Died at 86
male
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (March 10, 1940 – March 19, 2026) was an American martial artist and actor. He was a black belt in Karate, Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline, Chun Kuk Do. Shortly after, in Hollywood, Norris trained celebrities in martial arts. Norris went on to appear in a minor role in The Wrecking Crew (1968). Friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in The Way of the Dragon (1972). While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested he take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! (1977), which turned a profit. His second lead, Good Guys Wear Black (1978), became a hit, and he soon became a popular action film star. Norris went on to star in a streak of bankable independently made action and martial arts films, with A Force of One (1979), The Octagon (1980), and An Eye for an Eye (1981). This made Norris an international celebrity. He went on to make studio films like Silent Rage (1982) with Columbia, Forced Vengeance (1982) with MGM, and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) with Orion. This led Cannon Films to sign Norris into a multiple film deal, starting with Missing in Action (1984), which proved to be very successful and launched a trilogy. Norris started to work almost exclusively on high-profile action films with Cannon, becoming its leading star during the 1980s. Films with Cannon include Invasion U.S.A (1985), The Delta Force (1986), and Firewalker (1986), among others. Apart from the Cannon films, Norris made Code of Silence (1985), which was received as one of his best films. In the 1990s, he played the title role in the long-running CBS television series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001. Until 2006, Norris continued taking lead roles in action movies. His last appearance in a major film release was in The Expendables 2 (2012). Throughout his film and TV career, Norris diversified from his regular endeavors. As a writer, he is a New York Times bestselling author of books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy, his conservative politics, Christian western fiction, self-help, and biographies, and he also serves as a columnist for WorldNetDaily. Norris also appeared in several commercials endorsing several products, most notably being one of the main spokespersons for the Total Gym infomercials. In 2005, Norris found new fame on the Internet when Chuck Norris facts became an Internet meme documenting humorous, fictional, and often absurd feats of strength and endurance. Although Norris himself did not produce the "facts", he was hired to endorse many products that incorporated Chuck Norris facts in advertising. The phenomenon resulted in six books, some of them New York Times bestsellers, as well as two video games, and several appearances on talk shows, such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, in which he read the "facts" or participated in sketches. Description above from the Wikipedia article Chuck Norris, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
In the silver mining town of Skalitz, a young apprentice named Henry lives with his mother and blacksmith father, Martin. They complete a sword for King Wenceslaus' hetman, Sir Radzig Kobyla. However, the town is attacked by Cuman soldiers led by Sigismund, and Henry's parents are killed by Sigismund's adjutant, Sir Markvart von Aulitz. Henry escapes with the sword to warn Sir Divish in Talmberg. During a storm, Radzig helps survivors flee to safety. The next day, Sigismund’s army arrives, but Divish negotiates for them to leave. Henry, upset about his parents' burial, returns to Skalitz and is defeated by bandits led by Runt, who steals the sword. He is rescued by survivor Theresa and Captain Robard, who take him to Rattay. Henry wants to recover his father's sword and seek revenge, so he serves Sir Hanush of Leipa and becomes Radzig’s envoy after saving Lord Hans Capon. Henry uncovers a bandit conspiracy and infiltrates their ranks, leading to a duel with Runt. He learns that Tóth possesses his father’s sword and plans to conquer Bohemia. After escaping, Henry warns the Lords, who then lay siege to Talmberg and defeat Tóth's men, capturing hostages. In the end, Henry dreams of his parents and learns of an alliance against Sigismund while preparing to visit a key ally.
