Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna

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Birth Name: Jason Shannon Acuña

Age: 50, born 16 May 1973

Country of origin: Italy

Currently Residing In: United States

Height: 4' 9"

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Description: Jason Acuña was born May 16, 1973 in Pisa, Italy, while his father, George, was stationed there as a member of the U.S. Army. Acuña was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and reached 4' 7" when he was fully grown. His family relocated to Los Angeles' South Bay area when he was three months old, settling in the beach town of Hermosa. From an early age, Acuña displayed an exceptional degree of self-confidence and outsized personality, which did much to allay his father's fears about his son's ability to fit in with society. Skateboarding became his first and greatest love, and he spent much of his free time purs Jason Acuña was born May 16, 1973 in Pisa, Italy, while his father, George, was stationed there as a member of the U.S. Army. Acuña was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and reached 4' 7" when he was fully grown. His family relocated to Los Angeles' South Bay area when he was three months old, settling in the beach town of Hermosa. From an early age, Acuña displayed an exceptional degree of self-confidence and outsized personality, which did much to allay his father's fears about his son's ability to fit in with society. Skateboarding became his first and greatest love, and he spent much of his free time pursuing it in neighboring beach towns while working at ET Surf, a Hermosa-based surf and skate shop. While picking up product from skateboarding champ Steve Rocco's World Industries warehouse in Torrance, he earned his nickname, "Wee Man," from Rocco's brother, which soon became his professional moniker.

Acuña's profile increased exponentially after he was featured in Rocco's popular skateboarding magazine, Big Brother, as well as "S---" (1996), a video feature produced by the magazine in which he painted himself blue and skated around Hollywood. The exposure made Acuña something of a household name in the skateboarding community, and he would continue to appear within the pages of Big Brother throughout its publishing history. Struggling actor and occasional Big Brother contributor Johnny Knoxville also appeared in several of the magazine's videos, and in 2000, he and several friends and staff members conceived a pilot for a television series built around the dangerous amateur stunts he had executed as part of the videos. Acuña was brought on to the project, where he made his debut dressed as an Oompa Loompa from "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971). The series, titled "Jackass," made its debut on MTV in 2000 and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon. A 2002 feature film helped to introduce the "Jackass" crew to an even wider audience. Acuña was unaware of the show's global impact until visiting Japan for a skateboarding tour, where he was mobbed while walking on a street in Tokyo. ... (more)