Skeet Ulrich was born to a restauranteur father and a businesswoman mother, who ran a management company for racers in North Carolina, The New York Times noted in a 1997 profile. His parents divorced when he was 3, leading to a tumultuous relationship with his father. "I didn't really have a dad," Skeet told Los Angeles Magazine in 2010. When Skeet was 6, his father kidnapped him and his older brother, Geof, moving the family frequently to prevent their mother from finding them. Skeet and Geof returned home to their mother three years later.
His mother later married D.K. Ulrich, a former NASCAR driver who became the main father figure in his life, according to the NYT. That's when he left his biological father's name behind and adopted his stepfather's. His mother and D.K. later divorced, but Skeet continued to regard the racecar driver as his father.
His first name, however, was not his doing. "I'm not that dumb," Skeet told Entertainment Weekly in 2006. He acquired the moniker still in childhood, when a coach likened his slender physique and agility to that of a mosquito, the NYT noted. While Skeet may not love the nickname, it stuck for good. And he has learned to embrace the physical traits that inspired it. "49 years ago today and my legs are just as skinny," Skeet captioned a newborn photo of himself he shared on Instagram to mark his birthday in 2019.
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