Background and career
Robert Edward Knievel II (May 7, 1962 – January 13, 2023) was an American motorcycle jumping stunt performer. He had also used the stage name Kaptain Robbie Knievel. His last daredevil jump was in 2011, and he died in 2023 at age 60 of pancreatic cancer.
Robbie Knievel was born on May 7, 1962, the son of stuntman Robert "Evel" Knievel and his first wife, Linda. He was the second of four children. Knievel began jumping his bicycle when he was four years old and learned how to ride motorcycles by the age of seven. He performed his first show with his father at Madison Square Garden when he was eight. On tour with his father when he was twelve, he would perform in the pre-jump shows. Knievel attended Central Catholic High School in Butte, Montana between 1975 and 1976, but never graduated. He wanted to lengthen his jumps, but his father disapproved. Knievel then went solo after his father's approval.
Knievel's jumping career was markedly different from his father's. Most notably, Knievel used Honda CR500 motocross bikes, whereas his father made most of his record-breaking jumps using a Harley-Davidson XR-750 motorcycle. The XR-750 is 90 pounds heavier, and the Honda is a motocross bike, whereas the Harley is a flat-track racing motorcycle. Robbie often replicated Evel's jumps, including Evel's 1967 Caesars Palace crash, except for two of his father's major accomplishments – a Harley-Davidson XR-750 jump and the Snake River Canyon jump using the Skycycle X-2. Although never attempted, Robbie stated that he wanted to use a Harley to clear a record-breaking 16 buses, three more buses than his father attempted at Wembley Stadium in 1975. Additionally, Robbie stated that he would attempt to re-create his father's 1974 failed rocket jump over the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls, Idaho.
Knievel used red-white-and-blue V-shaped jumpsuits, similar to his father's famous white leather jumpsuit. Throughout his career, Robbie Knievel had three notable jumpsuit styles:
A white jumpsuit with a red V lined with white stars used as a teenager touring with his father A white jumpsuit with a blue V lined with white stars and a removable cape used throughout his professional career A black jumpsuit with a white V lined with blue stars used in 2009 for the Las Vegas Mirage jump and promotional photos for the possible XR-750 Wembley jump. A second black jumpsuit with a white V lined with red stars was used in promotional photographs in 2010 and 2011 but not used in a jump.
Robbie completed over 340 jumps, setting 20 world records.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
