Norris was born on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, to Wilma and Ray Dee Norris, a World War II Army soldier, mechanic, bus driver, and truck driver. Norris has stated that he is of Irish and Cherokee descent.
Norris was named after his father’s minister, Carlos Berry. He was the oldest of three brothers, with Wieland and Aaron being the younger two. Norris’ parents divorced when he was sixteen, and he later moved to Prairie Village, Kansas, and then to Torrance, California, with his mother and brothers. Norris has described his upbringing as melancholy. He was quiet, academically average, and not particularly athletic. When not working as a mechanic, his father Ray would go on extended alcohol binges that would last for months at a time. Norris suffered from crippling introversion throughout his entire childhood due to his father’s embarrassing behavior and the family’s dire financial situation.
In 1958, he joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) and was assigned to Osan Air Base in South Korea. It was there that Norris earned the nickname “Chuck” and began his Tang Soo Do (tangsudo) training, which led to black belts in the art and the establishment of the Chun Kuk Do (“Universal Way”) form. He returned to the United States and worked as an AP at March Air Force Base in California. In August 1962, Norris was discharged from the United States Air Force. Norris applied for a job as a police officer in Torrance, California, after completing his military service. Norris opened a martial arts studio while on the waiting list.
Are Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone friends?
Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone are friends, but little is known about them.
