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Chuck Norris, whose numerous film credits include The Hitman, Delta Force, Delta Force II, Missing in Action, Top Dogs and Sidekicks, was born Carlos Ray in Ryan, Okla., the eldest of three children.

After graduation from high school, Norris joined the Air Force and, during a stint in Korea, began to study the Asian martial art of Tang Soo Do. After returning home, he worked for Northrop Aviation and moonlighted as a karate instructor. Two years later, he was teaching full time and running a number of martial-arts schools. His students included Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley and the Osmonds. In 1968, Norris became the Professional World Middleweight Karate Champion and held that title, undefeated, until he retired in 1974. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwan Do, both Korean fighting arts, and knows all forms of the martial arts. In 1969, he earned the Triple Crown for the highest number of tournament wins and was named Fighter of the Year by Black Belt magazine. By the time he was 34, Norris had established 32 karate schools and had been champion for six years. In 1996, he became the first Westerner to be awarded an eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Norris, who was urged to begin acting by his friend Steve McQueen, skillfully incorporates his martial-arts knowledge into his series and feature film projects, stressing action and technique rather than violence.

Norris also starred in the television movies Logan's War: Bound by Honor and The President's Man, both on the CBS Television Network, and produced the CBS series Sons of Thunder. He is the author of the books The Secret of Inner Strength and The Secret Power Within: Zen Solutions to Real Problems. Among the many charities for which he works are Funds for Kids, the Veterans Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way Make-a-Wish Foundation and Kick Drugs Out of America, a nonprofit organization he created to help fight drugs and youth violence in school.

He lives on a ranch in Texas. His birth date is March 10.