Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion who became an iconic action star and led the hit series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died. He was 86 years old.
Norris was hospitalized in Hawaii on Thursday, and his family released a statement Friday saying he died that morning. “While we would like to keep his circumstances private, we want you to know that he was peacefully surrounded by his family,” his family wrote.
“To the world, he was a martial artist, an actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, a wonderful brother, and the heart of our family,” the statement continued. “He lived his life with faith, purpose, and unwavering dedication to those he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions of people around the world and left a lasting impact on many lives.”
As an action star, Norris had an authenticity that few others could match. Not only did he star opposite the legendary Bruce Lee in the 1972 film The Way of the Dragon (also known as Return of the Dragon), but he was also a bona fide martial arts champion, having earned a black belt in judo, a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a 5th degree black belt in karate, an 8th degree black belt in Taekwondo, and a 9th degree Taekwondo black belt. Tansudo black belt, Chungkukdo black belt 10th degree.
Norris was very prolific in the late 1970s and 1980s, appearing in the films Delta Force, Missing in Action, The Good Guys Were Black (1978), The Octagon (1980), Lone Wolf McQuaid (1983), Code of Silence (1985), and Firewalker (1986). He appeared in 2007).
After seven years away from the screen, Norris co-starred with other action stars in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 2 in 2012.
Although Norris scored high on authenticity, he never incorporated humor into his work like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, or Jackie Chan. Nevertheless, he was the action star of choice for all-American icon seekers.
In 1984, Norris starred in Missing in Action, the first in a series of films centered on the rescue of American prisoners of war who were captured during the Vietnam War and are said to be still being held. (Norris’ brother Wieland had been killed while serving in Vietnam, and Norris dedicated the film “Missing” to his brother’s memory, but critics of Norris and producer Cannon Films argued that the film borrowed too much from the central conceit of Stallone’s highly successful “Rambo” films.)
As Norris’ film career began to decline, he made a timely turn to television, starring in the CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger, which was inspired by his film McQuaid and Lone Wolf. The show aired from 1993 to 2001, and the actor reprized his role as Cordell Walker in the TV movies Walker, Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion (1994) and Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005). (Also in 2005, Norris made his last feature film, The Cutter, which was released straight to DVD.)
In his later years, Norris was depicted in memes chronicling fictional and often absurd feats associated with him, such as “Chuck Norris kills 100% of germs” and “Paper beats stone, stone beats scissors, scissors beat paper, but Chuck Norris beats all three at the same time.” In his later years, Norris appeared in infomercials for training equipment and became an increasingly outspoken political conservative.
Carlos Ray Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma. His father served as a soldier in World War II. In 1958 he joined the Air Force as an Air Force Police Officer (AP, equivalent to the Army’s Congressman). While serving at Osan Air Base in South Korea, Norris was first given the nickname “Chuck” and began training in tangsudo (also known as tangsudo), which led to accomplishments in other martial arts and the development of the hybrid style Jeongkukdo (“universal path”). He returned to the United States and served as an AP at March Air Force Base in California.
After leaving the military in 1962, Norris worked for the aerospace company Northrop and opened a chain of karate schools. The school’s celebrity clients included Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny Osmond, and Marie Osmond.
Norris made his acting debut in an uncredited role in the 1969 cult Matt Helm film The Wrecking Crew, starring Dean Martin. Norris met Bruce Lee at a martial arts demonstration in Long Beach, California, and played Lee’s nemesis in the 1972 film The Way of the Dragon (retitled Return of the Dragon for U.S. distribution). In 1974, McQueen encouraged Norris to take acting classes at MGM.
Norris made his first starring role in the 1977 action film Breaker! Breaker!, playing a truck driver searching for his missing brother in a town with a corrupt judge.
The actor proved his box office prowess in subsequent films The Good Guys Wear Black (1978), The Octagon (1980), An Eye for an Eye (1981), and Lone Wolf McQuaid.
Norris began starring in films for Cannon Pictures in 1984. Over the next four years, he became Cannon’s most prominent star, appearing in eight films, including three Missing in Action films. “Code of Silence” is qualitatively one of his best films, comparable to the two “Delta Force” films and “Firewalker.” Norris’ older brother Aaron Norris produced several of these films and was also a producer on Walker, Texas Ranger.
A longtime supporter of conservative politicians, he wrote several books on Christian and patriotic themes.
Norris was married twice, first to Diane Holecek from 1958 until their divorce in 1988.
He is survived by his second wife, Gina O’Kelly, whom he married in 1998. three sons, Eric, Mike, and Dakota, and daughters, Danilee and Dina. and several grandchildren.
