This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.4.78.19 (talk) at 16:35, 28 February 2006 (the fate of the world). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:35, 28 February 2006 by 66.4.78.19 (talk) (the fate of the world)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Carlos Ray Norris Jr., known as Chuck Norris, (born March 10, 1940), is a martial artist, an American action star, and Hollywood actor.
Biography
Beginnings
A native of Ryan, Oklahoma, Norris has two younger brothers, Wieland and Aaron Norris, the latter of which is a Hollywood producer. Norris' Great Uncle is the American Novelist Frank Norris. Norris was born to an alcoholic Cherokee Indian father and Irish mother. 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 unathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre. Kids would taunt his mixed ethnicity — wistfully he wanted to beat up his tormenters.
Norris finished high school and soon married his girlfriend, Diane Holechek. In 1958 Norris joined the United States Air Force as a Military Policeman 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, an interest that would segue into black belts in Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwon Do, both Korean martial arts, Shinto-Ryu Karate, and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; and the founding of the Chun Kuk Do ("Universal Way") form and the education association (United Fighting Arts Federation). When he returned to the states he continued to act as an MP at March Air Force Base California. Norris was discharged in August of 1962 without seeing combat. He worked for the Northrop corporation and opened a chain of karate schools, which the son of Steve McQueen attended.
Rise to fame
In 1968, Norris became Middleweight Karate champion (non-contact), a title he held for seven 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 Bruce Lee. In 1972, he acted as Bruce Lee's nemesis in the movie Way of the Dragon, and in 1974, McQueen encouraged him to begin acting classes at the MGM Studio.
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 villain 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. .
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.
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, who 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 16th, 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.
Family
In 1963, his son Mike was born; 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.
Recent years
Norris has spoken out with his wife in favor of teaching Bible elective classes in public schools. He has also authored the fictional "Justice Riders." In 2005 Norris founded the World Combat League.
chuck norris is decieving us all. the man that was chuck norris is no more. he died with the ninjas of old and an alien took over his body. it first ate his insides then went after his kittens. but the fact that they were evil kept him from living in the alien's true form. and he had to take the form of chuck norris. therefore it has a knack for eating small babies and wetting his bed. if anyone has anything else to add to this, DO IT!! the fate of the world may hang in the perverbial balance of time and death.
Trivia
- In 1990, Norris founded the non-profit organization Kick Drugs Out of America. It has since been renamed KICKSTART.
- Chuck Norris became an 8th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, the first in the Western Hemisphere to achieve this feat. He is considered a "Grand Master" in this discipline.
- Norris once did a recording session with Alan Morse of Spock's Beard .
- Chuck Norris teaches Tang Soo Do.
- Late-'80s teen singer Tiffany once bought a house formerly owned by Norris.
Filmography
- The Wrecking Crew (1969)
- Way of the Dragon (1972)
- The Student Teachers (1973)
- Slaughter in San Francisco (1974)
- The Warrior Within (1976) (documentary)
- Bruce Lee, the Legend (1977) (documentary)
- Breaker! Breaker! (1977)
- Good Guys Wear Black (1978)
- A Force of One (1979)
- The Octagon (1980)
- An Eye for an Eye (1981)
- Silent Rage (1982)
- Forced Vengeance (1982)
- Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
- Missing in Action (1984)
- Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
- The Delta Force (1986)
- Sidekicks (1992)
- Bells of Innocence (2003)
- Dodgeball (2004)
- The Cutter (2005)
Bibliography
- Against All Odds, an autobiography
- The Justice Riders, Wild West novels
Notes
- "At Dinner with: Chuck Norris", The New York Times, May 12, 1993
- "Chuck Norris — Strong, Silent, Popular", The New York Times, September 1, 1985
- "At Dinner with: Chuck Norris", The New York Times, May 12, 1993
- Ibid.
- "Chuck Norris — Strong, Silent, Popular", The New York Times, September 1, 1985