Richard Norton, stunt veteran who sparred with Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, dies at 75

Richard Norton, a seasoned stunt performer, histrion and martial creator who traded blows with enactment icons including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, has died. He was 75.

Norton’s woman Judy Norton announced her husband’s decease successful an affectional Instagram station shared implicit the weekend. “I americium numb and devastated, I person nary words I person mislaid my everything,” Judy Norton said. The station did not disclose further information, including a origin of death. Norton was 75.

“I cognize determination is, and volition beryllium tons of emotion and daze that we mislaid this unthinkable quality being. The emotion of my life,” she added. “I’m utilizing this clip to travel to presumption with my large loss.”

Norton, calved successful Croydon, Australia successful January 1950, enjoyed a varied vocation that spanned from the 1980s to 2024 and resulted successful on-screen battles against Norris successful “The Octagon” and Chan successful “City Hunter.” He besides sparred against Hong Kong enactment prima Sammo Hung successful respective films including “Mr. Nice Guy” and fought alongside martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock successful “China O’Brien,” “Lady Dragon” and more.

Norris mourned the nonaccomplishment of his “dear person and brother” connected Sunday, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and pictures of their on-screen battles connected Instagram. He said Norton “made maine not lone a amended martial creator but a amended person” and that the performer’s bequest volition unrecorded on. To Norris, Norton was “one of the finest men I’ve ever known.”

“I agelong for much clip together, but I instrumentality comfortableness successful the information that we volition conscionable again,” Norris wrote, earlier sending his emotion to Norton’s family.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker and DC Studios brag James Gunn besides paid tribute to Norton implicit the weekend, remembering his enactment connected “The Suicide Squad” arsenic a combat choreographer. Gunn said successful a Sunday Instagram station that helium and Norton bonded implicit their emotion for ’90s Hong Kong films, and that helium was “particularly surprised” to larn astir Norton’s decease due to the fact that helium said the martial arts adept came disconnected overmuch younger than helium really was. Gunn sent his condolences to Norton’s household and collaborators.

“The movie satellite volition beryllium a little vibrant spot without him,” Gunn said. “Rest successful Peace, friend.”

Norton’s acting credits besides see “Force: Five,” “Gymkata,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Magic Crystal,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and the CBS bid “Walker, Texas Ranger.” In summation to showcasing his enactment chops, Norton besides helped respective A-listers amended theirs. Liam Neeson, Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, Anya Taylor-Joy, Will Smith and Ben Affleck are among the actors who trained nether Norton passim his career.

Norton, whose dynamic warring benignant earned praise from Chan, began his martial arts vocation astatine property 11 aft joining a neighbour to his judo class, according to an interrogation connected his website.

“I ended up going on with him 1 nighttime and was perfectly intrigued by it. The lone downside was that I was beauteous tiny and skinny arsenic an 11-year-old truthful I ended up being cannon fodder for immoderate of the older, bigger students,” helium said.

Before his Hollywood career, Norton channeled his carnal abilities arsenic a nine information defender and yet a bodyguard for philharmonic acts including David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac backmost successful the ’70s. Later successful beingness Norton maintained his physicality with accordant grooming and by devoting himself to Brazilian jiujitsu. A sixth-degree achromatic belt, Norton besides created the Richard Norton Brazilian Jiujitsu Assn., which helped bring the martial creation to assorted clubs and organizations crossed South Wales, Australia and to Norris’ United Fighting Arts Federation.