Chuck Norris is a martial arts World Champion, a martial arts teacher, a powerboat racer, an actor and a television personality.
Carlos Ray Norris Jr. was born to Wilma Scarberry and Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, USA on 10 March, 1940. Both his parents are half Native American Cherokee and half Irish. While in school Norris is said to have been ridiculed by his classmates for being reserved, non-athletic and average in studies, and also for belonging to a mixed ethnicity.
Soon after Norris completed high school, he married his girlfriend Diane Holechek and then joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman. In 1958, he was sent to South Korea where he developed a penchant for martial arts. He also earned the sobriquet of “Chuck” while serving in the Air Force. He went on to become the World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion and held the title for six consecutive years. He also made an excellent martial arts teacher and many of his students became famous. He founded and presides over the United Fighting Arts Federation whose members include more than 2,300 black belts worldwide.
In 1969, Norris made his acting debut in The Wrecking Crew starring Dean Martin. His route to stardom became clear after he worked with Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon. His first starring role came his way in 1977 with Breaker! Breaker! This was followed by other box-office hits like The Octagon (1980), An Eye for an Eye (1981) and Love Wolf McQuade. Under the banner of Cannon Films, Chuck took up the Missing in Action series and also worked on several other movies. Chuck switched over to television during the early nineties. For CBS he played Cordell “Cord” Walker in the series of Walker, Texas Ranger, which was on air for nearly eight years. Attempts are being made to revive the series.
In 1991, he achieved another milestone as an offshore powerboat racer and also won the World Offshore Powerboat Championships in 1991 with his team and sponsor “Popeye Chicken”. He also has a world record for covering 605 miles in 12 hours and 8 minutes on a 38 feet long Scarab boat.
On the personal front, Chuck is known to be a family man and a loving father to both his sons and daughter. His first marriage ended in a divorce after thirty years. Chuck then married Gena O’Kelley with whom he has twins – a son and a daughter.
Chuck Norris Facts (satirical notes on martial arts) has gained prominence in popular culture. Of his many roles, Chuck would like to be remembered as a humanitarian. He is very active in a number of NGOs and has won several humanitarian awards.
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