“Chuck Norris had a sun-blinking contest — and he won.” The memorable roles of the American actor and why he became a reason for banks

Chuck Norris, the martial arts master and action movie star whose roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other TV shows and movies made him a symbol of toughness, inspiring parodies around the world, has died at the age of 86. The American actor has remained in pop culture not only through his “tough” roles in movies and television, but also through an online phenomenon that has turned his image into an international source of humor: “Chuck Norris Facts,” explains the Associated Press.

Prior to his film career, Norris was a dominant figure in the martial arts, being an undefeated six-time world champion in the professional middleweight karate category. He founded his own style of karate, Chun Kuk Do, as well as the United Fighting Arts Federation, which has awarded more than 3,300 black belts worldwide. Black Belt magazine recognized his merits, awarding him the 10th degree black belt, the highest award.

The roles that consecrated him

Norris made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 film The Wrecking Crew, where he had a fight scene with Dean Martin. He also crossed paths with Bruce Lee in martial arts circles. Their friendship, sometimes as training partners, led to a famous showdown in the 1972 film Return of the Dragon, in which Lee's character defeats and kills Norris's in the Colosseum in Rome.

He later starred in more than 20 films, including Missing in Action, The Delta Force and Sidekicks.

“I wanted to project the image of a hero on the screen. I had seen a lot of anti-hero movies where the main character was neither good nor bad. You had no one to hang with,” Norris said in 1982.

In 1993, he took on his best-known role as a crime-fighting lawman in Walker, Texas Ranger. The production ran for nine seasons, and in 2010, then-Governor of Texas Rick Perry awarded him the title of honorary Texas Ranger. Later, the Texas State Senate declared him an honorary Texan.

“It's not violence for violence's sake, without a moral structure,” Norris told the AP in 1996, referring to the series. “We're trying to convey the right meaning, the fight against injustice with justice, good against evil. … It's a show for the whole family.”

Norris also had a surprise cameo appearance as the umpire in the finals of the 2004 film Dodgeball. In recent years, he has taken on fewer roles, but has appeared in The Expendables 2 (2012) and the sci-fi action film Agent Recon (2024), among others. He is set to star in “Zombie Plane,” an upcoming production that also features Vanilla Ice.

How the image of “tough” turned into memes

Around the time of the movie “Dodgeball,” his tough image became, quite literally, legend: “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral on the Internet, with intentionally exaggerated claims like “Chuck Norris had a winking contest with the sun — and won” or “They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn't tough enough for his beard.”

Norris eventually embraced the absurdity of the phenomenon, publishing “The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book,” which compiles some of his favorites alongside stories presented as true and the principles he says he guides his life by. He has also written books on martial arts techniques, a volume of memoirs, political views, historical fiction from the American Civil War period, and more.

“To some, who know little of my martial arts or film career, but perhaps grew up with 'Walker, Texas Ranger,' it seems that I have become some kind of mythical superhero,” Norris wrote in the preface to the “Fact Book.” “I am honored and grateful.”

The book raised funds for a nonprofit organization he founded with President George HW Bush that promoted martial arts training for children.

The intentionally outlandish claims also reached the 2008 Republican primary campaign, when Norris endorsed Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and appeared in a spot inspired by “Chuck Norris Facts.”

“Chuck Norris doesn't endorse candidates. He tells America how things are going to be,” Huckabee said in the campaign ad.