Chuck Norris is an American actor and producer who achieved international fame with the television series Walker, Texas Ranger. Although widely known for his acting career, Norris is also a legendary martial artist who won the World Middleweight Karate Championship six consecutive times without defeat. He is the founder of a unique martial art known as Chun Kuk Do, which he personally developed and introduced to the world.

Chuck Norris was born on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, United States, as the son of Wilma and Ray Norris. His father struggled with alcohol addiction, and when Norris was sixteen years old, his parents divorced. He moved to California with his mother and siblings. In his autobiography, Norris described his childhood as “shy, non-athletic, antisocial, and often bullied by other children.”

His introduction to martial arts began in 1958 when he joined the United States Air Police and was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea. There, he began training in Tang Soo Do, quickly mastering the discipline and earning a black belt. This foundation later became the basis for Chun Kuk Do.

Starting in 1964, Norris competed in numerous local and national karate tournaments, steadily refining his skills. His final competitive loss came in 1968 against Louis Delgado. From 1968 to 1974, he dominated the World Middleweight Karate Championship, winning the title for seven consecutive years. Over the course of 195 professional matches, Norris achieved an extraordinary record of 183 wins, 10 losses, and 2 draws.

Norris entered the film industry in 1969 with The Wrecking Crew, starring alongside Dean Martin. He took his first leading role in 1977 with Breaker! Breaker!. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, he reached the peak of his film career with action films such as Good Guys Wear Black, An Eye for an Eye, and Firewalker. However, his greatest popularity came from television.

Between 1993 and 2001, Chuck Norris starred in Walker, Texas Ranger, one of the most beloved and long-running action series in American television history. The show established him as a household name worldwide and solidified his legacy as a symbol of justice-driven action heroes.

In 1997, Norris became the first Western martial artist to achieve an 8th-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. In 2005, he founded the World Combat League, a team-based martial arts competition that further expanded his influence in the combat sports world.

Chuck Norris married Diane Holecheck in 1958, and the couple had two sons, Mike Norris and Eric Norris, as well as a daughter, Dina Norris, from an extramarital relationship. The marriage ended in 1988. In 1998, Norris married former model Gena O’Kelley, with whom he has twins, Dakota Norris and Danilee Norris.

Selected Filmography and Television Work

Actor:
1969 – The Wrecking Crew (Feature Film)
1977 – Breaker! Breaker! (Feature Film)
1979 – Good Guys Wear Black (Feature Film)
1981 – An Eye for an Eye (Feature Film)
1986 – The Delta Force (Feature Film)
1988 – Hero and the Terror (Feature Film)
1993–2001 – Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series)
2005 – The Cutter (Feature Film)
2012 – The Expendables 2 (Feature Film)

Source: Biyografiler.com