Chuck Norris Dead: 'Walker, Texas Ranger' Star Was 86
Chuck Norris in 1985's 'Code of Silence.'
Orion/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion and karate school teacher who jumped fist- and feetfirst into stardom with 1980s action movies like Missing in Action and the long-running CBS drama Walker, Texas Ranger, has died. He was 86.
Norris died suddenly Thursday in Hawaii after being hospitalized, his family announced in a statement.
“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives,” they said.
“While our hearts are broken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and for the unforgettable moments we were blessed to share with him. The love and support he received from fans around the world meant so much to him, and our family is truly thankful for it. To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends.”
They noted that they “would like to keep the circumstances private … please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
Unlike some other actors who boasted of their fighting prowess, Norris was the real deal, a holder of black belts in such disciplines as karate, Tang Soo Do and taekwondo and a guy who trained with Bruce Lee — and battled him in The Way of the Dragon (1972). Onscreen, he often portrayed loners, and like one of his heroes, John Wayne, he would only resort to violence when there was no other choice.
Encouraged by Steve McQueen to become an actor — he had given the Bullitt star private karate lessons for several years — Norris had his breakthrough with the Sergio Leone-inspired Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), playing a Texas Ranger who faces off against an arms merchant/martial arts master (David Carradine).
Norris then signed with the Cannon Group, led by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, and became a huge money-maker for the mini-studio. He starred as Col. James Braddock, a former POW who returns to Vietnam to rescue captured soldiers, in Missing in Action (1984), and though the film was blasted by critics, it was beloved by audiences, spawning a 1985 prequel and 1988 sequel.
“Steve McQueen once said, ‘Look, the critics can praise you to the end of the world, but if your movie makes $2, you’re not going to work. So the thing is, as long as people come and see your movies, you’re going to keep working, no matter what the critics say,'” he recalled in an interview for Black Belt magazine. “So when I got crucified by the critics, I’d try to keep that in mind.”
Norris then continued his hot streak with Code of Silence (1985), Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Firewalker (1986) and The Delta Force (1986), which also led to a follow-up in 1990.
Walker, Texas Ranger, created by Al Ruddy, Leslie Greif, Paul Haggis and Christopher Canaan at Cannon Television, debuted in April 1993 and ran for nine seasons and about 200 episodes, plus a 2005 telefilm. Norris played the soft-spoken Cordell Walker, a U.S. Marine turned Texas Ranger on the series that evoked the feel of a classic Western that also aired on Saturday nights on CBS — Gunsmoke.
The CW in December 2020 unveiled a new Walker series, starring Jared Padalecki, and it lasted four seasons.
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The oldest of three boys, Carlos Ray Norris was born on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, not far from the Texas border. His father, Ray, was a mechanic and a trucker, and his mother, Wilma, did odd jobs to help his poor family get by. “Genetically speaking, I am equal parts Irish and Native American,” he wrote in his 2004 memoir, Against All Odds: My Story.
His father had a drinking problem and often left the family for long stretches, so Norris found his male role models in Wayne, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers at the movie theater.
“I determined that I would grow up one day to be like them,” he wrote. “Their behavior in their films was governed by the ‘Code of the West’ — loyalty, friendship and integrity. They were unselfish and did what was right even when the risk was great. Years later I would recall those Western heroes when I developed the kind of character I wanted to play as an actor.”
His family moved often, eventually settling in Southern California in 1950, and Norris graduated from North Torrance High School before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. One of the guys in his barracks called him Chuck, and the nickname stuck.
Norris began to study judo and