Actor and martial artist Chuck Norris has been forced to deny that he attended last week’s Capitol Hill riot after a photo of a man with a striking resemblance appeared on social media.
Following the riot, a picture was uploaded to social media of a Donald Trump supporter who shared similar features to the 80-year-old star.
The picture of the man who looked similar to Chuck Norris caused some confusion, with many online believing the actor had actually attended the riot.
Norris is a 80s screen legend who rose to fame after appearing in Bruce Lee movie Way of the Dragon and becoming an action movie stalwart in films including Delta Force.
In more recent times he has become a popular meme that riffs on his impossibly tough image with lines such as ‘Chuck Norris doesn’t turn on the shower, he stares at it until it starts to cry.’
The agent of actor and martial artist Chuck Norris has been forced to deny that the star attended last week’s Capitol Hill riot after a photo of a man with a striking resemblance (pictured right) appeared on social media
At least two pictures taken by Trump supporters at last week’s Capitol Hill riot showed the man who bore a striking resemblance to Chuck Norris
He is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, a Christian and also supports gun rights.
Speaking yesterday, Norris’ manager Erik Kritzer confirmed that the man in the picture wasn’t Chuck Norris.
He said: ‘Chuck remains on his range in Texas where he has been with his family.’
Kritzer added that ‘Chuck is much more handsome’ than the man in the photograph.
The actor and martial artist also took to his own Facebook page to deny that the man in the picture was him.
The actor and martial-artist also posted on his own social media accounts to deny having been at the riot and clarify that there is ‘no room for violence’
Norris’ manager Erik Kritzer said that the actor remained on his ranch in Texas with his family and had not attended the riot
One of Chuck Norris’ early on-screen roles came in the Bruce Lee film Way of the Dragon (pictured) in which he played the character called Colt
In a post uploaded yesterday, Chuck said: ‘It has come to my attention that unfortunately there was a Chuck Norris lookalike at the DC Capitol riots on January 6th. It wasn’t me and I wasn’t there.
‘Let me be clear that there is no room for violence of any kind in our society, including in the context of political protests and that a peaceful transition of power is fundamental to our democratic system of government.
‘I am and always will be for Law and Order.’
The attack on the US Capitol Wednesday happened as members of Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.
After the turn of the century Chuck Norris became the subject of a number of internet memes which portrayed him as one of the world’s greatest ‘tough guys’
Norris has been known to involve himself in politics, having backed George H. W. Bush in the 1988 elections as well as throwing his weight behind Mike Huckabee in 2008 in the race for the Republican party nominee.
In 2012 Norris voiced his support for the Republican candidate Mitt Romney after having initially accused him of flip-flopping and trying to buy the Republican nomination.
On the eve of the 2012 election, Norris posted a video online with his wife Gena warning that if people did not show up at the polls and vote out President Obama, ‘our country as we know it may be lost forever.’
In 2016, Chuck Norris voiced his support for President Donald Trump, saying that Obama ‘craziness’ would have continued if Hillary Clinton had been elected into office.
In an op-ed written for the website WND, Norris wrote: ‘And most grievous of all, justice seats on the U.S. Supreme Court will be filled by Hillary’s nominees, and their next decade of decisions will certainly dismantle or destroy what is left of our republic.’
One of Norris’ best-known roles was that of karate-kicking lawman Cordell Walker (pictured) in ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ which ran between 1993 and 2001
One of Norris’ best-known roles was that of karate-kicking lawman Cordell Walker in ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ which ran between 1993 and 2001.
He first learned martial arts in the 1950s while stationed in Korea with the US Air Force before opening his own karate studio when he returned home.
In the 1970s Norris switched careers and started acting, appearing in the 1972 movie Way of the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee.
The film featured a fight scene between the two actors held in the Roman Colosseum.
He then starred in a number of other films such as Good Guys Wear Black and Forced Vengeance before taking up a role as a former prisoner of war returning to Vietnam to free other soldiers.
He said he took on this role as a tribute to his younger brother who died while fighting in Vietnam.
Before making the switch to TV roles, Norris appeared alongside fellow ‘tough guy’ Lee Marvin in the 1986 film The Delta Force.