Chuck Norris may not have been born in the South Bay, but he spent a good part of his formative years there.
Ray Dee, a World War II veteran who worked as a truck driver, turned out to be an alcoholic, and the family saw little of him once they moved to California. It was left to Norris, the oldest of three brothers, to help Wilma raise her children.
Norris was enrolled in the first-ever class to attend newly opened North High School in Torrance in September 1955. Though not a star athlete, the introverted Norris did participate in North’s gymnastics program and play halfback for the school football team.
He was still known as Carlos Norris when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from North in 1958. During boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, a Hispanic fellow recruit gave Norris the name “Chuck,” since Carlos is Charles in Spanish.
Norris’ life would change forever after getting his first assignment as an Air Policeman at the U.S. Air Force base at Osan, South Korea. While there, he developed a keen interest in the martial arts that would become a lifelong obsession.
He began his martial arts training by earning a black belt in the discipline known as Tang Soo Do. The principles he learned while studying it would later influence him to form his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do (“universal way”). After his Korean stint, he returned to the U.S. and was stationed at March AFB in Riverside.
He returned to the South Bay after his discharge from the Air Force in September 1962, and attempted to parlay his Air Police experience into a job working for the Torrance Police Department. When he didn’t hear back from the department right away, he decided to start his own karate studio in Torrance.
He opened Chuck Norris Karate Studios at 22543 Hawthorne Blvd., on the northwest corner of Hawthorne and 226th St. He built the business through constant public appearances and demonstrations of the sport at civic events, club meetings and schools.
The studio thrived. Meanwhile, Norris continued to rise in the karate world, winning his first middleweight championship title in 1968. He would go on to win five more titles, giving him six in a row, before retiring from competition.
He moved to Rolling Hills Estates in 1969, and would live there for the next 17 years, before moving to Orange County in 1986.
By Nov. 1970, his Southern California chain of karate studios had grown to 6 locations: the main one in Torrance, two in Redondo, and one each in Sherman Oaks, Lakewood and Granada Hills.
He also taught many famous clients, including Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley and members of the Osmond family. His friendship with McQueen led to McQueen encouraging him to try his hand at acting.
Norris had made his first screen appearance in an uncredited bit part in the fourth and final Matt Helm film, “The Wrecking Crew” (1968), starring Dean Martin. But his career began in earnest with roles in a series of kung fu action films beginning with “The Way of the Dragon” (1972), starring martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
His screen presence continued to grow. In 1977, he landed his first starring role in the trucker/CB action film “Breaker! Breaker!”; his first lead role came the next year in the thriller “Good Guys Wear Black.”
“Lone Wolf McQuade” (1983), considered one of his best films, was a breakout hit, and led to a 1984 deal with Cannon Films, for which he made dozens of action pictures throughout the 1980s.
He turned to television during the 1990s, starring in “Walker, Texas Ranger” from 1993-2001 on CBS, an action drama series inspired by the character he played in “Lone Wolf McQuade.” (In 2010, Texas Gov. Rick Perry made Norris an honorary member of the Texas Rangers.)
He eased up on his acting career when “Walker” ended, though he continues to make the occasional film appearance, most recently in “The Expendables 2” (2012) with Sly Stallone. He also appeared in an episode of the CBS “Hawaii Five-0” reboot in 2020.
But Norris has kept busy on other fronts. He’s written several nonfiction and fiction books since his first, Winning Tournament Karate, was issued in 1975, several of them reflecting his strong Christian beliefs. He’s also participated in many philanthropic activities, especially those involving military veterans.
A longtime Republican since first campaigning for successful presidential candidate George H.W. Bush in 1988,, Norris endorsed Sen. Mike Huckabee during his 2008 presidential primary run, and did the same for another successful candidate, Donald Trump, in 2016.
He married Dianne Kay Holochek In 1958, after meeting her at North High. They had three children during their 30-year marriage. Following their 1989 divorce, Norris married his current wife, Gena O’Kelley. The couple had twins in 2004.
And, of course, he became a macho icon when exaggerated “facts” about his many powers began appearing on Internet websites in 2005. As the increasingly hyperbolic claims gained traction on social media, they led to a series of best-selling books.
Norris at first bristled at the silly fad, but eventually embraced it, using it to play up his image humorously in public appearances.
Norris and his wife currently live on a ranch in near Houston, Texas.
Sources:
“Chuck Norris,” Classmates.com website.
“Chuck Norris: Biography,” by DANIEL and angelsunchained and Randall Parker, MBA, Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Chuck Norris Jokes and Facts website.
Daily Breeze files.
Los Angeles Times files.
The Official Website of Chuck Norris.
Torrance Press-Herald files.
