Age, Biography and Wiki
Description
Occupation | Martial Artist |
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Date of Birth | 10 March 1940 |
Age | 85 Years |
Birth Place | Ryan, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Horoscope | Pisces |
Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
*Note: Current weight may vary as Norris is now retired from active competition.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Chuck Norris married his second wife, Gena O’Kelley, in 1998. The couple remains married and has maintained a low-profile family life away from the Hollywood spotlight.
His mother was of Irish descent and his father of Cherokee descent. Norris was named after Carlos Berry, his father's minister. He was the oldest of three brothers, the younger two being Wieland and Aaron. Wieland Norris informed his eldest sibling he would not reach his 27th birthday; this prediction came true in 1970 when he was killed in the Vietnam War. When Norris was 16 years old, his parents divorced, and he later relocated to Prairie Village, Kansas and then to Torrance, California with his mother and brothers.
Norris has described his childhood as downbeat. He was nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre. His father, Ray, worked intermittently as an automobile mechanic, and went on drinking binges that lasted for months at a time. Embarrassed by his father's behavior and the family's financial plight, Norris developed a debilitating introversion that lasted for his entire childhood.
In early 1968, Norris suffered the tenth and final loss of his career, losing an upset decision to Louis Delgado. On November 24, 1968, he avenged his defeat to Delgado and by doing so won the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title, which he then held for six consecutive years. On April 1, Norris successfully defended his All-American Karate Championship title, in a round-robin tournament, at the Karate tournament of champions of North America. Again that year, Norris won for the second time the All-American Karate Championship. It was the last time Norris participated and retired undefeated. While competing, Norris met Bruce Lee, who at the time was known for the TV series The Green Hornet. They developed a friendship, as well as a training and working relationship.
In 2012, Norris played a mercenary in The Expendables 2. The film was a success and grossed over $310 million worldwide. That same year, Norris and his wife Gena founded CForce Bottling Co. after an aquifer was discovered on his ranch.
Norris married his classmate Dianne Kay Holechek (born 1941) in December 1958 when he was 18 and Dianne was 17 years of age. They had met in 1956 at high school in Torrance, California. He also had a daughter in 1963 out of an extramarital affair. Later, he had a second son, Eric, with his wife in 1964. After 30 years of marriage, Norris and Holechek were divorced in 1989, after separating in 1988 during the filming of The Delta Force 2.
On September 22, 2004, Norris told Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart that he did not meet his illegitimate daughter from a past relationship until she was 26, although she learned that he was her father when she was 16. He met her after she sent a letter informing him of their relationship in 1990, one year after Norris's divorce from his first wife, Dianne Holechek.
During the 2012 presidential election, Norris first recommended Ron Paul, and then later formally endorsed Newt Gingrich as the Republican presidential candidate. After Gingrich suspended his campaign in May 2012, Norris endorsed Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney, despite Norris having previously accused Romney of flip-flopping and of trying to buy the nomination for the Republican Party candidacy for 2012. On the eve of the election, he and his wife Gena made a video warning that if evangelicals did not show up at the polls and vote out President Obama, "...our country as we know it may be lost forever...".
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Husband | Dianne Holechek (m. 1958-1989) Gena O'Kelley (m. 1998) |
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Net Worth and Salary
- Instagram: @officialchucknorris (managed by his team)
Career, Business, and Investments
- Books: Author of several books, including bestsellers on martial arts and personal philosophy.
Throughout his film and TV career, Norris diversified from his regular endeavors. He is a New York Times bestselling author, having penned books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy, politics, Christianity, Western fiction, and biographies. Norris also appeared in several commercials endorsing several products, most notably being one of the main spokespersons for the Total Gym infomercials. In 2005, Norris found new fame on the Internet when Chuck Norris facts became an Internet meme documenting humorous, fictional, and often absurd feats of strength and endurance. Although Norris himself did not produce the "facts", he was hired to endorse many products that incorporated Chuck Norris facts in advertising. The phenomenon resulted in six books some of them New York Times bestsellers, two video games, and several appearances on talk shows, such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, in which he read the facts or participated in sketches.
Norris started to participate in martial arts competitions. He was defeated in his first two tournaments, dropping decisions to Joe Lewis and Allen Steen. He lost three matches at the International Karate Championships to Tony Tulleners. By 1967, Norris had improved enough that he scored victories over the likes of Vic Moore. On June 3, Norris won the 1967 tournament of karate, Norris defeated seven opponents, until his final fight with Skipper Mullins. On June 24, Norris was declared champion at the S. Henry Cho's All-American Karate Championship at the Madison Square Garden, taking the title from Julio LaSalle and defeating Joe Lewis. During this time, Norris also worked for the Northrop Corporation and opened a chain of karate schools. Norris's official website lists celebrity clients at the schools; among them Steve McQueen, Chad McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley, Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond.
