Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist,
actor, film producer and screenwriter, born in Ryan, Oklahoma on March 10,
1940. Norris is best known for his mastery of martial arts and all-around badassery in famous
action film such as “Code of Silence” (1985), “Delta Force 2” (1990), “The Hitman” (1991)
and so on. Norris is also known the world for Chun Kuk Do, the martial art that he founded.
Chuck joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) in 1958 and was sent to South
Korea, where Norris acquired the nickname "Chuck" and began his training in the martial art of Tang
Soo Do. After returning to America, he continued in Airforce until 1962. When excelling in martial
arts, he opened his own Karate school, did demonstrations and fights in all kinds of events.
Chuck made his acting debut with the film "The Wrecking Crew" in the year 1969. In 1972, he
acted as the nemesis of Bruce Lee in " The Way of the Dragon "; that was a widely acclaimed martial
arts film and helped pave his way to stardom. Norris then appeared in multiple films inside
roles as well as main roles with his significant appearances are in films like "The Octagon"
(1980), "Missing in Action" trilogy, “Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection” (1990), and more.
Norris made his last film appearance to date in Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables 2" (2012).
Top five Chuck Norris movies of all time:
Chuck Norris has won several black belts in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and Judo,
including a 10th-grade black belt, along with multiple other Karate Championships and awards
for consecutive years. He received a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in 2010, as well as a few
other awards for his film appearances, but mostly the awards for martial arts.
The martial art Chun Kuk Do, which emphasizes self-defense, competition, weapons, grappling
and fitness, was founded by Chuck Norris while he was in the military in Korea. Each summer
the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF) holds a training conference and the Chun Kuk Do world
championship tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Norris has described his childhood as downbeat and he was nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre.
Norris, who was a World War II Army soldier, a mechanic, bus driver, and truck driver.
He was the oldest of three brothers,
the younger two being Wieland, and Aaron, a Hollywood producer.
Norris has described his childhood as downbeat and he was nonathletic,
shy, and scholastically mediocre. Norris has been married twice with four
kids and has one more child from an extramarital affair. His first marriage was with Dianne Kay
Holechek in December 1958, with whom he has two sons: Mike, born in 1962 and Eric,
born in 1964. After 30 years of marriage, Norris and Holechek divorce in 1989.
In November 1998, he married former model Gena O'Kelley,
23 years Norris' junior. She delivered twins on August 30, 2001, named Danilee and Dakota.
He also had a daughter Dina who was born in 1963 of an extramarital affair.
Chuck Norris was twice a New York Times bestselling author,
first with his book on his personal philosophy of positive force called
"The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story" (1988) and his second book, "Black Belt Patriotism:
How to Reawaken America" (2008), was about his critique on current issues in the USA.
In 2005, Norris found a new fame on the Internet when Chuck Norris facts became
an Internet meme documenting humorous, fictional and often absurd feats of strength and endurance.
Norris has been a longtime supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and
the United Way. In 1992, Norris started his own charitable organization called
Kickstart with help from President George Bush,
in order to provide martial arts training to middle-school
students to teach them respect and
discipline and to improve their self-esteem.
After years in Hollywood and a successful martial arts career, Chuck Norris has an estimated net worth of $70 million.
Norris recently listed his rustic estate in North Tustin at $3.5 million. With a total of
5,500-square-feet of living space, the four-bedroom, two-story house was built
in 1977, features its own lake, saltwater swimming pool, a bar, an outdoor barbecue set-up and a spa.