Akshay Kumar pays tribute to Chuck Norris who ‘shaped a part’ of him: Effortless command he brought on screen stayed…

Akshay Kumar said that growing up as a martial artist, watching Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon and Missing in Action, was both entertainment and education.

Actor Akshay Kumar penned a note as he paid tribute to actor and martial arts star Chuck Norris, who died at 86. Taking to X (Formerly Twitter) on Friday evening, Akshay shared that Chuck Norris shaped a part of him.

Akshay Kumar dedicated a note to the late Chuck Norris.

Akshay Kumar pays tribute to Chuck Norris

Akshay shared an old picture of Chuck. He captioned the post, "Growing up as a martial artist, watching Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon, Missing in Action, and many more wasn’t just entertainment…it was education. The discipline, strength, and that effortless command he brought on screen stayed with me. Grateful for the inspiration that shaped a part of me (folded hands emoji)."

Taking to his Instagram Stories, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap re-shared a post by The Guardian US. He simply dropped broken heart emojis.

About Chuck Norris' career, family

The martial arts grandmaster and action star's roles in Walker, Texas Ranger and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy. He died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.” “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace,” the family said in a statement posted to social media.

Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. He made his film debut as an uncredited bodyguard in the 1968 movie The Wrecking Crew, which included a fight with Dean Martin. He had also crossed paths with Bruce Lee in martial arts circles. Their friendship — sometimes, as sparring partners — led to an iconic faceoff in the 1972 movie Return of the Dragon, in which Bruce fights and kills Chuck's character in Rome's Colosseum.

He went on to act in more than 20 movies, such as Missing in Action, The Delta Force and Sidekicks. Chuck also made a surprise comedic appearance as a decisive judge in the final match of the 2004 movie Dodgeball. He had only taken acting roles on occasion in recent years, including 2012's The Expendables 2 and the 2024 sci-fi action movie Agent Recon. He's due to appear in Zombie Plane,

Chuck is survived by five children-- stunt performers Mike and Eric with his late ex-wife Dianne Holechek, twins Dakota and Danilee with his wife Gena Norris, and Dina, the result of an early 1960s “one-night stand” revealed in his autobiography. He celebrated his birthday just over a week before his death, posting a sparring video on Instagram. “I don't age. I level up,” he wrote.

with AP inputs