Tony Alva: Early Life, Wife & Net worth
Legendary street skater Tony Alva became a man of many talents over five decades of a fantastic career.
The Californian skateboarder is also the founder of his own skateboard company called Alva Skates.
During the expressive years of the 1960s, Alva transformed skateboarding from a trick-based sport to an inspiring work of art.
After joining the most exclusive skateboarding team, Z-boys set out to bring skating in empty pools into the mainstream.
Successful in both skateboarding and business, Tony Alva ventured into filmography and music.
As a musician, he plays the bass and sings for popular brands like the “Skoundrelz” Recently; His Eyes Have Fangs.
Quick Facts
let’s take a look at some quick facts:
| Full name | Tony Alva |
| Date of birth | September 2, 1957 |
| Age | 66 Years Old |
| Birthplace | Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Dutch and Mexican-American |
| Education | Santa Monica High School |
| Zodiac sign | Virgo |
| Nickname | Mad Dog, T.A. |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight | 160 lbs |
| Shoe size | US 9.5 |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Grey |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Net Worth | $15 million |
| Profession | Skateboarder, Entrepreneur, Actor |
| Salary | $500,000 |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter |
| Debut year | 1967 |
| Website | Website |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Tony Alva: Family and Childhood
The skateboarding genius was born on September 2, 1957, in Santa Monica of California.
He has two siblings: Kathy Alva and Mark Alva. Not much has been revealed about his parents.
The champion started skateboarding at the early age of six years old.
Due to the growing popularity of skateboarding, he quickly rose to become one of the finest stars of skateboarding.
When most kids are trying to color within lines, Tony went out with his friends to downstairs and monuments to skate on.
Therefore, not much has been revealed in his early life education as well.
Regardless of the lack of information, he completed his high school at Santa Monica High School.
During his earlier teenage years, he became inspired to create an artistic revolution in the skateboard community.
In his initial years, his iconic hairstyle became cool skateboarding looks.
Hence, at the age of 18, Alva started his own skate company called Alva Skates.
He used his childhood and early life to create a momentum that lasted greatly during his still ongoing career.
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Tony Alva: Age, Height, and Weight
Despite being over 60 years now, Tony Alva remains healthy, fit, and active.
At 66 Years Old, he is considered the oldest living skateboarder as of today.
His eccentric hairstyle and charming eyes inspire skaters to follow in his footsteps.
The legendary figure stands at 5 feet 10 inches, almost reaching 1.82m in height.
As Alva still skates today, he maintains his 160 lbs weight. Furthermore, he maintains his timeless figure by hitting the gym.
Tony Alva: Personal Life
With a level-headed personality and messy hair, Alva took skateboard as his way of expressing creativity.
Ultimately, he completed famous tricks like slalom, freestyle, downhill, and even barrel jumps.
Additional to skating, he also surfed exceptionally well.
His fans could see his mix of skating and surfing style in the empty swimming pool. This was one of the trends he started.
Much like creative artists, he used mediums like music and acting to express himself.
His way of rough and confident lifestyle motivated many fans to take on skateboarding as well.
Since the establishment of his own skate company, die-hard fans even collect his skateboards as a hobby.
Tony Alva Wife
As a private person on the topic of love life, Alva has his fair share of hits and misses.
Consequently, a lot of information has been hidden from public view.
Yet, the world star once dated Michelle Gerber Bell. The relationship could not last because of two clashing lifestyles.
Next, the charismatic persona started dating Katy Rodriguez in 1997.
Katy Rodrigues is a fashion designer and has a dazzling life of her own.
The couple officially tied their knot in 2002. Since then, they have had a long-lasting married life.
Even now, there is no news of them breaking up or rumors of cheating.
Therefore, the couple has been known widely as one of the power couples of L.A.
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Tony Alva: Career
Starting as a street-side skater in 1967, Alva became the most recognized name in the skateboarding household.
Since the beginning, Tony Alva swept skateboarding championships all on his own.
His powerful freeform surfing style brought a radical change to traditional skateboarding.
Following his recognition by many fans, he was one of the earliest sponsored professional skateboarders.
He entered the skateboard championship with a win-it-all attitude and proceeded to win it all.
With his debut as a professional skateboarder, he invented the Frontside air trick.
Moreover, with his teammate Jay, he started doing crazy tricks like 540 slides and Bertlemenn G-turns.
As a surfer, he combined the surfing techniques to move his skateboard against open river banks.
