Carlos Ray Norris Jr. (born March 10, 1940), better known in the entertainment world as Chuck Norris, is an American Action movie actor and Hollywood star. The native of Ryan, Oklahoma has two younger brothers, of which Hollywood producer Aaron Norris is one. Norris is part Cherokee (from his father) and part British and Irish (from his mother). 5 feet 9 inches tall, 160 pounds

When Norris was 12, his parents divorced and he relocated to California with his mother and brothers. There, he finished high school and soon married his girlfriend, Diane Holechek. After marriage, Norris joined the United States Air Force and was sent to South Korea. It was in South Korea that Norris acquired the nickname Chuck.He has portrayed an Army Major in Delta Force, Army Colonel in Missing in Action, and a Marine Captain during flashback scenes in his T.V. hit series Walker, Texas Ranger.

Sensei Norris has indicated in his own biography that he has black belts in Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, and is founder of Chun Kuk Do ("Universal Way"). Mr. Norris has also practiced Judo, Shito-Ryu Karate, and Brazilian Jujutsu. He is also creator of The United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF). Norris returned to the United States in 1962, working for the Northrop corporation and opening a karate school. Many celebrities, including fellow Marine Steve McQueen attended Norris' school, and in 1963, his son Mike was born. A daughter, Dina followed in 1964, and a second son, Eric, in 1965. But another important moment happened in 1964: at a demonstration in Long Beach, Norris met Bruce Lee. Impressed with Norris' ability, it was Lee who began to persuade Norris into trying an acting career.

In 1968, Norris was Karate's world Middleweight champion, and in 1969, he won Karate's triple crown for the most tournament wins of the year, and the fighter of the year award by Black Belt magazine. It was also in 1968 that Norris made his acting debut, in the Dean Martin movie The Wrecking Crew. In 1972, he acted alongside Lee in the movie The Way Of The Dragon, and in 1974, McQueen encouraged him to begin acting classes on the MGM Studio.

Norris began making his own stunts during the filming of 1977's Breaker, Breaker, and by the 1980s, many of his movies were box office hits. In the middle of the 1980s, Norris moved to buddying movie company Cannon Films, and he became one of the new company's stars, but the company fell through after the murder of its owner and his wife by their own sons, and Norris would soon find himself doing television instead. He divorced Holechek in 1988, after 30 years of marriage.

In 1990, Norris founded the non-profit organization Kick Drugs Out of America, and in 1993, he began shooting the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which lasted eight years on CBS and whose episodes are heavily re-run on other channels.

He re-married in 1998, this time to former model Gina O'Kelley, and she delivered twins in 2001: Dakota Alan Norris, a boy, and Danilee Kelly Norris, a girl.

His filmography includes:

  • Wrecking Crew (1968)
  • Room 222 (1970)
  • The Way of The Dragon (1972)
  • The Student Teachers (1973)
  • Slaughter In San Francisco (1973)
  • Enter The Dragon (1973)
  • Bruce Lee's The Man And The Legend (1973)
  • The Warrior Within (1977)
  • Breaker! Breaker (1977)
  • Game of Death (1978)
  • Good Guys Wear Black (1979)
  • A Force of One (1979)
  • The Octagon (1980)
  • An Eye For An Eye (1981)
  • Silent Rage (1982)
  • Forced Vengeance (1982)
  • The Making of 'Lone Wolf McQuade' (1983)
  • Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)
  • Missing in Action (1984)
  • Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
  • The Making of The Terminator & Missing in Action 2 (1985)
  • Code of Silence (1985)
  • Invasion U.S.A (1985)
  • The Delta Force (1986)
  • Firewalker (1986)
  • Steve McQueen: Man On The Edge (TV, 1986)
  • Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos (TV, 1986)
  • Karate Daily Dozen (1988)
  • Braddock: Missing In Action 3 (1988)
  • Hero And The Terror (1988)
  • One for the Road (TV, 1989)
  • The Presidential Inaugural Gala (TV, 1989)
  • Ultimate Stuntman: A tribute to Dar Robinson (TV, 1990)
  • The World's Greatest Stunts (TV, 1990)
  • Happy Birthday, Bugs: 50 Looney Years (TV, 1990)
  • Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold (1990)
  • Deadliest Art: The Best of The Martial Arts (1990)
  • The Hitman (1991)
  • Dying For a Smoke (TV, 1992)
  • Sidekicks (alongside Devon Sawa and Danica McKellar, 1992).
  • Combat Karate 1992
  • Hellbound (1993)
  • Walker, Texas Ranger (1993 to 2001)
  • The Course of The Dragon (1993)
  • Wind in The Wire (TV, 1993)
  • Kids in The Crossfire (TV, 1993)
  • WWF Survivor Series (TV, 1994)
  • Top Dog (1995)
  • Heroes of The Street (TV, 1995)
  • The Inmortal Masters (1996)
  • Forest Warriors (1996)
  • Chuck Norris: Private Lesson (video, 1997)
  • Logan's War: Bound by Honor (TV, 1998)
  • The Path of The Dragon (video, 1998)
  • Informal, El (TV, 1999)
  • Sons of Thunder (TV, 1999)
  • Bruce Lee Inmortal Dragon (2000)
  • Martial Law: Honor Among Strangers (2000)
  • The President's Man (TV, 2000)
  • The President's Man: A Line in The Sand (TV, 2002)
  • The Bells of Innocence (2002)