Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera[4] (/mɑːrˈdʒɛərə/ mar-JAIR-ə; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker.

Following the death of childhood friend Ryan Dunn and the end of his television projects in 2011–12, Margera's drinking and drug use intensified.

[7] Margera got his first video camera from his father in 1993[8] after he enrolled in a digital media class with childhood friend Chris Raab, where they also met future collaborators Art Webb, Brandon DiCamillo, and Ryan Dunn.

These early videos feature many of Margera's friends, including Dunn, Raab, DiCamillo, Rake Yohn and Brandon Novak, who formed a loose collective known as the CKY crew.

Following CKY's success, former Big Brother editor Jeff Tremaine noticed Margera's videos and drafted him into the team that would eventually become MTV's Jackass.

The show was primarily filmed in West Chester but also visited New Orleans, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Brazil, Finland, Mexico, Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Monaco, and Transylvania.

His brother Jess later described his abilities as "a natural talent" and noted that their parents had been very supportive of Margera's decision to go into skateboarding "from day one", and revealed that he used to travel with Bam to Love Park in Philadelphia as early as 1991, when they were 12 and 13 years old.

He co-wrote, directed and starred in Haggard (2003), an independent film based on real events in the life of his friend Ryan Dunn.

The film will deal primarily with Margera's life after the death of his close friend and co-star, Ryan Dunn, who died in a car crash in 2011.

According to Margera the film has been three years in the making, and will give viewers a glimpse into his childhood, career and rise to fame, while focusing mainly on his recovery from the death of Dunn.

[33] During a Facebook Q&A on December 7, 2015, Margera stated that the name of the film would change from I Need Time to Stay Useless to Earth Rocker and that it would be released February 2016.

A second project, The Evesdroppers, featuring Bam, Jess, Nikki, Mike Nappi, and Chad I Ginsburg, released a self-titled album in September 2016 through Casual Madness.

[39] Serious restrictions from West Chester Borough Council caused a multitude of issues for Margera and the bar, and The Note closed its doors in January 2014.

[44] The events leading up to their wedding (with about 350 friends and family in attendance) on February 3, 2007, in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were chronicled on the MTV series Bam's Unholy Union.

In 2008, during an appearance on LA Ink, Margera told Kat Von D about $13,000 in damage that occurred during his wedding celebration, explaining, "I was kind of ready for it, though.

[58] In an October 24, 2007, interview with the Cleveland Free Times, Margera stated that although he had completed paperwork that would legally change his first name to Bam, he was "still debating" filing it after a conversation with his father.

After getting in better shape, he relocated to Barcelona, Spain, with his family to focus on his skating career in late 2016, but moved back to Pennsylvania in 2017, before his son was born.

In a 90-minute interview with YouTube series The Nine Club recorded and released in November 2017, Margera discussed his health issues and alcoholism, claiming that he had been "mostly sober" since 2015.

[66] In January 2019, one year after his previous attempt, Margera entered rehab once more,[64] but left after ten days, stating that he "didn't belong there", and was planning on beating his alcoholism on his own.

[67] In March 2019, TMZ released a video showing Margera screaming at and threatening his manager at West Side Comedy Club in New York City.

On August 3, 2019, a drunken Margera was removed from a commercial airline flight following an altercation with an airport police officer, who told him he was too intoxicated to fly.

He directed a lengthy tirade towards his mother April, wife Nikki Margera, and childhood friend Brandon Novak, candidly stating his relationship with his family is broken.

[86] By June 4 police had located and taken custody of Margera in Los Angeles, California, after which he was involuntarily committed to a mental health facility for evaluation via a 5150 hold.

[90] In July 2013, Margera was arrested at Keflavík Airport in Iceland, having left the country without paying damages following a rental car dispute the year before.

Margera had rented a Toyota Land Cruiser during a vacation in Iceland in 2012, which he had returned in "terrible shape" five days later, but left the country before paying for the damage.

[92] On April 23, 2023, police were dispatched to Margera's home after he allegedly made death threats to his brother and subsequently punched him in the face.

Prosecutors questioned whether his bail should be revoked due to these incidents, prompting Margera to appear before Judge Patrick Carmody and pledge his commitment to sobriety.

The judge allowed Margera to remove his ankle bracelet temporarily to assess his alcohol use, with a warning of consequences for any future violations.

[99] Margera alleged that Paramount had been forcing him to take antidepressants, submit to random urine tests, and to check in to two different rehabilitation facilities using his own money.

[102] On August 9, 2021, Margera filed a lawsuit against Tremaine, Knoxville, and Jonze, as well as against Paramount Pictures, MTV, Dickhouse Entertainment, and Gorilla Flicks, alleging that he was wrongfully fired from the production of Jackass Forever.