Background and career
Jason Shannon Acuña (born May 16, 1973), better known by his stage name Wee Man, is an Italian-born American stunt performer, television personality, professional skateboarder, and actor. He is one of the stars of the reality comedy series Jackass and the host of Fox Sports Net's skateboarding show 54321. Acuña has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism.
Wee Man was born Jason Acuña in Pisa, Italy, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army at the time. He grew up in Torrance, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, and attended North High School. He is of Mexican and German descent. He got his nickname from World Industries CEO Steve Rocco's brother Sal, who was the warehouse manager at the time. He was the subscription manager for the skateboard magazine Big Brother. His association with that magazine led him to become involved with the Jackass television series in 2000. Acuña's Jackass antics include skating as an Oompa-Loompa, kicking himself in the head, dressing as a king while rolling Johnny Knoxville down a staircase in a red carpet, and doing deep-knee bends while holding basketball star Shaquille O'Neal on his back. A recurring gag involves Preston Lacy asking someone to help him with his bags, only to have Acuña pop out, causing Lacy to chase him. In 2007, Acuña starred in the reality TV series Armed and Famous, and in July 2007, Acuña appeared on TV as a host of MTV's Scarred. Acuña appeared on the first season of NBC's Celebrity Circus. In the fourth week of competition, he became the first contestant to receive a perfect score (a 10-point average). Acuña ended the season in third place. Acuña is an investor in the Chronic Tacos chain of fast casual Mexican restaurants. His first franchise location opened in 2010 in Redondo Beach, California. After a few years of trying to make this location a success, Acuña closed the location permanently, and in February 2018, he opened a Chronic Tacos franchise in Long Beach, California. In 2012, Acuña starred in the direct-to-video holiday film Elf-Man as the title character. This was his first role in a family-friendly feature film.
