Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod

Johnson was born in the United States, and grew up in North York, Ontario, the child of Black and Irish parents. (Johnson has spoken on the racism they faced for their mixed marriage.) Johnson was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child; he would later memorize all the lines for ''BodyBreak''.

The captain of his high school's hockey, baseball, basketball and football teams, Johnson attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, earning a business degree. An all-star first baseman, he represented Canada at the World Baseball Championship.

For a 10 year period, Johnson lived in the United States, attending the University of Colorado, and living in Washington, D.C., Long Beach, San Francisco, Denver, and Boulder.

After his athletic career, Johnson was hired at TSN as a sports reporter. Network executives rescinded that offer the same day it was made, stating that they didn't want a second Black reporter. As an extra in an advertisement for Woodbine Racetrack, during the 1980s, Johnson was moved so that he wouldn't be sitting next to a white woman. These experiences of racism, as well as the experiences of his parents, helped push Johnson to create ''BodyBreak'' as a countermeasure. The show deliberately sought inclusive casting. Johnson has commented that "the media has not only a tremendous responsibility, but a tremendous power" to influence public perception and acceptance. In 2020, the topic of racism became central, following the protests initiated by the murder of George Floyd. Johnson recorded an unscripted video titled "How We Battled Racism". The video received wide attention in Canada, and led to Johnson speaking on the subject on many media outlets. TSN issued an apology.

Johnson appeared on ''Off the Record with Michael Landsberg'' over 100 times. He acted in various television series between 1988 and 1990, including day player roles in ''T. and T.'', ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', and ''E.N.G.''

Johnson is famous for his thick moustache, which he shaved at some point before his 2013 audition for ''The Amazing Race Canada''. Provided by Wikipedia