Jake Roberts
Biography
Jake Roberts is a retired American professional wrestler who has also worked as an actor and podcaster. Born in Gainesville, Texas, he started in wrestling in 1974 as a referee in Louisiana and made his in-ring debut a year later, making his name in Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. He joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1986 and became known for intense promos, dark charisma and his use of the DDT, often bringing snakes to the ring. His feuds included Ricky Steamboat, the Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, André the Giant and Ted DiBiase. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, returned to the WWF in the 1990s as a Bible-preaching character, and was featured in Beyond the Mat, a 1999 documentary. He entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
71years old
Turns 72 on May 30in 201 days
- Born Gainesville
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Also credited as Aurelian Smith Jr. and Aurelian Smith
Movie Career
- Films
- 6
- Career span
- 30 years1994 to 2024
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About the name
Jake Roberts got his ring name by expanding the initials of J. R. Ewing, the backhanded character from the TV series Dallas. He took his snake nickname from Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, whom he was a fan of.
First role
In 1974 Roberts got his start in the Louisiana area working as a referee, and his debut as a wrestler came a year later. He built his name in Mid-South Wrestling, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling.
Behind the camera
Roberts was given his own talk segment, The Snake Pit, in late 1986 because the WWF recognized his microphone skills; it was patterned after Piper's Pit and later replaced it on WWF Superstars of Wrestling.
A role that slipped away
Bill Watts banned Roberts from bringing his snake to ringside, and Roberts was replaced in the King of Cable tournament by The Barbarian. Tony Schiavone had interviewed him about the decision and his first-round match against Dustin Rhodes.
Jake Roberts movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Worked with
Jake Roberts shares two films with Mick Foley, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Mick Foley's page
Bruce Dern's page
Lochlyn Munro's page
Tim Thomerson's page
John Hawkes's page
Thomas Haden Church's page
Michael SchwartzDirector, 1 film, 2019
All films by Michael Schwartz
All films by Tyler Nilson
All films by Barry W. Blaustein
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| WWE Hall of Fame | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.