Norris' mixed heritage stems from his grandparents. One maternal and one paternal grandparent were Cherokee Native Americans and the other maternal and paternal grandparents possessed an Irish heritage.
Norris entered the United States Air Force as an air policeman in 1958 and served for four years until 1962.
During his time in the Air Force, Norris was introduced to the martial arts form, Tang Soo Do, in South Korea.
Norris was married to his first wife, Diane, for 30 years, before divorcing her in 1988. Ten years later, he married Gena, who is 23 years younger.
In 1963, Diane gave birth to Norris' eldest son, Mike. Son Eric followed in 1965. In 1964, Norris fathered a daughter, Dina, during an extramartial affair. He did not meet her until she was 26 years old. In 2001, Gena gave birth to son, Dakota and daughter, Danilee.
From 1993 to 2001, Norris starred as Walker in the TV series, "Walker, Texas Ranger." It ran for eight successful seasons before Norris decided to end the show. He wrote a letter to his fans explaining his decision, and posted it on his website. As of 2009, the website still shows the letter.
From 1969 to 1995, Norris starred in over 20 films including "Lone Wolf McQuade"(1982), "Code of Silence" (1985), "Delta Force" (1986) and the "Missing in Action" Trilogy.
After studying other forms of martial arts, Norris officially created Chuk Kun Do, which means "universal way." It is similar to other martial arts disciplines and features weapons training.
As a firm Christian and Republican, Norris donates both time and money to Republicans, particularly during the 2008 presidential race.
The World Combat League, created by Norris, organizes team fighting of five men and one woman. The fighters wear a form of boxing gloves and receive penalties for wrestling and grappling.