defying stunts.

The 46-year-old star became a household name (typically associated with moronic behavior) when he appeared in MTV’s black comedy reality show Jackass during the height of the channel’s fame in the early noughties.

This notoriety would go on to see him star in several movies such as Men In Black II and The Dukes of Hazzard.

But just as we were beginning to view Knoxville as an actor rather than a mindless stunt performer, he vanished without a trace.

Born in Tennessee, Knoxville first had a taste for fame after being inspired by his cousin who was a local singer-songwriter. After moving to California in search of a big break, he was left disappointed after only securing a few commercials and work as an extra.

Desperate to make it big, he tried a different approach. This time he wrote and pitched multiple article ideas to magazines. It was his idea to test self-defense equipment on himself for skateboarding magazine Big Brother that propelled him into the world of daredevil stunts.

From here, Knoxville birthed Jackass with the help of some friends. The show was ultimately picked up by MTV, but before this happened, Knoxville and his team rejected an offer from Saturday Night Live to perform their stunts on the show on a weekly basis.

The show attracted a lot of attention, but not all of it was positive. The danger that it promoted was a concern to many parents, who were uncomfortable with their children being inspired by the debauched behavior it depicted.

Despite many onscreen warnings that the stunts should never be imitated, Jackass has been blamed for many injuries and even deaths.

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