The oldest of three boys, Chuck Norris once described himself as “the shy kid who never excelled at anything in school.” His father was an alcoholic who all but disappeared from Norris’ life after his parents divorced. At the age of 10, Norris moved with his mother and brothers to California. There, he attended North Torrance High School.
Norris married his high school sweetheart, Dianne Holechek, in 1958 -- the same year he joined the U.S. Air Force. While stationed at the Osan Air Base in South Korea, he began studying martial arts. He left the service in 1962, and
started working as a karate instructor. In the 1960s, Norris opened more than 30 karate studios. He taught several celebrities, including Priscilla Presley and actor Steve McQueen. In addition to being an instructor, Norris also was a fierce competitor. He participated in numerous martial arts tournaments, and he won many of the events he competed in. Norris earned his first World Middleweight Karate Championship title in 1968.
Norris made more of an impact on moviegoers in 1973’s Return of the Dragon. One of the highlights of the film was a fight scene between Norris and martial arts action star Bruce Lee, staged in the famed Roman Colosseum. In 1977, Norris had his first starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker!
Norris received warmer reviews for his cop movie, Code of Silence (1985), and teamed up with the legendary tough guy Lee Marvin for the military action film The Delta Force (1986). No longer making hit movies, he made the switch to the small screen with Walker, Texas Ranger. Norris played Cordell Walker, an honorable crime fighter, for eight years.
Norris has been a longtime supporter of numerous charities, including 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.
Kickstart provides martial arts training to middleschool students to learn respect and discipline and to improve their self-esteem.
Chuck Norris has been married twice. He has three children from his first marriage to Dianne Holechek. The couple divorced in 1988. In 1998, Norris married Gena O’Kelley and they welcomed twins three years later.
He was born on March 10th , 1940.
