Chuck Norris
Acting · Production
Born March 10, 1940, Ryan, Oklahoma, USA
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (March 10, 1940 – March 19, 2026) was an American martial artist and actor. He was a black belt in Karate, Taekwondo, 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 went on to star in a streak of bankable independently made action and martial arts films, with A Force of One (1979), The Octagon (1980), and An Eye for an Eye (1981). This made Norris an international celebrity. He went on to make studio films like Silent Rage (1982) with Columbia, Forced Vengeance (1982) with MGM, and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) with Orion. This led Cannon Films to sign Norris into a multiple film deal, starting with Missing in Action (1984), which proved to be very successful and launched a trilogy. Norris started to work almost exclusively on high-profile action films with Cannon, becoming its leading star during the 1980s. Films with Cannon include Invasion U.S.A (1985), The Delta Force (1986), and Firewalker (1986), among others. Apart from the Cannon films, Norris made Code of Silence (1985), which was received as one of his best films. In the 1990s, he played the title role in the long-running CBS television series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001. Until 2006, Norris continued taking lead roles in action movies. His last appearance in a major film release was in The Expendables 2 (2012). Throughout his film and TV career, Norris diversified from his regular endeavors. As a writer, he is a New York Times bestselling author of books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy, his conservative politics, Christian western fiction, self-help, and biographies, and he also serves as a columnist for WorldNetDaily. 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, as well as 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Chuck Norris, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
- 2024Agent Recon — Alastair
- 2019Chuck Norris's Epic Guide to Military Vehicles — Self, Executive Producer
- 2018The Green Fog
- The Goldbergs — Chuck Norris (voice)
- 2012The Expendables 2 — Booker
- Hawaii Five-0 — Sgt. Major Phillips
- 2009Chuck Norris Kills Everybody
- 2005The Cutter — John Shepherd, Executive Producer
- 2005Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire — Capt. Ranger Cordell Walker, Executive Producer
- 2004Birdie and Bogey — Executive Producer
- 2004DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story — Chuck Norris
- 2003Bells of Innocence — Matthew
- 2002The President's Man: A Line in the Sand — Joshua McCord, Executive Producer
- Liography
- 2001Reflections on 'the Little Dragon'
- 2001The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
- 2000The President's Man — Joshua McCord, Executive Producer
- Sons of Thunder — Cordell Walker, Producer, Creator
- 1998Logan's War: Bound by Honor — Jake Fallon, Executive Producer, Story
- Martial Law — Ranger Cordell Walker
- 1996Forest Warrior — Jedidiah McKenna
- 1995Top Dog — Jake Wilder
- WCW Monday Nitro
- 1994Hellbound — Frank Shatter
- 1994Twin Sitters — (archive footage)
- 1994WWE Survivor Series 1994 — Ringside Enforcer
- 1994Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion — Ranger Cordell Walker
- Raw — Chuck Norris
- Walker, Texas Ranger — Cordell Walker, Writer, Producer
- 1993Walker, Texas Ranger: One Riot, One Ranger — Ranger Cordell Walker
- 1993Wind in the Wire — Chuck Norris
- 1992Sidekicks — Self, Executive Producer
- 1991The Hitman — Garret / Grogan
- 1990Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection — Col. Scott McCoy
- 1988Braddock: Missing in Action III — Col. James Braddock, Writer
- 1988Hero and the Terror — Danny O'Brien
- Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos — Chuck Norris (voice), Creator
- 1986Firewalker — Max Donigan
- 1986The Delta Force — Major Scott McCoy
- 1985Code of Silence — Eddie Cusack
- 1985Invasion U.S.A. — Matt Hunter, Screenplay
- 1985Missing in Action 2: The Beginning — Colonel James Braddock
- 1984Missing in Action — Col. James Braddock
- 1983Lone Wolf McQuade — J.J. McQuade
- 1982Forced Vengeance — Josh Randall
- 1982Silent Rage — Sheriff Dan Stevens
- 1981An Eye for an Eye — Sean Kane
- 1980The Octagon — Scott James
- 1979A Force of One — Matt Logan
- 1978Game of Death — Colt
- 1978Good Guys Wear Black — John T. Booker
- 1977Breaker! Breaker! — John David 'J.D.' Dawes
- 1974Slaughter in San Francisco — Chuck Slaughter
- 1973The Student Teachers — Karate Instructor
- 1972Crime On The Streets
- 1972The Way of the Dragon — Colt
- 1968The Wrecking Crew — Man in the House of 7 Joys (uncredited)
- Zombie Plane — Commander Chuck Norris
Appearances as themselves (21)
- 2023Jean-Claude Van Damme: Karate King — Self (archive footage)
- History 101 — Self (archive footage)
- 2019Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks — Self (archive footage)
- 2015The Real Miyagi — Self (archive footage)
- 2014Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films — Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Too Young to Die — Self (archive footage)
- The Tony Danza Show — Self - Guest
- 1997Chuck Norris: Private Lesson — Himself
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show — Self - Guest
- 1994Undertaker: He Buries Them Alive! — Self (Archive footage)
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien — Self - Guest
- Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Guest
- 1990Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years — Self
- 1990Steve McQueen: Man on the Edge — Self
- 1987The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson — Self (Host)
- 1984Bruce Lee, the Legend — Self
- Hollywood '84 — Self
- Late Night with David Letterman — Self - Guest
- 1976The Warrior Within — Self
- Dinah! — Self
- 1973Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend — Self