He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwan Do, both Korean fighting styles, and he is familiar with all forms of the martial arts, a knowledge he incorporates into his fighting style in his acting.

By the time he was 34, Norris had achieved his early goals -- he had 32 Karate schools, and had been Champion for the past six years. He was up to a new challenge. On the advice of his friend, Steve McQueen, he turned to acting. He pursued this goal in the same diligent manner that led him eventually to become a champion.

"The hardest part of acting for me was to relax totally in front of the camera," he admits. "After many years of learning to control my emotions in karate, I found it very difficult to reverse that process and fully express them. But I try to learn from my mistakes and, hopefully, have developed more as an actor with each role."