The legendary Chuck Norris is known as the toughest guy in the world through his film and TV roles.
83 years old Chuck Norris publishes a picture of a swimming pool on Instagram and says that she is enjoying the summer. It takes a few minutes, and the internet responds.
“Chuck Norris doesn’t enjoy summer, summer enjoys Chuck Norris.”
“Chuck Norris doesn’t swim in water, water moves away because it’s afraid.”
Oh yeah.
Before Chuck Norris became the mythical powerhouse of all tough guys, he was a shy and unathletic schoolboy taunted because of his Cherokee background. He was born in the small town of Ryan, Oklahoma, and lived a poor childhood, tragically colored by his own father’s alcoholism. Later, when his boyhood years were behind him, the death of his brother in the Vietnam War left a deep mark on the man.
Behind the legend and thousands of jokes, there is a person who, according to his own words, was an introverted average person, and in no way interested in acting.
He wasn’t originally Chuck, but Carlos Ray Norris, who wasn’t interested in school, and wasn’t very successful at it. His own father disappeared with the divorce of his parents, so a new life awaited Norris in California.
It’s even surprising that such a guy then becomes the most macho in the world, who in movies and TV series is known as a man with one look, a silent killer who doesn’t speak, but lets his fists punish.
If Chuck Norris himself were to comment on his path, he could say that “unsearchable are the ways of the Lord”, since he has been a devout believer since the age of 12.
Without the US Air Force and South Korea, he would hardly be as well known. After marrying his high school girlfriend, he enlisted in the army, was discharged from Korea, where he drifted off to study martial arts.
The road to the stars
The karate boom really hit the Yankees in the 1960s, and after returning there, Norris opened 30 karate studios, which were visited by celebrities of Priscilla Presley to Steve McQueen in his study. Norris also competed in martial arts and became a six-time US champion.
Martial arts also took him to the entertainment industry: Chuck Norris’ breakthrough role was Way of the Dragon (1972), in whose most famous scene he fights Bruce Lee with at the Colosseum in Rome. For the role, Norris put on 10 kilos to make him look like a bigger villain than Lee, the film’s hero.
Chuck Norris hits Bruce Lee with a spectacular hook kick in the movie Way of the Dragon. PDO
Although Chuck Norris entered the movie business playing a villain, he came to be known as a silent hero. Followed leading roles in action films such as Eye for an eye, Lone Wolf McQuadeand The Octagon mixed Direct action -trilogy, which competed with Rambo in the 1980s for the dominance of the action genre.
The TV series Walker, from Texas (1993–2001) brought the man a cult reputation. It represented the violent family entertainment of its time, where Norris knocked the villains unconscious in every episode. The biggest hit eventually also became Chuck Norris’s headache. In the end, he accused CBS, which owns the rights to the program, of blackmailing teenagers and demanded 27 million euros from the TV company through the courts. As you know, the legal battle is still ongoing.
Iconic brawls and cool showmanship created a legend that brought success to the conservative Republican supporter. Chuck Norris used his influence, among other things, by publicly supporting George Bush in the 1988 presidential election. According to foreign news sites, he has a fortune of 70 million dollars.
The look on this man’s face tells you that the thugs are about to catch up. Chuck Norris became the faceless tough guy of action movies. PDO
Live action films became iconic in the 80s, when the Vietnam War, packaged in the previous decade, became the subject of cinematic stories. PDO
Headwind in love
However, Chuck Norris, who has gained an invincible reputation, has not remained without blows in his private life. After a 30-year union and the birth of three children, the first marriage broke up, which was a hard blow for the star. A wild rumor says that Norris had an affair Joannato a woman named -, from whom a secret illegitimate child was born.
A new love was found in someone 23 years younger From Gena O’Kelly, which the star has described as her best friend. The couple met in 1997, got married a year later and had twin girls in 2001. They live in Texas on their own ranch.
For Chuck Norris, the second union has been durable. In the picture, he is together with his wife Gena. PDO
Chuck Norris with his family in 2012 at the premiere of The Expendables 2. PDO
A successful career came to a screeching halt in 2013, when Gena’s wife was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The actor has said that his wife fell ill after undergoing magnetic resonance imaging, which was previously injected with a contrast agent. My wife started having strange symptoms: her body felt like it was on fire due to intense pain.
At his worst, he was in such poor condition that he couldn’t eat anything but baby food, the Mirror magazine reported. She was treated at a Nevada clinic, and Norris never left his wife’s side for a moment.
– I’m ending my film career to focus on Gena. From now on, the purpose of my whole life is to keep him alive, Norris has said.
Millions of euros have been spent on treatments. The couple believed that their health had collapsed because of the contrast agent and sued several pharmaceutical companies over the matter. In 2020, they dropped at least one lawsuit with the Italian pharmaceutical company Bracco, which manufactures eye shadow.
The legend lives on
Entering the 21st century, Chuck Norris became a famous subject of jokes and memes. He has capitalized on his iconic fame by doing numerous commercials. Finnish televisions also showed Norris promoting the Total Gym fitness equipment during his prime. In 2018, there was a buzz in Finland about Norris’ visit due to the Hesburger advertisement.
Although the man has not been seen in movies for years, the legend lives a life of his own.
Of course, Chuck Norris has his own star on the Walk of Fame. PDO
A couple of years ago, the world was in a frenzy because a man who looked like Norris was photographed during the Capitol riots. The actor himself had to take a stand on the matter through his representative.
– This man is not Chuck Norris, just a wannabe doppelgänger. The real Chuck Norris is more handsome, commented a representative to NBC news.
– Chuck is still at his ranch in Texas, where he has been with his family all the time.
What is the life of an 83-year-old martial arts expert and retired superstar now like? Based on Instagram, he spends a lovely family day with his loved ones and travels a lot, for example to Hawaii. He has 13 grandchildren.
It is remarkable that Chuck Norris jokes are fired in response to almost every social media publication.
Norris himself found the jokes really confusing at first. The subject of laughter is Norris’ superiority in everything.
“The Dead Sea was alive before Chuck Norris swam in it.”
“The Great Wall of China was built to keep Chuck Norris out. It didn’t work out.”
“Chuck Norris sneezes with his eyes wide open.”
– He didn’t know if they were only laughing at him. However, the jokes were due to the fact that people really admired him, said a colleague from Walker, Texas Sheree J. Wilson.
When Norris understood that jokes stemmed from admiration, he had no problem laughing at himself.
Chuck Norris knows how to laugh at himself. PDO