Joining Zephyr
Tony Alva’s fantastic series of wins started by joining the Zephyr team alongside Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta.
Similarly, the Z-boys were the first to bring skating in an empty swimming pool as a massive trend.
By then, Alva invented the dangerous stunt of vertical skating.
In the Del Mar National of 1975, the Z-team amazed the crowd with their creative freestyling no one ever dared to do.
In the ABC Wide World of Sports, 1977, young Alva won the slalom competition without breaking a sweat.
With his massive growth, Tony met with celebrities like Bunker Spreckles. The icon taught the skater how to be a Rockstar.
Consequently, Tony ended up creating a Rockstar image for himself in the skateboarding mania.
Following a hit in skateboarding events, the Z-team invented swimming pool skating. It instantly grew on them as all of them were surfers.
His photo of doing the Frontside Air taken by Glen E. Friedman is known as the start of modern skateboarding.
Business Career
Apart from winning championships, Alva created his own line of skateboards.
While he established Alva Skates, it was one of the first companies to use layered Canadian maple wood.
Surprisingly, the company was the first to be owned and created by a skateboarder itself.
After 28 years of its opening, Alva opened two retail stores in Southern California.
As a result, his Z-team attended the opening party, and Tony himself dJed the function.
During the venture, he also invented the Rip Grip. The material could stick to the underside of the skateboard for better grip.
VANS Team
After the fame, Alva started his long-standing work with VANS in 1974.
The popular skater helped the company design the off-the-wall skateboard shoe, one of the original skate shoes.
Unlike other rough skaters, Tony Alva liked being stylish with the skater’s shoes.
Consequently, his father used to buy him VANS from a very young age as gifts.
Music Career
As a creative man, Tony Alva began experimenting as a bass player.
He started with the Californian band “Skoundrelz” to bring his “bad boy” image.
After that, he took up a spot with the Junkyard band.
Next, he formed his own band G.F.P (General Fucking Principle).
Finally, he started playing with the His Eyes Have Fangs in 2013.
Acting Career
Regardless of his packed career, he chose to enter into the acting world as well.
The TV Show Hot Shots picked up the pro skateboarder, where the Z-team showcased their skating skills.
Next, he got featured in the fictionalized documentary on Dogtown and Z-Boys called Lords of Dogtown.
Later in 2006, he signed for promo videos with VANS.
After that, he appeared in the A&E reality show Storage Wars for promoting skateboarding.
Stoner band Fu Manchu went on to feature him in their album cover of The Action is Go.
Finally, he recently appeared on the Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, directed by Stacy Peralta.
Awards and Honors
Alva holds the 1975 USA World Skateboard Champion title.
Moreover, he was voted “Skateboarder of the Year” by the Skateboarder’s Magazine.
Evidently, he also set the Guineas World Record for barrel jumping.
Tony Alva: Controversies
As a hot-headed teen in his early years, Tony Alva was into drugs and marijuana.
One time, his manager mentioned the Z-Boys trashed a hotel while traveling to Canada.
The risky behavior led to the short downfall of the legend. He was addicted to drugs.
Nevertheless, he found a spiritual awakening.
After overcoming his addiction, he became clean for more than a decade.
Following such controversies, he no longer uses drugs and focuses on his lasting career.
Tony Alva: Net worth
Alva is the guy everyone wanted to be. He had talent that earned him good money.
Tony Alva has a net worth of $12 million.
The earnings are aided by his growing business, media appearances as well as music shows.
The champion is living a happy life with his wife in a lavish crib and fancy cars.
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Tony Alva: Social Media
With a massive fan following, Tony Alva is extremely popular across all his social media.
His Instagram handle has well over 168k followers.
Next, his Twitter handle has over 5k followers.
Moreover, on his Facebook page, he amassed over 258k followers.
Despite his growing age, he remains one of the most famous skateboarders of all time.
Trivia on Alva
- Alva ranked 6th on the 20 Richest Skateboarders of 2020 with a net worth of $12 million.
- He fell into the trap of drug abuse due to his fame during the 2000s. However, the star has been clean for more than 18 years.
- The champion helps poor children to skate.
- Collaborating with VANS, he helped children in need through the charity called Pass the Bucket.
FAQs
Is Tony Alva alive?
Yes, he is 64 years old and the oldest living modern skateboarder.
Is Tony Alva married?
Yes, he is married to a fashion designer, Katy Rodriguez.
