Chuck Norris

Quick Facts

Date of Birth3/10/1940

Date of Death3/19/2026

Country of OriginUnited States

OccupationSoldier, Actor

Also known asCarlos Ray Norris

Biography

Chuck Norris, born Carlos Ray Norris, was an American karateka, the founder of his own system, and an actor. He was born on 10 March 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma, and died on 19 March 2026 at the age of 86, and according to the AP agency the family did not disclose the circumstances.

In August 1958 he joined the air force as a military policeman, and in 1959 he was sent to Osan Air Base in South Korea. There, according to an excerpt from his book The Secret of Inner Strength (1987), he first trained in judo and after a shoulder injury began tang soo do under Jae Chul Shin. At the end of his service in 1962 he held the 1st dan in tang soo do, and with his brother Aaron he then opened a school in Torrance, California.

In competitive karate he won the All-American Karate Championship at Madison Square Garden in 1967, and in 1969 he won the so-called triple crown, and Black Belt magazine named him fighter of the year. According to English Wikipedia, the documented fight record is 31 wins and 14 losses, and we have not been able to document higher numbers. In 1966 he founded American Tang Soo Do, and his system was later called the Chuck Norris System, and from 1990 to 2015 Chun Kuk Do. It is run by the United Fighting Arts Federation based in Las Vegas, which according to the AP has awarded over 3,300 black belts.

In 1990 he founded the Kickstart Kids program, and in 2005 the World Combat League. He made his film debut in 1968 in The Wrecking Crew, and in 1972 he starred alongside Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon. Among other books he wrote Winning Tournament Karate (1975) and The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story (1987).

Early life

Chuck Norris was born on 10 March 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma, and the AP agency states that around 1952 the family moved to Torrance, California. According to an excerpt from his book The Secret of Inner Strength, printed by the magazine The Fighter International in May 1988, he joined the air force as a military policeman in August 1958 at the age of eighteen. In 1959 he was sent to Osan Air Base in Korea. We have not read the original of the book ourselves.

Training and teachers

At Osan he first trained in judo under Mr. Ahn, and after a shoulder injury he began tang soo do under master Jae Chul Shin. According to the same excerpt he trained five hours a day. He failed his first black belt examination before the Moo Duk Kwan committee in Seoul and passed the second about three months later. At the end of his service he held the 1st dan in tang soo do and the third-degree brown belt in judo. In August 1962, according to English Wikipedia, he was discharged from the air force and with his brother Aaron opened a school in Torrance.

Contribution and innovations

In 1966 he founded American Tang Soo Do. On 24 June 1967 he won the All-American Karate Championship of Henry Cho at Madison Square Garden, and in 1969 he won the karate triple crown, and Black Belt magazine named him fighter of the year. According to English Wikipedia, his system was called the Chuck Norris System in the nineteen-eighties, and from December 1990 to July 2015 Chun Kuk Do, while the current website of the federation again gives Chuck Norris System. The United Fighting Arts Federation based in Las Vegas also runs UFAF Krav Maga and UFAF Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The Kickstart Kids program arose in 1990 and the World Combat League in 2005.

Legends and documented facts

Black Belt gives a competitive record of 183 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws, and the website Tang Soo Do World gives 65 wins and 5 losses. English Wikipedia documents only 31 wins and 14 losses and considers both higher numbers undocumented. The end of his career also differs. Wikipedia writes of his retirement in 1970 and return in 1972 with one win and one loss, Tang Soo Do World of retirement in 1974, and Black Belt of six titles between 1968 and 1974. The highest ranks, the 10th dan in Chun Kuk Do, the 9th dan in tang soo do and the 8th dan in taekwondo, come from his own organizations, and we have not found the dates when they were awarded.

Legacy

Norris died on 19 March 2026 at the age of 86, and according to the AP the family did not disclose the circumstances. According to the AP, the United Fighting Arts Federation has awarded over 3,300 black belts in the Chuck Norris System. He made his film debut in 1968 with a small role in The Wrecking Crew, and in 1972 he starred alongside Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon. He wrote the books Winning Tournament Karate (1975) and The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story (1987).

Associated Martial Arts

Organisations

• UNITUnited Fighting Arts FederationFounder · 1990
• WORLWorld Combat LeagueFounder · 2005

Ranks and titles

• 10th danChun Kuk Do · 1990

Achievements and honours

• Professional title1968

Quotes

Filmography

A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.