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Norris in 2004, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Carlos Ray Norris
Date of Birth: March 10, 1940
Place of Birth: Ryan, Oklahoma, U.S.
Date of Death: March 19, 2026
Place of Death: Kauai, Hawaii, U.S.
Ethnicity: English, smaller amounts of Scottish, Welsh, and German, remote French, Swedish, and Dutch, possibly other
Chuck Norris was an American actor, martial artist, fight choreographer, film producer, and screenwriter. His roles included the films The Way of the Dragon , Yellow Faced Tiger , Breaker! Breaker! , Good Guys Wear Black , A Force of One , The Octagon , An Eye for an Eye (1981), Silent Rage , Forced Vengeance , Lone Wolf McQuade , Missing in Action , and its follow-ups, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning and Braddock: Missing in Action III ; Code of Silence , Invasion U.S.A. (1985); The Delta Force , and its sequel, Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection ; Firewalker , Hero and the Terror , The Hitman (1991), Sidekicks , Hellbound (1994), Top Dog , Forest Warrior , Bells of Innocence , Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story , The Cutter , The Expendables 2 , Agent Recon , and Zombie Plane ; the series Karate Kommandos , Walker, Texas Ranger ; and Sons of Thunder , which he co-created; the made-for-tv movies Logan’s War: Bound by Honor , The President’s Man , The President’s Man: A Line in the Sand , and Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire ; and the video game Crime Boss: Rockay City . He also co-wrote Invasion U.S.A. and Braddock: Missing in Action III .
Chuck was the son of Wilma Lee (Scarberry), a waitress, and Ray Dee Norris, a mechanic, bus driver, and truck driver. He was said to have been named Carlos after Carlos Berry, his father’s minister. His father was born in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas. His mother was born in Wilson, Carter County, Oklahoma. He was the brother of stunt performer, director, actor, and film and television producer Aaron Norris.
Chuck was raised partly in Prairie Village, Kansas, and then Torrance, California. He was in the U.S. Air Force from 1958 to 1962. Chuck was married to model Gena O’Kelley, until his death. He had two children, actor Mike Norris and stock car racing driver and stuntperson Eric Norris, with his former wife Dianne Kay Holechek; a daughter with Johanna; and two children with Gena. He was a Christian.
Chuck developed the Chuck Norris System of martial arts. He had black belts in karate, taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and judo.
Chuck had stated that both of his parents were of half Irish and half Native American ancestry (“Genetically speaking, I am equal parts Irish and Native American”). Specifically, he said that his paternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant, his paternal grandmother was of Native American descent (“a full-blooded Cherokee Indian”), his maternal grandfather was of Native American descent (“a Cherokee Indian from Kentucky”), and, finally, that his maternal grandmother was of Irish descent.
However, these statements did not appear to have been accurate, at least not strictly speaking. Most of Chuck’s recent ancestors, including his paternal grandfather, were U.S.-born. His family tree contained mostly English surnames and English-born distant ancestors, along with a smaller amount of Scottish, Welsh, and German, roots, and remote French, Swedish, and Dutch. No Native American ancestry had been verified/documented in any publicly available family trees of Chuck Norris, and all of Chuck’s grandparents were described as “white” on U.S. censuses.
Chuck’s patrilineal line traces to a John Norris, who was born, c. 1525, in Norfolk, England.
Chuck’s paternal grandfather was named James Henry “Jim” Norris (the son of William Simon Norris and Eliza Ann). James was born in Tennessee. William was the son of Samuel/Sam Norris and Melissa/Malissa Curtis.
Chuck’s paternal grandmother was Ella May “Ellie” Tinker (the daughter of James Asbury Tinker and Clarisa Ann “Clara” Cofer). Ella was born in Woodland, Yolo County, California. James was the son of Jesse Tinker and Margaret McArthur.
Chuck’s maternal grandfather was named John Porter Scarberry (the son of Martha Scarberry). John was born in Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky. Martha was born in Kentucky, the daughter of Richard E. Scarbrough/Scarberry and Eliza Jane Smith.
Chuck’s maternal grandmother was Ada Agnes Hargrove (the daughter of Zachary Phelon Hardgrove/Hargrove and Alice/Jemimie Hill). Ada was born in Texas. Zachary was born in Alabama. Alice was born in Polk County, Arkansas, the daughter of Moses Perry Hill and Ellen Elizabeth Nix.
Sources: https://www.thetimes.com
Genealogies of Chuck Norris – http://www.wargs.com http://www.geni.com http://www.wikitree.com https://www.findagrave.com
Chuck’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Chuck’s paternal grandmother, Ella May “Ellie” Tinker, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Chuck’s maternal grandparents, John Porter Scarberry and Ada Agnes Hargrove, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org