When Chuck Norris made his official film debut in 1972's "The Way of the Dragon," a Hong Kong comedy film written by, directed by and starring Bruce Lee, it didn't take much for Norris to leave an impression.
The film, which renowned critic Roger Ebert called "magnificently silly," was released under the name "Return of the Dragon" in the United States. In his two-star review of the movie, Ebert only referred to Norris as "the other guy," but the showdown between Lee and Norris has gone down in action film history.
It's both meticulously choreographed and laugh-out-loud funny. Lee and Norris both take their shirts off to fight — Lee's chest bare and glistening with sweat; Norris' covered with dark hair. At one point, Norris throws Lee to the ground and prepares to throw a punch. Lee beats him to it, grabbing on to Norris' chest hair. The silliness of the moment lands before Lee plucks out a chunk of Chuck Norris' chest hair, dramatically blowing it off the tips of his fingers.
In 2023, Screen Rant called it the best martial arts fight scene in a movie. Actor Steve McQueen — Norris’ friend and martial arts student — encouraged Norris to pursue a career in acting.
Norris contained multitudes, which sometimes conflicted with one another. He combined cultures of the East and West, equal parts karate master and cowboy. Few people are as singularly identified with Texas as he is, though he was born in Oklahoma. He was a Hollywood celebrity who was outspoken about his conservative views. He wrote Christian fiction set in the wild west. He had his own line of dog food and a water bottling company.
But the legacy that Norris, who died March 19 at the age of 86, is said to have wanted to be remembered most by was his impact on Texas children, teaching them martial arts.
A black belt champion
Before he was an actor, Norris was a globally renowned martial arts star. He was one of the first people ever selected for Black Belt Magazine's Hall of Fame in 1968 — four years before his major film debut.
In the 1970s, Norris developed his own form of karate called the Chuck Norris System, based on the Korean Tang Soo Do style, according to Norris' martial arts organization, United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF). Norris purportedly taught the likes of McQueen, Bob Barker and Priscilla Presley. Norris' friendship with Lee led to his casting in "The Way of the Dragon."
In 1997, UFAF said Norris became the first man in the western hemisphere to be awarded an 8th degree Black Belt Grand Master recognition in Tae Kwon Do, a first in 4,500 years of tradition.
"When Mr. Norris was asked how he would like to be remembered, his answer was as a Humanitarian," UFAF's website reads.
In 1990, Norris began Kickstart Kids, his nonprofit organization focused on providing martial arts education to Texas public schools. Today, Kickstart Kids, headquartered in Houston, operates in 58 schools across 14 school districts, including the Houston, Fort Bend, Galveston, El Paso, Pflugerville and Irving school districts.
"Our mission really is to teach character through martial arts, and that’s exactly what we do," said Diana Sayavedra, interim executive director at Kickstart Kids. "We work primarily with middle school children — grades six through eight — knowing that those are the formative years for young people. And through martial arts, we also weave in character."
Instead of a traditional physical education course, students in Kickstart Kids learn the Chuck Norris System of martial arts as their P.E. credit, with belt ceremonies. A former educator herself, Sayavedra said she brought Kickstart Kids to her own schools prior to joining the nonprofit.
"It was just one of the best character programs that I’ve seen in in my tenure in education, because it really delivers on the promise of what we say we can do," she said.
Many of the instructors involved with Kickstart Kids trained under Norris himself and are grieving his loss, Sayavedra said.
Every year, the organization teaches between 8,000 and 10,000 students and will continue to do so in the wake of Norris' death. His wife, Gina, will continue working with the organization to carry on Chuck Norris' goal of teaching the next generation of martial artists.
"Yes, he’s an actor, and he was very successful in his own right," Sayavedra said. "But at the end of the day, his want and his passion was to be able to offer martial arts so that others could benefit from martial arts the way he benefited from martial arts."
An outspoken conservative
By the early 2010s, "Chuck Norris facts" became something of a legend in the early days of Facebook and social media.
"You're no doubt familiar with ‘Chuck Norris Facts,'" Norris wrote in 2014. "For example, did you know that ghosts sit around campfires telling Chuck Norris stories?
"Now, I want to introduce you to a Greg Abbott Fact," Norris continued. "Greg Abbott is Texas' best hope to fight the out-of-state attacks that aim to turn Texas blue."
The message was part of Abbott's 2014 gubernatorial campaign, which would ultimately put him in the highest elected office in Texas, which Abbott still held by the time Norris died in 2026.
"Texas has lost a legend," Abbott wrote on X on March 20. "All of Texas mourns the passing of Chuck Norris. He was not only a martial arts champion, action icon, and the one and only Walker, Texas Ranger. But he electrified generations of conservatives. Giving them a passion and voice to fight for the principles that make America the greatest nation on earth."
Norris was an outspoken conservative, frequently endorsing Republican candidates at the national level. Leading up to the 2008 election, Norris wrote "Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America," a treatise in which he calls for a return to American idealism and stronger border security, while criticizing Roe v. Wade and the removal of Christian values from public life.
"From the very start, Norris was an outlier in Hollywood in that he was a Christian, a conservative and a Republican — not very common traits among much of the Hollywood elite," said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University.
After his family announced his death, Norris was commemorated by Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, the latter of whom called him "a great guy" and "a great supporter."
A de facto mascot for the Texas Rangers
Norris had filmed in Texas before. "Lone Wolf McQuade" took place in El Paso; "Sidekicks" was filmed in Houston. But it was "Walker, Texas Ranger" that solidified his place in the Texas pantheon.
Inspired by "Lone Wolf McQuade," Norris portrayed Cordell Walker for nine seasons beginning in 1993. Norris’ character was a law enforcement officer who fights crime — often literally — in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Often, that included Norris' martial arts skills.
"Every time there's [such] a character on television, that definitely drives interest in learning more about the Texas Rangers, and Cordell Walker's character was no exception," said Christine Rothenbush, marketing and development specialist at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. "Having such a talented actor as Chuck Norris play a Texas Ranger figure and become as popular as it was in the ‘90s, it's definitely a boost for the Rangers and getting people to learn a little bit about their organization."
Many times, Rothenbush said, Cordell Walker is people's first impression of the Texas Rangers organization, alongside other fictional portrayals like "The Lone Ranger" and "Lonesome Dove."
Many of the props from the show, including Walker's cowboy hat and belt, are in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco.
"There is some truth and accuracy to everything, but there's also some Hollywood glamour," Rothenbush said with a laugh. "The Texas Rangers do not do roundhouse kicks. That would be a lot of paperwork."
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