David Michael Bautista, Jr. was born on January 18, 1969, in Washington, D.C., to Donna Raye (Mullins) and David Michael Bautista, a hairdresser.
He is of Filipino and Greek ancestry.
When WCW officials told him he’d never make it in sports entertainment, Bautista pushed himself to become a Superstar. He debuted on SmackDown in May 2002 under the ring name Batista, but it wasn’t until a move to Raw and two victories over Kane that “The Animal” made a name for himself in the WWE Universe. The victories impressed Ric Flair and Triple H, who were looking to align themselves with the industry’s brightest new stars. They found Randy Orton and Batista after a lengthy search. The four Superstars were dubbed Evolution as a group.
Batista won his first championship with “The Nature Boy” in December 2003, when the duo won the WWE Tag Team Championships. Batista began to emerge from the shadows of Triple H and Ric Flair as Evolution dominated WWE. When Batista won the Royal Rumble Match in 2005, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H saw him as a serious threat to his title.
Dave Bautista’s top movies and TV shows
Movies and TV shows starring Dave Bautista include Army of the Dead (2021), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018), and Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019).
Dave Bautista awards and nominations
He received a nomination from the Central Ohio Film Critics Association. The COFCA Award (2015)
He received the Detroit Film Critics Society Awards (DFCS) (2014).
