Robert Knievel
Robbie Knievel is a daredevil and stunt performer, and the son of legendary motorcycle jumper Evel Knievel.
Who Is Robert Knievel?
Born on May 7, 1962, Robert Edward “Robbie” Knievel III is the son of legendary daredevil Robert “Evel” Knievel. Knievel began jumping motorcycles at a young age, and began his successful career while still a teenager. Since then, he has broken 20 world records and made more than 350 jumps, many in homage to his famous father. Injuries from these stunts have prevented Knievel from performing in recent years. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007.
Early Years and Relationship with Evel Knievel
Born in Butte, Montana, on May 7, 1962, Robert Edward “Robbie” Knievel was the third of four children born to legendary daredevil Evel Knievel (born Robert Craig Knievel) and his first wife, Linda.
Knievel began jumping motorcycles as a young boy, receiving early training from his father and appearing alongside him at shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and other venues. As the elder Knievel’s fame grew, the family themselves entered the spotlight. Capitalizing on the popularity of an Evel Knievel action figure (which reportedly at times outsold G.I. Joe), 13-year-old Robbie saw his likeness captured in his own action figure, dubbed “Robbie, The Teen-Age Stuntman.”
Relations between father and son were difficult, with Evel Knievel growing increasingly jealous of his son’s talents. After his father tried to prevent him from attempting more difficult stunts, Knievel left home at the age of 16. Eager to escape his father’s shadow, he spent the next decade slowly building his career, performing as a lower-billed performer at lesser-known events. Knievel and his father later reconciled and remained close until Evel Knievel’s death at the age of 69, in November 2007.
Caesars Palace Jump
In April 1989, 26-year-old Knievel payed homage to one of his father’s most well-known — and unsuccessful — stunts. In 1967, Evel Knievel crashed while attempting to jump over the Caesars Palace fountains in Las Vegas, Nevada. The accident left him in a coma for nearly a month and resulted in serious injuries. Robbie Knievel’s 150-foot jump, however, was a success.
In July 2018, modern-day daredevil Travis Pastrana will attempt to recreate Evel Knievel’s Caesars Palace stunt in a live TV special airing on HISTORY.
Net Worth and Business Ventures
Thanks to his long-running stunt career and business ventures that included a profitable merchandising line, Knievel’s net worth is estimated to be $10 million. In 2006, Knievel Custom Cycles opened in northern New Jersey, and the company has several licensing deals to create a wide-array of personalized motorcycles and Knievel-branded items.
Additional Jumps
Knievel has completed over 350 jumps, and set 20 world records. Unlike his father, who primarily used a Harley- Davidson XR-750 racing motorcycle, Robbie Knievel has performed most of his jumps using a much lighter and more agile Honda CR500 motocross bicycle.
In 1993, Knievel challenged fellow daredevil Eddie Kidd to contest, which saw each making three jumps, with the cumulative distance of the three judged the winner. Knievel lost by just 6 feet, but his desire for a rematch was scuttled when Kidd was forced to retire due to injuries.
Throughout the 1990s, Knievel continued to break his own world records, including a 1998 jump in Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel and a televised jump of 228 feet over a portion of the Grand Canyon (a stunt his father had wanted to try, but was denied permission to do by the National Park Service).
Knievel continued performing into his 40s, performing a series of stunts that including jumping over a moving locomotive in Texas in 2000; military planes decked on the USS Intrepid in 2004; and even attempting to jump over an artificial volcano at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel in 2008. That stunt had to be tweaked, however, to a ramp-to-ramp jump in front of the volcano.
Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Sturgis, South Dakota, in 2007. Numerous injuries incurred over his long career have severely limited Knievel’s ability to jump, and it is unknown if he will perform any future stunts.
2016 DUI and Legal Troubles
On April 21, 2015, Knievel was arrested in Butte, Montana, and charged with felony DUI after he ran a red light and was involved in a four-car crash. It was believed to have been his fourth such offense. Knievel reached an agreement with prosecutor’s, pleading guilty to a reduced, misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. Under the deal, Knievel paid a $685 fine and received a two-year suspended sentence.
Following the agreement, Knievel announced that he had stopped drinking and become sober. A planned jump at that year’s annual summer festival honoring his family, Knievel Days, was canceled due to Knievel’s legal issues. Later that year, however, Knievel performed what he called his first “sober jump,” when he traveled over 30 stacked golf carts in Palm Springs, California.
Media Portrayals
Knievel starred in the 2005 A&E program Knievel’s Wild Ride, a reality show that depicted his life and career. He was also the subject of a 2017 documentary, Chasing Evel: The Robbie Knievel Story, which depicted his tumultuous relationship with his father, as well as the impact of alcoholism on both Robbie and Evel.
Family Life
Knievel has two daughters, Krysten and Karmen.
