The undefeated Chuck Norris

Depending on what generation you’re from, you have a different awareness of who Chuck Norris was. But you do know him. Hilarious memes of the actor have been loading it over the Internet for more than two decades. He even rode on the trend, keeping his name out there and staying relevant for younger generations. But he was so much more, thanks largely to martial arts.

After turbulent childhood, Carlos Ray Norris joined the United States Air Force, and was stationed at Osan Air Base in South Korea in 1958. There, his martial arts journey began. He studied Tang Soo Do, a traditional Korean striking martial art that combines elements of taekwondo, Shotokan karate, and Chinese fighting arts. This started a lifelong path to mastery of several martial arts like karate, judo, Brazilian jiujitsu, taekwondo and others. After winning several martial arts championships, Norris, now nicknamed Chuck, even created his own combat philosophy, Chun Kuk Do, one of the nascent attempts at mixed martial arts.

With his renown, Chuck was hired as a martial arts instructor and fight coordinator for Hollywood movies, until he was asked to be an actor for himself. After his first film appearance in 1968, Bruce Lee asked him to be one of the villains in “The Way of the Dragon.” Their duel in the shadow of the Colosseum in Rome is a martial arts classic. Still, it took another decade before he could carry blockbuster on his own in “Good Guys Wear Black.” But because his acting range was limited, writers gave him as few lines as possible.

Soon, he carried a series of action movies, and became the main lead for Cannon Films’ B-movies throughout the 1980’s. His trademark film “Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection” in 1990 gave substantial exposure to bodybuilder and arnis pioneer Roland Dantes. Also in the cast were other notable Filipino actors like Subas Herrero, Ronnie Lazaro, Rina Reyes, Ruel Vernal, Dave Brodett, Roldan Aquino and Augusto Victa. He then started writing books on a wide variety of subjects beyond martial arts, becoming a best-selling author. Chuck’s last film appearance was in “The Expendables 2.”

Also in 1990, he began giving back through United Fighting Arts Federation and Kickstart Kids, which aimed at keeping at-risk children away from drugs and building their confidence, mainly through martial arts. The organization improved the trajectory of thousands of adolescents and teens. His philanthropy seemed endless. In India, Norris even supported the foundation of tennis player Vijay Amritraj.

In 2005, a series of memes entitled “Chuck Norris facts” started popping up on the Internet, humorously showcasing and exaggerating his toughness and longevity. “When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he’s actually pushing the earth down.” “When the boogeyman goes to sleep at night, he checks under his bed for Chuck Norris.” “Ghosts sit around campfires and tell Chuck Norris stories to scare each other.”

When you think about it, Chuck Norris lived the kind of life many of us dreamed of. He overcame early adversity, achieved international fame, did what he loved, and gave back to his communities tremendously. So it’s only fitting to say “Chuck Norris didn’t die. He just got tired of being undefeated here on earth.”