Learn About The Most Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris

Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris, also known as Carlos Ray Norris, was born in America on March 10, 1940. He’s really good at martial arts and acting. He’s got black belts in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and judo. Before he became famous, he served in the Air Force. After that, he won a lot of martial arts contests and even started his own style called Chun Kuk Do. In Hollywood, he taught famous people martial arts.

The Career Of Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris

In 1969, he made his acting debut in a tiny role in the film The Wrecking Crew. In 1972, Bruce Lee, one of his friends, requested him to play a villain in The Way of the Dragon. Then, Steve McQueen, a different acquaintance, advised him to pursue acting professionally. Chuck Norris paid attention and went on to act in the hit film Breaker! Breaker! in 1977. Following that, he starred in the popular 1978 film Good Guys Wear Black. He went on to become a well-known action movie actor after that.

After his early successes, Chuck Norris starred in a bunch of action and martial arts movies. Some of these were A Force of One in 1979, The Octagon in 1980, and An Eye for an Eye in 1981. This made him really famous around the world. He also starred in bigger movies like Silent Rage in 1982, Forced Vengeance in 1982, and Lone Wolf McQuade in 1983.

Cannon Films noticed him and signed him up for lots of movies. The first one with them was Missing in Action in 1984, which did really well and had two more parts. In the 1980s, he mostly did action movies with Cannon, like Invasion U.S.A in 1985, The Delta Force in 1986, and Firewalker in 1986. Besides those, he made Code of Silence in 1985, which people liked a lot.

The Most Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris In the 1990s, he starred in a TV show called Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001. He kept acting in action movies until 2006, such as Delta Force 2 in 1990, The Hitman in 1991, Sidekicks in 1992, Forest Warrior in 1996, and The President’s Man in 2000 and its sequel in 2002. His latest movie role was in The Expendables 2 in 2012.

Famous Martial Artist After Bruce Lee
Famous Martial Artist After Bruce Lee

Throughout his time in movies and TV, Chuck Norris didn’t just stick to acting. He also wrote books on different topics like martial arts, exercise, philosophy, politics, Christianity, Western stories, and biographies. Twice, he became a bestselling author in the New York Times. The first time was with a book called The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story in 1988, where he shared his ideas on how to improve yourself based on his own experiences.

His second bestselling book was Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America in 2008, where he talked about what he thought was wrong in America. Norris also showed up in ads for different products, like Total Gym. In 2005, he got famous on the internet with “Chuck Norris facts,” which were jokes about his strength and abilities.

Even though he didn’t make these jokes himself, he ended up being part of ads that used them. This became a big deal, with six books (two of them bestsellers), two video games, and many TV appearances where he talked about the jokes or played along with them.

Competition Time Of Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris began competing in martial arts competitions. At first, he didn’t do so well. He lost in his first two tournaments to fighters like Joe Lewis and Allen Steen. Then, he lost three matches at the International Karate Championships against Tony Tulleners. But by 1967, Chuck had gotten much better. He started winning against fighters like Vic Moore. On June 3, 1967, Chuck won a karate tournament by beating seven opponents, including Skipper Mullins in the final fight.

Then, on June 24, he became the champion at the S. Henry Cho’s All-American Karate Championship at Madison Square Garden. He won the title from Julio LaSalle and defeated Joe Lewis. During this time, Chuck also worked at the Northrop Corporation and opened his own chain of karate schools. His website says that famous people like Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny Osmond, and Marie Osmond were some of the students at his schools.

Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris’s Early Life

Chuck Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, on March 10, 1940. His parents were Wilma and Ray Dee Norris. His dad did a lot of jobs like being a soldier in World War II, fixing things, and driving buses, and trucks. Norris says he has some Irish and Cherokee ancestors. He got his name from his dad’s pastor, Carlos Berry.

Chuck was the oldest of three brothers, with Wieland and Aaron being younger. Sadly, Wieland told Chuck he wouldn’t live past 27, which came true in 1970. When Chuck was sixteen, his parents split up. He then moved with his mom and brothers first to Prairie Village, Kansas, and later to Torrance, California.

Chuck Norris has said that when he was a kid, things weren’t great. He wasn’t good at sports, he was shy, and he didn’t do very well in school. His dad, Ray, sometimes worked as a car mechanic, but he also drank a lot, sometimes for months without stopping. Chuck felt really embarrassed by his dad’s actions and the fact that his family didn’t have much money. This made him very shy and quiet all through his childhood.

Personal Life Of Famous Martial Artist Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris got married to his high school classmate, Dianne Kay Holechek, in December 1958. He was 18 years old, and Dianne was 17 when they tied the knot. They first met back in 1956 when they were in high school in Torrance, California. They had their first child, Mike, in 1962. Chuck also had a daughter in 1963 from a relationship outside of marriage. Later, in 1964, he and Dianne had another son named Eric.

However, after being married for 30 years, they divorced in 1989, after separating in 1988 while Chuck was filming The Delta Force 2. Then, on November 28, 1998, Chuck married Gena O’Kelley, who used to be a model and is 23 years younger than him. Gena had two children from her previous marriage. She gave birth to twins on August 30, 2001.

In September 22, 2004, Chuck shared with Mary Hart from Entertainment Tonight that he didn’t meet his daughter from a previous relationship until she was 26. She found out Chuck was her dad when she was 16, but they only met after she sent him a letter in 1990, a year after Chuck’s divorce from his first wife, Dianne Holechek. As of 2017, Chuck Norris had thirteen grandchildren.

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