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Some 'Chuck Norris Facts' You Probably Didn't Know

Some 'Chuck Norris Facts' You Probably Didn't Know

No, he didn't create giraffes by punching a horse, but he did do some other cool stuff

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

If there is one celebrity out there whom everyone knows, but not many people actually know anything about, then Chuck Norris might just be that person. It's not that his life is a mystery, in fact, it's quite the opposite: we're deluged in so many Chuck Norris facts that nobody knows what is true about him.

Chuck Norris facts have been a favoured meme for years. The premise, if you've been living in North Korea for the last decade or so, is that Chuck Norris is really hard. Like really, really hard. "Chuck Norris doesn't dial the wrong number. You answered the wrong phone," reads one; "Chuck Norris once kicked a horse in the chin. Its descendants today are known as giraffes," another.

But most people - especially people in the UK - know practically nothing about Chuck Norris as a real man. His main show, Walker, Texas Ranger, was never that popular in Britain and his movies, aside from the Bruce Lee classic Way of the Dragon, didn't make many waves over here either. That's why we're here to give you a few real-life Chuck Norris facts to fill in the gaps.

via GIPHY

First up: Chuck Norris is really, really hard. Obviously, the idea of Chuck Norris facts wouldn't work if he wasn't, but he is IRL solid. He's got black belts in judo, karate, taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Tang Soo Do, as well as founding his own martial art, Chun Kuk Do, which is a hybrid of Korean martial arts and karate. Chuck was also in the US Air Force, serving as an Air Policeman in South Korea - hence the love of Korean martial arts - so he more than knows his way around weapons too.

Secondly, Norris isn't just hard, he makes up other ways for people to show off how hard they are. He has his own martial art and his own fighting league, the World Combat League, that brought together kickboxers to test out their skills. It featured established UFC stars such as Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Uriah Hall and Bellator champ Raymond Daniels, so it was a serious player on the combat sports scene at the time.

via GIPHY

Norris wasn't always nails, however. Until Norris joined the Air Force and moved to Korea, he was an introverted, shy guy, cowed by his alcoholic stepfather. He didn't excel at school and it wasn't until he joined the forces that he picked up an interest in martial arts.

Chuck's interests go far further than just fighting, too. He is also very religious and very conservative politically: part of the value system of his new martial art involves God and patriotism, and he has written books in favour of restoring morality, cracking down on immigration and a whole host of other right-wing policies.

According to reports, the actor was initially a little embarrassed by the 'Chuck Norris facts' phenomenon - he said he'd rather people pay attention to his books and political views - but has since lightened up a bit, claiming that his favourite fact about himself is that "they wanted to add Chuck Norris to Mount Rushmore, but the granite was not tough enough for his beard."

via GIPHY

Now you have some Chuck Norris facts of your own, go out and spread them to the world. Don't waste time on Walker, Texas Ranger, though. It's rubbish. Not that I'd ever say that to Norris' face, though.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity