25 Photos of Tony Hawk to Make Sure You Recognize Him in Public

Tony Hawk is a giant of American skateboarding, has his own video game series and has appeared in The Simpsons, among other feats. Yet many people struggle to remember what he looks like, leading to embarrassing situations that often end up on Hawk's Twitter feed.

The pioneer of vertical skateboarding regularly tweets about moments when members of the public don't recognize him, tell him he looks like Tony Hawk or ask if he's related to the skater.

A viral tweet from 2019 has resurfaced in which Hawk recalled an exchange with a teenager who asked him if he was a good skater. To which he replied: "Sometimes."

This is far from the only time skating fans have failed to recognise Hawk. Last month, he posted a conversation that took place while he was surfing in Hawaii.

Hawk tweeted: "Guy paddling next to me: 'anyone tell you that you look like Tony Hawk'
Me (thinking he knows the meme): 'yes, but you're the first today'
Him: 'you should tell people you are and then sign his name, haha'
His friend: 'he's real one'"

His distinctive surname also gets people asking if he is related to the famous Tony Hawk.

This happened at a COVID testing site last December, when Hawk was with two of his four children. He tweeted: "woman looking over papers: 'okay... Anthony, Keegan and Kadence... Hawk? Are you guys related to Tony Hawk?'"

He replied that they were, adding: "We are all directly related to him."

Because it has happened so often, not recognizing Hawk has become a bit of a meme. Some fans even tell him he looks like himself as a joke.

In January Hawk tweeted: "Three different people boarding this plane—in three different ways—have told me that I look like Tony Hawk as they walked by my seat. My wife turned to me after the last one and said 'you started it'."

Other fans want to make sure they're fully prepared in case they bump into him. One Twitter user, Kate, wrote: "I study a picture of Tony Hawk daily so I'm not one of those people he tweets about if I ever run into him."

To ensure that, like Kate, you will never be one of those people who asks Tony Hawk if he is Tony Hawk, Newsweek has rounded up 25 photos of the world-famous skater. Avoid future embarrassment and get studying!

1 of 25