That same year, on October 2, principal photography of Andrew Davis's Code of Silence started. The film marked a departure for Norris, due to its complexity and dramatic depth. The film is about a cop who is ostracized for refusing to support a corrupt cop who killed an innocent bystander, while protecting the daughter of a mob boss. Davis described Norris as "easy to work with and very supportive." Released by Orion Pictures on May 3, 1985, and received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its slick direction, strong performances, and engaging action. It was regarded as a standout in Norris's career, with many considering it his best film to date. Vincent Canby of The New York Times who liked the film said of Norris performance that "it could well prove to be his breakout picture". He explains that it marks a potential turning point for Norris, who projects a quiet competence that shines in the film's meticulously crafted fight sequences and that his restrained performance feels fresh and distinct, a departure from his earlier roles. The film debuted at number 1 with an opening weekend gross of $5.5 million and ultimately earned a total of $20.3 million at the US box office.
During his competitive fighting career, Norris began to evolve the style to make it more effective and well-rounded by studying other systems such as Shōtōkan, Gōjū-ryū, Shitō-ryū, Enshin kaikan, Kyokushin, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Arnis, Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Hapkido and American Kenpo. Chun Kuk Do now emphasizes self defense, competition, weapons, grappling, and fitness, among other things. Each summer the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF) holds a training conference and the Chun Kuk Do world championship tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On November 18, 2008, Norris became one of the first members of show business to express support for the California Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, and he criticized activists for not accepting the democratic process and the apparent double standard he perceived in criticizing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without criticizing African Americans, most of whom who had voted for the measure.
Education
Chuck Norris attended North Torrance High School in California. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he pursued martial arts training and competition, which became the foundation of his later career in acting and entrepreneurship.
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Shortly after, in Hollywood, Norris trained celebrities in martial arts. Norris went on to appear in a minor role in The Wrecking Crew (1968). Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in The Way of the Dragon (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star.
Norris was discharged from the Air Force in August 1962 with the rank of Airman first class. Following his military service, Norris applied to be a police officer in Torrance, California. While on the waiting list, Norris opened a martial arts studio.
In 1974, actor Steve McQueen, who was his martial art student and friend at the time, saw his potential and encouraged him to begin acting classes at MGM. That same year, he played the supporting role of the main antagonist in Lo Wei's Yellow Faced Tiger. Norris plays a powerful drug king in San Francisco, where he dominates the criminal world including the police department. He is eventually challenged by a young police officer who stands up to corruption. The film played theatrically in the United States in 1981 as Slaughter in San Francisco. It was noticed that it was an older, low-budget film announcing Norris as the lead. The film played as a double-bill to other action and genre film. It was described as a low-budget martial arts actioner taking advantage of Norris's fame.
In 1975, Norris wrote his first book Winning Tournament Karate on the practical study of competition training for any rank. It covers all phases of executing speedy attacks, conditioning, fighting form drills, and one-step sparring techniques.
Chuck Norris facts originally started appearing on the Internet in early 2005. Created by Ian Spector, they are satirical factoids about Norris. Since then, they have become widespread in popular culture. The "facts" are normally absurd hyperbolic claims about Norris's toughness, attitude, virility, sophistication, and masculinity. Norris has written his own response to the parody on his website, stating that he does not feel offended by them and finds some of them funny, claiming that his personal favorite is that they wanted to add his face to Mount Rushmore, but the granite is not hard enough for his beard. At first it was mostly college students exchanging them, but they later became extremely widespread.
* Norris has received many black belts. These include a 10th degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do (founded 1990 by Chuck Norris. Based on his Tang Soo Do training in Korea while he was in military), a 9th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, an 8th degree black belt in Taekwondo, a 5th degree black belt in Karate, a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the Machado family, and a black belt in Judo.
In 2019, Norris signed an endorsement deal with gun manufacturer Glock. The deal was met with criticism from some members of the public and some of his fans, who felt it was in bad timing due to the increase in school shootings in the United States.
In 1990, Norris established the United Fighting Arts Federation and Kickstart Kids. As a significant part of his philanthropic contributions, the organization was formed to develop self-esteem and focus in at-risk children as a tactic to keep them away from drug-related pressure by training them in martial arts. Norris hopes that by shifting middle school and high school children's focus towards this positive and strengthening endeavor, these children will have the opportunity to build a better future for themselves. Norris has a ranch in Navasota, Texas, where they bottle water; a portion of the sales support environmental funds and Kickstart Kids.
In India, Norris supports the Vijay Amritraj Foundation, which aims to help victims of disease, tragedy and circumstance. Through his donations, he has helped the foundation support Paediatric HIV/AIDS homes in Delhi, a blind school in Karnataka, and a mission that cares for HIV/AIDS-infected adults, as well as mentally ill patients in Cochin.