Robert "Rob" Dyrdek (born June 28, 1974) is an American professional
skateboarder and star of his own reality TV series entitled Rob and Big
with his personal bodyguard and best freind Chris "Big Black" Boykin.
He currently resides in Hollywood, California.

Robert Dyrdek was born in Kettering, Ohio and began skateboarding at
the age of 11, winning his first competition 24 days later. The same year,
Dyrdek became the youngest member of the G&S skateboard team. He
turned professional at the age of 16, joining the Ohio-based Alien
Workshop team, forgoing his senior year of high school. He reached fourth
place at the 1991 World Championships, the first contest he competed in
as a professional.

As a teenager, Dyrdek attracted a growing number of sponsors, appeared in
skate movies and on magazine covers, signature skateboards and other
merchandise. One of his best known sponsorship deals developed after he
befriended the founders of the Droors Clothing line. He not only began
promoting their clothing, but was given the opportunity to design a signature line
of the first athletic skate shoe. The nearly 30 shoes designed by Dyrdek helped
establish what became DC Shoes. This exposure to the business side of
skateboarding inspired him to venture into other projects. Such the world-famous
skateboarding training facility in San Diego, and the now defunct hip hop label,
P-Jays Records.

The formation of the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation in resulted
in the Kettering Skate Plaza in his hometown of Kettering, Ohio. Working with the
Site Design Group, Dyrdek designed the skate park by educated himself in design
and drafting techniques. He used photos of his favorite skate spots to assemble an
illustrated book of tricks and obstacles for the plaza. The 40,000 square foot
Kettering Skate Plaza opened in June 2005, as a legal place for street skaters to hone
their skills. The Kettering Skate Plaza received rave reviews from the skateboarding
community and won the Modernism Award from Dwell magazine. Filmmaker Kirk
Dianda documented the design process in the film Groundbreaking, which also serves
as a reference for youngsters to lobby for skate plazas in their cities.

In the last year, Dyrdek has become a reality TV star due to the success of MTV's
Rob and Big. The three season series was picked up by MTV after a skit written by
Dyrdek in The DC Video became an underground sensation. Adding to his acting
repertoire, Dyrdek has been cast in the upcoming Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro film
Righteous Kill, due for release in 2008.

Current Dyrdek involvement includes: endorsements including Spy Optics, Alien
Workshop and Monster Energy drinks; co-owner of Rogue Status, a clothing company
with his partner, former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker; involvement with his own
companies, Reflex Bearings and Silver Trucks; feature character in skate; a revolutionary
new video game from EA Sports; promoter of SafeSpot, an urban renewal program that
seeks to take unused donated land and build safe skating grounds for street skateboarders.

Despite his numerous entrepreneurial endeavors, Dyrdek never lost his dedication to the
sport of skateboarding itself. In his mid-20s, Dyrdek returned to competing and founded
the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza Foundation an organization seeking to build skate
parks for young skaters. In June 2005, the 40,000 square foot Kettering Skate Plaza
opened and provided street skateboarders a legal place to hone their skills. The Skate Plaza
even won the Modernism Award from Dwell Magazine for Dyrdek's design work.