The Grim Reaper probably knocked on the doors of the hospital room in Hawaii and asked Chuck Norris if he could ride along for the last journey of the martial arts exponent and actor.
At the age of 86, Chuck Norris passed away on Friday.
Chuck Norris may not be remembered for his acting chops, rather the Karate chops and the “roundhouse kick.”
Born Carlos Ray Norris, while assigned to a US Air Force base in South Korea, his friends at the base nicknamed him Chuck, which became his identity both in martial arts and later on films.
During his stay in South Korea, Chuck was attracted to martial arts, in particular, a Korean style of karate called Tang Soo Do.
Chuck was not imposing physically. His martial arts training gave him speed and agility, which added credibility to the characters that he played on-screen.
By the time he quit the Air Force in 1962, Chuck had earned a black belt in karate.
From 1968-1974, Chuck was the world’s reigning middleweight karate champion. He held black belts across disciplines including Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Chun Kuk Do, a hybrid form of the martial art sport, even got named after him.
Back in California, he started training actors, but did not really have a career. One of his students was Steve McQueen who suggested Chuck, then struggling with his finances, try out in the movie.
McQueen’s suggestion to Chuck was to remember movies are “visual.”
Chuck learnt that lesson by heart.
Chuck, the actor, was as wooden as wood comes.
The New York Times described his performance in Breaker! Breaker! (1977) as “about as emotional as a statue.”
Bruce Lee helped Chuck initially in getting film roles. The most famous from those days was Bruce and Chuck squaring off at Rome’s Colosseum in The Way of the Dragon (released in the US as Return of the Dragon, 1972).
Not exactly a looker, Chuck’s trademark beard was still a few years away. The beard replaced what he lacked in looks.
The critics could not be bothered, but action fans loved Chuck in films like Good Guys Wear Black (1978), the three films in Missing in Action series spread over the 1980s, An Eye for an Eye (1981), Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), Code of Silence and Invasion USA (both 1985), The Delta Force (1986), Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990).
The Missing in Action franchise held personal significance, as Norris dedicated the films to his younger brother Wieland, who died in the Vietnam War.
Chuck was the quintessential lone saviour rescuing Americans in Vietnam and other places across the globe, kicking doors and enemies, guns blazing in both hands, a deadpan face and mouthing one-liners.
The fans loved it and have loved him ever since.
Chuck’s success paved the way for the Belgian martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme, who too went on to became a major star and would later work with the likes of John Woo.
About two decades ago, by when he had done with the CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger, Chuck resurfaced on the internet. Though the initial choice was Vin Diesel, Chuck emerged as the undisputed king. The factoids, known as Chuck Norris facts and in some places as Chuck Norris jokes further established the myth of Chuck Norris, though each more absurd than the other. The Indian spinoff was on Rajinikanth.
On his passing, writer Stephen King shared two of his favourites.
In The Expendables 2, when Sylvester Stallone and Chuck come face to face, Sly says, I heard you were bitten by a cobra. The statuesque Chuck replies, after five days of agonising pain the cobra died.
