Chuck Norris Dies and Leaves Action Film Legacy Behind
Chuck Norris has died at age 86 and action fans are mourning the death of the legendary superstar.
Chuck Norris had quite a career as an action hero. He made so many movies in the 1980’s and 1990’s that those decades alone could help define the actor’s distinguished list of heroic roles. His films didn’t always earn the best reviews, but action film fans would turn out to watch Norris time and time again. Norris’s movies generally weren’t always as big at the box-office as say the films of other action stars such as Sylvester Stallone or Steven Seagal, yet Norris had a distinct personality that made him an action movie hero that stood out in Hollywood as one of the most earnest performers in the genre. Often, he was working in Cannon Films (The Cannon Group, Inc.) quite a bit back in the 1980’s, but Norris had appeared in movies from many other big studios as well.
Movies like Missing in Action (a $22 million box-office hit in the mid-1980’s), Code of Silence (a $20 million box-office hit) and Invasion U.S.A. (a $17 million earner) were typical films in the 1980’s that represented the successful nature of Norris’s mainstream action pictures. Norris also hit it big with one called The Delta Force which made a small fortune of $17 million back in 1986 and was a big hit on home video. The sequel only earned $6 million domestically, though, and was a bit less successful as a whole.
Norris had surprising range as an actor and starred with a young thespian who is now long gone, Jonathan Brandis, in 1992’s box-office hit, Sidekicks, which also earned an impressive $17 million at the box-office. Sidekicks was a more family friendly movie which showed a kinder side of Norris than his action films.
In 2012, all bets were off when Norris joined other action heroes in the box-office hit, The Expendables 2. Norris appeared in a juicy role in that sequel opposite other legendary heroic stars like Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The result was a smashing “A-” CinemaScore grade and an $85 million domestic box-office gross on top of another $229 million internationally.
Chuck Norris was an action fan’s favorite type of movie hero. Norris had that easy-going factor about him which made him feel like your friend while watching his heroic roles, but at the same time, one knew he wasn’t one to make mad because if one had seen any of his films, one knew vengeance would be his if you crossed him the wrong way. Norris was a genuine family man in his real life off-camera and has left a legacy of the quintessential 1980’s popcorn action pictures behind for those who adored his work. The exact cause of his death has been kept confidential at this time. He surely will be missed.
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