Chuck Norris, whose real name is Carlos Ray Norris but is better known by his stage name Chuck Norris, is an actor who shot to fame thanks to his roles in action movies like Way of the Dragon and Missing in Action, as well as his own television series, Walker, Texas Ranger. The 82-year-old man is famous for his accomplishments in the field of martial arts as well as acting. In addition to this, he has been the subject of an onslaught of memes and jokes, most of which revolve around the idea that he is unconquerable and mystically hardcore. However, despite the fact that Chuck Norris is revered by millions of people, he considers his mother, who turned 101 in May of this past year, to be his greatest inspiration.
Wilma Norris Knight is celebrating her 101st birthday today; happy birthday, Wilma!
Chuck Norris had two younger brothers who were younger than him in his family, but he was the oldest. As a child, he had admitted that he was not athletic, that he was shy, and that he performed averagely in school. His father, Ray Dee Norris, was an alcoholic who deserted his family after he and his wife finalized their divorce. His sons were raised by their mother. Chuck’s mother, Wilma Norris Knight, was born in Oklahoma in 1921. Her full name was Wilma Norris Knight. Her life was full of obstacles, one of which was the difficult financial situation in which she found herself while she was trying to raise her three sons. On the occasion of her 100th birthday, he lauded her and all of her many accomplishments in a blog post that he published on WND.
Wilma Norris Knight came from a poor family and grew up in difficult circumstances. She was taken in by the state when she was only eight years old, and she remained there until she was adopted. She was hospitalized for a rare disease for a period of two years, during which time she was separated from her family and required round-the-clock care at a children’s facility. After she had recovered from her injuries, she went back to her hometown just in time for the Great Depression. There, she and her family, including the children, were forced to pick cotton in order to make a living. They would pick in one field, then travel to a different town to continue picking in another field.
She tied the knot with Ray Dee Norris when she was just a teenager 16. However, she ultimately was responsible for raising their three sons on her own after they separated. “I was the eldest, and often had to assume the roles of my absent father,” wrote Chuck Norris. “We were as poor as church mice, but that’s what also prepared me to overcome the obstacles of this life.”
He used phrases like “an example of perseverance and faith throughout her whole life” to describe her. She is the only surviving member of her biological family, which originally consisted of 11 people. She has also outlived two husbands, a stepson, two grandchildren, and a son. In addition, she has a son who has predeceased her. Wieland, Norris’ younger brother, lost his life fighting for our country in Vietnam. In addition to this, she has successfully beaten cancer on multiple occasions and has had approximately thirty operations to treat a variety of conditions.
“We had our prayers all the time”
Chuck Norris, an outspoken Christian, has written about how his mother has always prayed for him and shared those thoughts and prayers with the world. “When I was born, I almost died from complications. When nearly losing my soul to Hollywood a few decades ago, she was back home praying for my success and salvation. She even prayed for me to find a woman to change my life, and it worked. I equally celebrate my wife, Gena, during this Mother’s Day week.”
In 2012, Wilma was a guest on Fox to talk about her book, Acts of Kindness: My Story, which was published that same year. There, she revealed the reason why she refers to Chuck as “her defender,” which is due to the fact that he took over as the head of the household when he was only 14 years old due to his father’s absence. When asked what she did to get through that challenging time, she said, “I kept them in church and Sunday school; I taught Sunday school. We had our prayers all the time… Spiritual life was very important to me, still is.”
When asked what piece of advice she could give to other mothers who were also doing the job of raising their children alone, she responded, “give them lots of love” in addition to her faith’s practices. She added, “But see, G-d didn’t give us our children. He only loaned them to us for a while. And I will see mine, you know, soon.” She laughed, “I don’t know how soon.” To which the interviewer, Mike Huckabee, responded, “Well, at the rate you’re going it’s going to be a while, Wilma.”
The Beginning of Chuck Norris’s Professional Life and Career.
Chuck Norris joined the United States Air Force immediately following his graduation from high school. It was in South Korea, where he was stationed, that he began his training in martial arts, a talent that would go on to become one of the pillars of his reputation. He opened more than 30 karate schools and instructed a number of actors, including Steve McQueen, who was one of those actors. McQueen was the one who convinced his instructor to pursue a career in acting.
By that time, Chuck Norris was also a fierce competitor in martial arts tournaments, many of which he won. In 1968, he won his first World Middleweight Karate Championship title; he won this title five more times before retiring after winning in 1974. After appearing in the film Way of the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee in a fight scene in 1972, he shot to stardom in Hollywood. It was with this movie that he started his long and successful acting career. Even though he is 82 years old, he has not yet officially retired from his job. However, when his wife Gena Norris became ill, he did temporarily step back from his work so that he could focus on his family. As a result of his two previous marriages, he is a father to five children and grandfather to seven grandchildren.
