Pretty much everyone agrees that Chuck Norris is a real man’s man. And during his career, he has acted in roles that have solidified that image over and over again. Turns out, being a go-to tough guy in Hollywood can really pay off for you financially.
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, the now 81-year-old star of the original “Walker, Texas Ranger,” television show is worth an estimated $70 million. That will buy you a lot of martial arts training!
In addition to his many acting roles, Norris also earned money as a screenwriter and a producer. His filmography includes such films as “The Way of the Dragon” with Bruce Lee, “Missing in Action,” “The Delta Force” and its sequel, “The Hitman,” “Sidekicks,” and “The Expendables 2”, according to IMDb.com.
In addition to his movie roles, Chuck Norris is also famous for his television roles in such series as “Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos,” “Sons of Thunder,” and of course, “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
Norris First Learned Martial Arts While Serving in the United States Army
What set Norris on the path to stardom and to making his millions was his military career. According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, he entered the United States Air Force in 1958. Because of that, he was stationed in South Korea where, as fate would have it, he began to study karate.
His military service came to an end in 1962. Following that, he decided to open a martial arts studio. Chuck Norris also began fighting in martial arts tournaments. While success didn’t come for the future Hollywood star at first, he soon began winning the competitions he entered.
It wasn’t until June of 1967 that he began to win matches at tournaments. Also, by this time he had some pretty famous people attending classes at his martial arts studio. According to CelebrityNewWorth.com, the list of these famous individuals included legendary actor Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley, and even famous siblings Marie and Donnie Osmond.
His friendships with McQueen proved to be very beneficial. According to reports, it was McQueen who urged Norris to give an acting career a try.
Unsurprisingly, Chuck Norris would not let adversity stop him and he kept working at his craft. This hard work began to pay off in 1968. It was during that year that he earned a Professional Middleweight Karate title. He would go on to win five more. He also befriended the famous Bruce Lee during this time.
The following year also proved to be very important to the actor’s later success. He earned Karate’s Triple Crown, according to the website, as well as an award for Fighter of the Year. And, Chuck Norris made his first movie during 1969. That film was “The Wrecking Crew.”
It might just be difficult to believe, but Chuck Norris celebrated his 81st birthday on March 10, 2021. The man seems timeless, but he is now an octogenarian. But, it’s probably safe to bet that he could still kick a whole lot of butt even at his current age.