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Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, the son of Wilma (Scarberry), who
was eighteen when Norris was born, and Ray Norris, a truck and bus
driver and mechanic. Norris's paternal grandfather (an immigrant) and
maternal grandmother were Irish, while his paternal grandmother and
maternal grandfather were Cherokee Native Americans. Norris was named
after Carlos Berry, his father's minister.He has two younger brothers,
Weiland (deceased) and Aaron (a Hollywood producer). When Norris was
ten, his parents divorced,and he later relocated to Prairie Village,
Kansas and then Torrance, California with his mother and
brothers.Norris describes his childhood as downbeat. He was
nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre. Other children taunted
him about his mixed ethnicity, and Norris daydreamed about beating up
his tormentors. Norris mentioned in his autobiography that his father
had a very serious problem with drinking and "wasn't there" a lot for
him growing up. Norris admitted that he loved his father but did not
like him. However, he professed that he only felt pity for the man
because "that was just how he was, and he missed so much."
Norris finished high school and soon married his girlfriend, Kim
Durnthaler. He then joined the United States Air Force as an Air
Policeman in 1958 and was sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea. It was
in South Korea that Norris acquired the nickname Chuck and began his
training in Tang Soo Do (tangsudo), an interest that would lead to
black belts in that art and the founding of the Chun Kuk Do
("Universal Way") form. He also created the education associations
United Fighting Arts Federation and "KickStart" (formerly "Kick Drugs
Out of America"), a middle school and high school–based program
intended to give at-risk children a focus point in life through the
martial arts. When he returned to the United States of America, he
continued to act as an AP at March Air Force Base California. Norris
was discharged in August of 1962. He worked for the Northrop
Corporation and opened a chain of karate schools, which Chad McQueen,
Steve McQueen's son, attended.
Norris' career in tournament karate began on a losing note. He was
defeated in his first two tournaments, dropping decisions to Joe Lewis
and Allan Steen and three matches at the International Karate
Championships to Tony Tulleners. However, by 1967, Norris began to
demonstrate his skill and scored victories over the likes of Joe
Lewis, Skipper Mullins, Arnold Urquidez, Victor Moore, Ron Marchini,
and Steve Sanders. In early 1968, Norris suffered the fifth and last
loss of his career, losing an upset decision to Louis Delgado.
However, on November 24, 1968, he avenged his defeat to Delgado and in
the process won the Professional Middleweight Karate champion
(non-contact) title, which he held for six consecutive years. In 1969,
he won Karate's triple crown for the most tournament wins of the year,
and the fighter of the year award by Black Belt Magazine. It was also
in 1969 that Norris made his acting debut in the Dean Martin movie The
Wrecking Crew.
In 1970, his younger brother Weiland was killed in Vietnam. Norris
later dedicated his Missing in Action films to his brother's memory.
At a martial arts demonstration in Long Beach, Norris met the
soon-to-be famous martial artist Bruce Lee whom he respects and
considers as superior. In 1972, he acted as Bruce Lee's nemesis in the
movie Way of the Dragon (titled Return of the Dragon in its US
distribution), which is widely credited with launching his way into
stardom. In Asia, he is still known primarily for this role.
Chuck Norris vs Bruce Lee in Return of the Dragon Below are movie
posters from Return of the Dragon.
In 1974,
McQueen encouraged him to begin acting classes at MGM. Chuck Norris
retired with a karate record of 65–5, having avenged all of his
defeats.
Norris' first starring role was 1977's Breaker! Breaker!, and
subsequent films such as The Octagon (1980), An Eye for an Eye (1981),
and Lone Wolf McQuade proved his increasing box office bankability. In
1984, Norris starred in Missing in Action, the first of a series of
POW rescue fantasies produced by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and
Yoram Globus and released under their Cannon Films banner. Also in
that year, he was offered the part of the sensei of the Kobra Kai dojo
in the movie The Karate Kid, but declined the part. He reportedly did
not want to take part in depicting martial artists in an unfavorable
light. However, Norris disputes this story. On a February 9, 2006
episode of Adam Carolla's radio show, Norris said that he was never
offered the role. Norris noted that he was already playing leading
roles by the time The Karate Kid was in production.
