Mykel Hawke
Mykel Hawke | |
|---|---|
| File:Mykel Hawke, November 2012.jpg Mykel Hawke | |
| Born | Mykel A.G. "Hawke" Pierce November 29, 1965 |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, author, Director of International Operations |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Ruth England (2005–present) |
Mykel "Myke" Hawke (born November 29, 1965) is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer,[1] best known for his role in the Discovery Channel series Man, Woman, Wild, where he co-stars with his wife, Ruth England, a British television presenter and actress. He is also the author[2] of several books, most recently Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual.
Early life and career
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from New York University and a Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. A combat veteran, Hawke served as both an enlisted soldier and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Special Forces ("Green Berets"), attaining the rank of captain. He fought rebels and trained UN peacekeepers in war-torn Africa and did combat search and rescue missions during the drug war in Colombia. Also of note is that he has earned black belts in both Aikido and Judo.
His first television job on season seven of MTV's Road Rules, 1998, where he played both the good guy who trained the kids to recover their kidnapped chihuahua and then played the bad guy on Snake Island taking the cast down one by one. Mykel was also one of four survival experts featured in the Discovery Channel's short-lived series, Science of Survival. In episode 2, "Escape from the Amazon", Mykel spends three days in the Amazon reducing his survival gear each successive day.[3] Later, he continued in the showbiz industry with various jobs such as a security and medic for shows like Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami and Fox Reality Channel's Paradise Hotel 2, which he also appeared in.
Military Service
Mykel Hawke | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 29, 1965 Fort Knox, Kentucky |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Awards | Special Forces Combat Infantry Badge US Army Airborne Master Parachutist Badge |
| Other work | Actor, Instructor, Public Speaker |
Mykel joined the US Army in 1982. He served on active duty for a total of 12 years; he also served in the Reserves and Guard for another 12 years. He was a Sergeant First Class (E-7) before he took a commission as an Officer, 18A.
He held three Enlisted, Special Forces Military Occupational Skills (MOS):
- Special Forces Medic, 18D
- Special Forces Communicator, 18E
- Special Forces Intelligence Operations, 18F
Mykel received pay for three languages, the maximum number authorized. He retired in 2011 from the U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Man, Woman, Wild (2010-2012)
The show features Hawke and his wife, Ruth, as they have to survive for a half week with limited supplies in wild and inhospitable locations around the world.[4][5]
One Man Army (2011-present)
Hawke also hosts the Discovery Channel show,[6] One Man Army, in which personnel from backgrounds such as special operations, military, law enforcement, and extreme sports, compete in three areas of speed, strength, and intelligence to win prize money.
Elite Tactical Unit (2013-present)
The Outdoor Channel is set to be airing a new program entitled Elite Tactical Unit: SWAT in January 2013. In the show, Hawke will serve as host while 14 real-life SWAT professionals compete in weekly team elimination challenges.[7]
Other endeavors
Mykel and Ruth both appeared as guest judges on Bravo's Top Chef Masters where they had to judge dishes created using insects as the primary ingredient. Hawke also appeared as a judge on Food Network's second season premiere of Extreme Chef.
Mykel appeared as a survivalist instructor in season 5 episode 7 of The Simple Life, 2007.
Hawke appeared in the UK Channel 4 series Tool Academy episode 5, 2011.
Hawke also appeared as part of the helicopter rescue team in the 2009 reality television series Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment.
Hawke also was a survival director in Bizarre Foods Survival Special.
Hawke has teamed up with Tops Knives to create his custom survival knife, the Hawke's Hellion 2020, a machete like tool with a sharpening tool, firesteel, whistle, and survival saw. He is also in partnership with Smoky Mountain Knife Works, producing The Mykel Hawke line of survival knives and gear.
Hawke made his first film appearance in the live-action film Dirty Sanchez: The Movie. The film centers around the Dirty Sanchez TV series. Crew performing dangerous stunts in connection to the 7 Deadly Sins. In one of the sins, Gluttony, the Dirty Sanchez Crew spend four days in the Mexican desert without food and drink. Hawke serves as their mentor during their time in the desert, forcing them to carry out various survival techniques, such as killing and cooking live animals and drinking their own urine.
Hawke established a combat medic school in Azerbaijan.[8]
Bibliography
- Hawke's Special Forces Survival Handbook: The Portable Guide to Getting Out Alive Running Press (April 26, 2011) ISBN 978-0-7624-4064-1
- Hawke's Green Beret Survival Manual Running Press (June 9, 2009) ISBN 978-0-7624-3358-2
- The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast Paladin Press (September 1, 2000) ISBN 978-1-58160-096-4 (Authored under pen-name A.G. Hawke)
- In the Dark of the Sun Pixel Dragon Designs (August 24, 2010) ISBN 978-0-9829316-0-8 (Thriller co-authored with Kim Martin)
Accolades
References
- ^ "About Mykel Hawke : Man, Woman, Wild : Discovery Channel". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ "Discovery Channel:: I Shouldn't Be Alive: Science of Survival". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ Man, Woman, Wild press material, Discovery.com
- ^ Survival shows are now the fittingest on television, Gary Strauss, USA Today, August 27, 2010 (Retrieved August 28, 2010)
- ^ "One Man Army : Discovery Channel". Discovery Channel. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ ""Elite Tactical Unit: S.W.A.T." Launching on Outdoor Channel in 2013". Outdoor Channel. PR Newswire. August 28, 2012.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Man, Woman, Wild". Man, Woman, Wild. Discovery.com. Retrieved 1 October 2011.