- Action star and martial arts legend Chuck Norris has died aged 86 following a “medical emergency” in Hawaii.
- After being discharged from the Air Force in 1962, Norris opened a martial arts studio in Torrance, California, and began competing.
- He won S. Henry Cho's All-American Karate Championship at Madison Square Garden in 1967. The following year, Norris met Bruce Lee at the same tournament, where Lee was giving a demonstration.
- Lee, who was working as an action choreographer, helped Norris secure his first screen role with a small part in the Dean Martin spy comedy, The Wrecking Crew.
- Lee would go on to cast Norris in his first major role for the acclaimed 1972 martial arts film The Way of the Dragon, with the American playing Lee’s rival.
- Set within the Roman Colosseum, the iconic showdown between the two was co-coreographed by both men, highlighting their opposing martial arts skills.
- The Way of the Dragon achieved significant box office success, with climatic fight earning an almost mythical status in pop culture history and catapulting Norris to worldwide stardom.
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