During their time together, Norris mentioned his school was facing financial hardship, and it was the King of Cool McQueen himself, who suggested he get into acting.īut we have another icon to thank still: Bruce Lee. Then came his job teaching Steve McQueen, who was already Norris’s hero thanks to 1971s On Any Sunday. But even then, he was only supposed to teach others. But he might have just stayed a teacher, instead of acting, … Early Chuck Norris was shy and not overly athletic things started turning around when he joined the Air Force and learned martial arts in Korea. After all, monsters check under THEIR beds for Norris, and that’s thanks to his black belts in multiple disciplines. It’s impossible to picture Walker as anyone but the martial arts master Chuck Norris. Kick it into gear! RETURN OF THE DRAGON, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, 1972. After a career like that, Hamer retired in 1932 after serving in law enforcement for 27 years. Hamer started his career on horseback in the wild west, became an actual Texas Ranger, and is famously the leader of the group that killed Bonnie and Clyde. Turns out, this is a very real prize with a very noble backstory. For his steadfast service as a Ranger, a CD is given The Frank Hamer Award. That’s not even the tip of the iceberg of his impressive achievements. He’s also the only person to actually call Walker by his first name consistently. Walker’s a total tough guy when we meet him, but even he started off as a Robin to CD’s Batman, and he’s still a reliable guide even in retirement. There was always something special about Captain CD Parker. (c) Columbia TriStar Tel/ Courtesy: Everett Collection. The state senate even named Norris an honorary Texan, and in 2010, Chuck and Aaron were both named honorary rangers! And the award goes to… WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, Noble Willingham, 1993 – 2001. Among the main cast, Noble Willingham was the only Texan. This gave the team plenty of native Texans to recruit as extras, and some even had speaking lines, which helped the show feel authentic. Filming was done exclusively in Texas, right where the show took place, including Fort Worth and Dallas. Just step into a studio, put up a screen, build a room, and you got yourself…anywhere! But not for Walker, Texas Ranger. photo: Tony Esparza / © CBS /Courtesy Everett Collectionįor decades most hit TV shows, no matter the setting was filmed in Los Angeles. Wilson, Noble Willingham, Clarence Gilyard Jr., 1993-2001. Lone Star State WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, clockwise from bottom: Chuck Norris, Sheree J. And Chuck’s brother Aaron Norris worked as the stunt coordinator for the film.Īnd for even more real inspiration, Wade Harper, who played Robert Fuller, was himself a retired El Paso ranger. So Norris made sure to put all that into his character… The character’s origin was a tribute to Norris’s own life in another way: Firewalker was the name of a 1986 film that he starred in. And just like Walker, Norris learned how cruel people could be at a young age. Norris is actually one-quarter Native American, His paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were both full-blooded Cherokees. As a result, he never got to fully know his parents, John and Elizabeth Firewalker, but he was able to stay in touch with his Cherokee heritage… being raised by his uncle Ray on a reservation. ![]() Walker rose above a tragic start when his family was murdered in front of him. Everett CollectionĬhuck Norris’s former martial arts student and later acting mentor Steve McQueen once advised him, quote, “put as much of yourself into the character as possible.” Walker, Texas Ranger let quite a few actors do that. In character WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, 1993-2001, (l to r): Judson Mills, Chuck Norris, and Clarence Gilyard, 2001. Jimmy cringes and turns it off before Norris cranks it back on, insisting it’s good. There’s a funny nod to this in the Season 7 episode, “Jacob’s Ladder.” While driving the Dodge, Walker and Jimmy hear the song play on the radio. Oh, and he also sang the opening theme song, “Eyes Of A Ranger.” Well, really, all on Chuck Norris, as he was the face of Walker, Texas Ranger in every possible way, from starring as the titular lead to being an executive producer for the main series and the spinoff. Everyone say, “thank you, Walker!” Renaissance man WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, Chuck Norris, 1993-2001, © CBS/courtesy Everett Collection Haggis decided to switch to film, and now has Million Dollar Baby, Casino Royale, and Quantum of Solace under his belt. Haggis only worked on the series for two weeks, all of it without a bit of love for how things were playing out. But It probably wouldn’t have changed co-creator Paul Haggis’ attitude about it, which was pure hatred.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |