RIP: Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris, martial arts master and actor whose toughness became internet lore, dies at 86

So sad to read today that Chuck Norris has passed away. I know that in recent years he has become quite a political conservative, but when I first came to know of him, he was not about politics, just martial arts and films.

My sister and I were fans of martial arts movies back in the 70s and 80s, and we first saw Chuck in one of Bruce Lee's films - The Way of the Dragon. It was his second movie role, and he was the bad guy, but he made an impression, perhaps because he really was a martial artist who had won championships in karate. Here's a clip from the movie, where they are fighting in the Colosseum in Rome (which has a lot of stray cats) ...



He went on to do a lot of other movies in which he showed off his fighting skills, like Good Guys Wear Black (1978), but the one I especially remember was The Octagon in 1980 ...



Not saying the storyline and acting were exceptional but I did like the fight scenes ...



It was around this time that I joined a martial arts school (I got my mom to join with me), where I ended up meeting my future ex-husband, one of the school's best students. Here's me at the dojo ...

At that time I read a book by Chuck that had some good visualization techniques ... Winning Tournament Karate.

After I got divorced and left the martial arts school where I'd spent 5 years of my life, I lost track of Chuck's films and his later political interests. But I always will like him and remember the happiness his films and martial arts skills added to my life.

Godspeed, Chuck.