How Bruce Lee Got Chuck Norris His First Movie Role (Not Way Of The Dragon)
Bruce Lee was responsible for Chuck Norris’ movie debut, which actually wasn’t in The Way of the Dragon. The action icon’s first movie role was really The Wrecking Crew. Released in 1968, The Wrecking Crew was a spy-comedy starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate.
A few years after his brief appearance in the film, Norris received a noteworthy role in Golden Harvest’s The Way of the Dragon movie. As the director, the writer, and the star, Lee had full creative control over the movie, allowing him to cast who he wanted for the main villain. It was Lee’s decision to bring in Norris to play Colt, the karate expert he had to fight in the Colosseum. Known for its intense and surreal choreography, the ten-minute showdown that played out between Lee and Norris is still remembered as one of the most iconic movie fight scenes of all time. Though Norris barely said a word, the role launched his Hollywood career.
Related: What Made Bruce Lee Add Wrestling Moves To His Fighting Style
In addition to getting Norris onboard for The Way of the Dragon, Lee is also credited for Norris’ first acting role in The Wrecking Crew. As the movie’s “karate advisor”, Lee’s job was to train the actors and coordinate the fighting. Lee biographer Matthew Polly wrote in his book Bruce Lee: A Life that he deemed it necessary to bring in trained martial artists to fight the stars and serve as their stunt doubles. To this end, Lee reached out to some of his friends and hired them to work on The Wrecking Crew. Among them were Mike Stone, Ed Parker, Joe Lewis, and Chuck Norris.
All of them, including Norris, were karate practitioners Lee had befriended at martial arts tournaments. He gave each of them a job in Dean Martin's The Wrecking Crew, with
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