Over the next four years, Norris became Cannon's most prominent star,
appearing in eight films, including Code of Silence, The Delta Force,
and Firewalker, in which he co-starred with Academy Award winner Louis
Gossett, Jr.. Many of the aforementioned films were produced by Chuck
Norris' brother Aaron, as were several episodes of Walker, Texas
Ranger. In 1986, he was involved in the production of the Ruby Spears
cartoon Karate Kommandos.
Norris made history in 1997 when he was the first Westerner in the
documented history of Tae Kwon Do to be given the rank of 8th Degree
Black Belt Grand Master. On July 1, 2000 he was presented the Golden
Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame.
Walker, Texas Ranger
By the close of the 1980s, Cannon Films had faded from prominence, and
Norris' star appeal seemed to go with it. He reprised his Delta Force
role for MGM, which had acquired the Cannon library after the latter's
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Norris went on to make several more largely
ignored films before making a transition to television. In 1993, he
began shooting the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which lasted eight
years on CBS and continued in heavy syndication on other channels.
On October 17, 2005, CBS premiered the Sunday night "Movie of the
Week" Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire. The production was a
continuation of the series, and not scripted to be a reunion movie.
Norris reprised his role as Cordell Walker for the movie. He has
stated that future Walker, Texas Ranger "Movie of the Week" projects
are expected, however, this was severely impaired by CBS' 2006–2007
season decision to no longer regularly schedule MOWs on Sunday night.
Personal life
In 1963, his first child with Holechek, a son named Mike, was born. A
daughter, Dina, was born in 1964, and a second son, Eric, followed in
1965. After 30 years of marriage, Norris and Holechek divorced in
1988. He married again in 1998, this time to former model Gena
O'Kelley, and she delivered twins in 2001: Dakota Alan Norris, a boy,
and Danilee Kelly Norris, a girl. Norris has always been a very loving
family man; it was noted in People that his adult sons still hug and
kiss him goodbye. "It's great my boys aren't afraid to show love,"
Norris said, "nothing can buy that". Norris's son, Mike, said of his
father: "Dad never had a lot of love growing up, but he has given me
and my brother all that he should have had in multiples". Both of
Norris's sons are married and he has 6 grandchildren including
American actress Gabby Di Ciolli.
Currently, Norris lives in north Dallas and owns a ranch between
Navasota, Texas and Anderson, Texas. He also has a small residence in
Los Angeles for when he does films or television shows. He works for
KickStart, which is located in Dallas and Houston.
Norris pinning corporal chevrons on United States Marine Corps
Corporal John Wright during a promotion ceremony at Camp Taqaddum in
the Al Anbar province of Iraq on November 2, 2006.Now an outspoken
Christian, Norris is the author of several Christian books, such as
The Justice Riders. He has also been in a few TV commercials promoting
Bible study and prayer in public schools, in addition to efforts to
reduce drug use. In 2006, he began penning a column for the
conservative news website WorldNetDaily. In his columns, he has
expressed beliefs that evolution does not exist, those who are
troubled should turn to Jesus, and is quoted as saying "true patriots"
do not stay clear of discussing religion and politics.
Norris serves on the board of directors of the NCBCPS, an organization
promoting the use of the Bible in public schools, and also speaks on
behalf of organizations advocating prayer in public schools.
Norris anchoring on Fox News Channel Hannity & ColmesNorris is a
political conservative, often championing values shared by the
Republican Party. Norris has donated over $32,000 to Republican
candidates and organizations since 1988.[11] On January 26, 2007
Norris filled in for Sean Hannity as a co-host on the popular Fox News
Channel debate program Hannity & Colmes alongside Alan Colmes.
Chun Kuk Do
Main article: Chun Kuk Do
Chuck Norris in 1976Norris created the martial art Chun Kuk Do, which
is based primarily on Tang Soo Do and includes elements from every
combat style he knows. Like many other martial arts Chun Kuk Do
includes a code of honor and rules to live by. These rules are from
Chuck Norris' personal code. They are:
I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.
I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater
achievements
I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in
my family
I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.
If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.
I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am
about my own.
I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness
I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this
respect at all times.
I will always remain loyal to God, my country, family and my friends.
I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that
positive attitude helps my family, my country, and myself.
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris Movie Poster Return of the Dragon
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