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Chuck Norris is known for his roundhouse kicks and his action star persona in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. He starred in films such asGood Guys Wear Black, Breaker! Breaker!,andThe Octagon. Though he did not reach the level of other action stars of the era such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, he still held his ground. The actor was known for being proficient in martial arts and was also known to have trained many celebrities in martial arts before he became an actor.
Norris made his big screen debut with Bruce Lee’sThe Way ofThe Dragon. The action star has a minor role as Colt, who is recruited by the antagonist to fight against Lee’s Tang Lung. Norris and Lee reportedly developed a friendship when they met at the All-American-Karate Championship tournament, where theSilent Ragestar was a two-time world champion.
Chuck Norris Began His Career In Bruce Lee’sThe Way of The Dragon
BeforeChuck Norrisbecame the subject of a popular meme trend and was the action star of the decade, he was a known martial artist who had created his own technique called the Chun Kuk Do or the ‘Universal Way’. The action star reportedly opened his own martial arts studio after being discharged from the US Air Force and trained multiple celebrities such as Steve McQueen, Bob Barker, and Priscilla Presley.
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Norris reportedly met Bruce Lee at the All-American-Karate Championship in 1968, where the former was the World Champion. The actor had reportedly won the championship for the second time and had retired from the tournament with an undefeated streak. Lee was working in the TV showThe Green Hornetat the time and the two reportedly began training in Norris’ backyard.
Norris mentioned that he and Lee trained for three years together but the actor then went to Hong Kong to pursue his acting career. Two years later, Norris got a call from Lee saying that he wanted to make a movie with him. Lee reportedly mentioned that he wanted to film a fight scene in the Colosseum in Rome and he wanted Chuck Norris to be a part of it. He said toCombat Culture,
“At that time I held the world title, and kiddingly I said to Bruce ‘Well, who wins Bruce?’ and he says, ‘I win, I’m the star of this movie’. I say, ‘Oh, I see, you want to beat the world champion, and he said ‘No I don’t, I want to kill the world champion’”.
“That’s why I don’t do jump kicks”: Chuck Norris Gained Serious Weight to Fight Bruce Lee in $130M Movie That Made Martial Arts Films Mainstream in America
Chuck Norris was chosen to play the role of Colt in Bruce Lee’s third feature filmThe Way of The Dragon. The actor played one of the heavies in the film and had a climactic fight sequence with the legendary star in the Roman Colosseum. The ten-minute fight sequence has been regarded as one of the most well-choreographed martial arts sequences and the scene has attained a legendary status.
Bruce Lee Was Always Open To New Techniques In Martial Arts
Bruce Leehad a legendary status as a martial arts icon and the actor even invented his own style called Jeet Kune Do. Despite his achievements, however, Lee was reportedly open to learning from others in the field and inculcating different philosophies. Chuck Norris mentioned about Lee’s penchant for learning new ways in an interview withPhysical Arts,
“He learned from everybody, he had a very open mind. Bruce never believed in only one style, or one style is the best, he felt that there were so many ‘best’ of everything. He said that everything had strengths and weaknesses and what he wanted to do was find the strengths and use them.”
Like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris Created a Martial Art Almost No One is Aware of
Bruce Lee was also reportedly a huge fan of legendary boxer Muhammed Ali and reportedly was inspired by his speed and agility. Lee’s student Dan Inosanto revealed toVarietyhow open-minded the star was and how he used to recommend watching Ali’s speed to his students. Talking about his portrayal inOnce Upon A Time in Hollywood, Inosanto said,
“Bruce Lee would have never said anything derogatory about Muhammad Ali because he worshiped the ground Muhammad Ali walked on. In fact, he was into boxing more so than martial arts.”
Despite Chuck Norris not reaching the levels of fame like his contemporaries at the time such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, he seemed to have one experience that none of these stars ever had. He got to share screen space with the legendary Bruce Lee in his very first film and even trained with him.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2415
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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