Chuck Norris: He's a man of action

We interviewed Chuck Norris at Planet Hollywood in New York City recently. Chuck, the star of many action/adventure films, is also the star of the new TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. He told us that he started in martial arts 33 years ago when he was 19 and he was fighting over in Korea.

Q: Do you miss the karate movies?

A: Yes, but I never tried to live on my past. That was another part of my life, but now I still have an exciting part of my life left to live. I have the TV series and more movies. I want to keep broadening my horizons.

Q: Was the TV show your idea?

A: No. It was CBS' idea. I was in Israel doing another movie and they contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in a series. I had turned down about 12 series already, but it dealt with a Texas Ranger concept that I liked a lot. I figured if I was going to do a series, this would be the one.

Q: Is anyone else in your family into karate?

A: Yes. My younger brother (Aaron) who directed Sidekicks. He is a black belt. Both my sons have trained.

Q: Do you do your own stunts?

A: Most of them, yes. In Sidekicks, it was all martial arts, so that was easy to do. I did the movie Delta Force 2 where I did sky-diving and had to catch a drug dealer in mid-air. That was beyond my ability so I had a double come in for that.

Q: Were you ever hurt?

A: Yes. I had my nose broken four times, my hand twice and my shoulder once. That was when I was professional fighter.

Q: What do you like better, movies or TV?

A: It is hard to say. I like the Walker character very much, and it has gotten very high ratings. I am looking forward to it being a long-running show. I haven't had a project that has interested me in a long time. I think the last one that did was Code of Silence. I like Sidekicks a lot because it tells a story about kids with low self-esteem. A lot of kids get picked on in school. Not because they are bad kids, but they are the ones the bullies can pick on. I was one of those kids growing up.

Write to Chuck Norris c/o P.O. Box 872, Navosta, TX 77868.