Remembering Action Hero Chuck Norris

Fresh Air

NPR

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.3 • 36.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2026

⏱️ 46 minutes

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Summary

We remember martial arts champion turned Hollywood action hero Chuck Norris, who died last week at age 86. In addition to his many kung fu and action films, he was the star of the long-running TV show, ‘Walker, Texas Ranger.’ He spoke with Terry Gross in 1988 about the karate he learned while stationed in Korea.

Also, we remember Tex-Mex musician Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes, who died March 7 at age 85. His signature sound was created on the vox organ, an instrument made in Britain. When he went to England in the ‘60s he got a call at his hotel. “George Harrison and John Lennon called the hotel and wanted me to come to the studio because they wanted to see how they had a vox organ but they couldn't get the sound I had out of mine,” he told Terry Gross in 1990.

Justin Chang reviews the film ‘Miroirs No. 3’ and David Bianculli reviews ‘Marshals’ and ‘The Madison.’

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Fresh Air. I'm Dave Davies. Chuck Norris, the martial arts champion turned Hollywood action
0:06.7	hero, died last week. He was 86. Norris broke into movies with a cinematic fight to the death
0:13.2	against Kung Fu Master Bruce Lee in Return of the Dragon. Norris first learned karate in Korea
0:19.4	while serving in the Air Force.
0:21.5	Back in California, he kept at it and became the world middleweight karate champion, a title he held for six years.
0:28.9	He also set up karate academies where he taught several Hollywood celebrities.
0:33.7	One of his students, Steve McQueen, encouraged him to pursue a career in acting.
0:38.7	Norris went on to make a dozen kung fu films and became a martial arts cult hero.
0:44.3	Then he diversified to become an all-around tough guy action star.
0:48.4	His films include Code of Silence, Invasion USA, Delta Force, Missing in Action, Parts 1 in 2, and Braddock, Missing
0:56.6	in Action Part 3. From 1993 to 2001, he starred in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger,
1:03.9	playing a lawman you don't want to mess with. Here he is confronting a couple of bad guys.
1:09.2	Ninja Walker, I'm so sorry about the tragic death of your partner.
1:14.6	Sure you are.
1:16.6	I know you're the one that arranged the head.
1:22.6	And I know you're the one that pull the trigger.
1:24.6	I assume you have proof.
1:25.6	If I had proof, you'd be dead right now. But I'm going to take you down,
1:31.2	and I'm going to take you down hard. You want me, Walker? And you got me. Just name the time and place
1:38.9	if you've got the guts. Chuck Norris also wrote an autobiography titled The Secret of Inner Strength.
1:48.1	We're going to listen to Terry's 1988 interview with him.
1:52.0	She asked him to describe the kind of karate he learned while stationed in Korea.
	...

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