American President Donald Trump on Friday mourned the death of actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris, a Republican supporter, whom he remembered as a “tough guy”, reports EFE, according to Agerpres.
“Chuck Norris was a great guy. A tough guy and a big fan of mine. You wouldn't want to fight him,” Trump said after learning of the actor's death from reporters on the White House lawn.
The US president asked reporters to convey his condolences to the actor's family.
Norris died Thursday morning at the age of 86 after a medical emergency.
The American actor starred in dozens of films portraying lonely and silent vigilante heroes, soldiers, lawmen, American veterans who captured criminals, freed prisoners of war, rescued hostages and fought terrorists.
Time magazine described him as “the ultimate tough guy.”
The roles that consecrated him
His macho image made him a hit at the box office and on the small screen. With his circular leg kicks, he dueled on the big screen with another martial arts legend, Bruce Lee, in the setting of the Colosseum in Rome in his 1972 film debut, The Way of the Dragon.
Along with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, he helped defeat the villain played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in the 2012 blockbuster The Expendables 2.
From 1993 to 2001, he played Sergeant Cordell Walker, a law enforcement officer, ex-Marine and martial arts expert, on “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
The series was a worldwide hit and eventually turned Norris into a viral phenomenon thanks to the popular “Chuck Norris Facts,” jokes that exaggerated his abilities to the point of absurdity, such as “Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.”
The actor was known as a supporter of the Republican Party and has publicly expressed his support for various conservative figures over the years, including Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
