Chuck Norris is known for his roundhouse kicks and action star persona in the 80s and 90s. He starred in films such as Good guys wear black, Breaker! Breaker!, And The Octagon. Although he didn’t reach the level of other action stars of the era like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he still held his own. The actor was known for his mastery of martial arts and was also known for training many celebrities in martial arts before becoming an actor.
Norris made his big screen debut with Bruce Lee The path of The Dragon. The action star has a minor role as Colt, who is recruited by the antagonist to fight against Lee’s Tang Lung. Norris and Lee reportedly developed a friendship when they met at the All-American-Karate Championship tournament, where the Silent Rage The star was a two-time world champion.
Chuck Norris began his career as Bruce Lee The Way of the Dragon
Before Chuck Norris became the subject of a popular trend and became the action star of the decade, he was a well-known martial artist who created his own technique called Chun Kuk Do or the “Universal Way.” The action star reportedly opened his own martial arts studio after being discharged from the US Air Force and trained several celebrities including Steve McQueen, Bob Barker and Priscilla Presley.
Norris is said to have met Bruce Lee at the All-American-Karate Championship in 1968, where the former was world champion. The actor reportedly won the championship for the second time and bowed out of the tournament with an unbeaten streak. Lee worked on the TV show The green hornet at the time and the two reportedly began training in Norris’s backyard.
Norris mentioned that he and Lee trained together for three years, but then the actor went to Hong Kong to pursue his acting career. Two years later, Norris received a call from Lee saying he wanted to make a film with him. Lee reportedly mentioned that he wanted to film a fight scene at the Colosseum in Rome and that he wanted Chuck Norris to be in it. He told Combat Culture,
“At that time I held the world title and I jokingly said to Bruce, ‘Well, who will win Bruce?’ and he says, “I win, I’m the star of this movie.” I said, ‘Oh, I see, you want to beat the world champion, and he said, ‘No, I don’t, I want to kill the world champion.’
Chuck Norris has been cast as Colt in Bruce Lee’s third feature film The Way of the Dragon. The actor played one of the heavyweight characters in the film and had a climactic fight sequence with the legendary star in the Roman Colosseum. The ten-minute fight sequence has been considered one of the best choreographed martial arts sequences and the scene has achieved legendary status.
Bruce Lee was always open to new martial arts techniques
Bruce Lee had legendary status as a martial arts icon and the actor even invented his own style called Jeet Kune Do. However, despite his accomplishments, Lee was reportedly willing to learn from others in the field and instill different philosophies. Chuck Norris mentioned Lee’s penchant for learning new ways in an interview with Physical Arts,
“He learned from everyone, he had a very open mind. Bruce never believed in one style, or one style that was best, he believed that there were so many “bests” in everything. He said everything has strengths and weaknesses and what he wants to do is find the strengths and use them.
Bruce Lee was also said to have been a big fan of legendary boxer Muhammed Ali and was inspired by his speed and agility. Lee’s student Dan Inosanto revealed to Variety how open-minded the star was and how he recommended his students watch Ali’s speed. Speaking of his portrait in Once upon a time in HollywoodInosanto said,
“Bruce Lee would never have said anything derogatory about Muhammad Ali because he revered the ground that Muhammad Ali walked on. In fact, he liked boxing more than martial arts.
Although Chuck Norris did not reach the level of fame of his contemporaries of the time, such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, he seemed to have had an experience that none of those stars had ever had. He got to share screen space with the legendary Bruce Lee in his very first film and even trained with him.