Are you fed up with the so-called Chuck Norris facts? Such as, ‘I hear Chuck Norris is so hard he went into KFC, asked for a Big Mac, and got one!’ If so, then let’s see how he matches up against Sir Christopher Lee, a man not unknown to the odd on-screen battle or two (hundred!)
ON SCREEN
Chuck Norris played such unforgettable tough guys as Colonel James Braddock (in Missing in Action and Missing in Action II), the titular role of Walker, Texas Ranger, several assorted martial artists, erm, that’s about it...
Christopher Lee has appeared as, among many others, Count Dracula (several times), Frankenstein’s monster (also several times), The Mummy, Lucifer, Sherlock Holmes (not only Sherlock but also his brother Mycroft and Sir Henry Baskerville), Saruman, Count Dooku (for which he received the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight, at the age of 80 no less!), Scaramanga etc etc.
Christopher Lee has appeared as, among many others, Count Dracula (several times), Frankenstein’s monster (also several times), The Mummy, Lucifer, Sherlock Holmes (not only Sherlock but also his brother Mycroft and Sir Henry Baskerville), Saruman, Count Dooku (for which he received the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight, at the age of 80 no less!), Scaramanga etc etc.
OFF SCREEN
The Chuck Norris fans will be saying, this is where the difference between the two will really show. And how right they would be...
Not only did he portray martial artists on film, but Chuck Norris was a professional karate champion and held the title for six years. He has the prestigious honour of being the first Westerner to receive an 8th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Christopher Lee was no slouch either in combat sports. He was a champion fencer who tackled his own sword-fighting stunts into his 80s. In a career spanning over 250 films he has engaged in more sword fights than any other actor and was a member of the stuntmen’s union.
As well as his martial arts experience; Chuck Norris also had a better background than most actors in military roles, having actually served in ‘real life’. He was a military policeman in United States Air Force for four years. I have a strong suspicion that one or two drunken servicemen were the recipient of a Norris right-hander en route to a night in the cells.
Whereas Christopher Lee served with Special Operations Executive, a secret department of Special Forces who operated behind enemy lines in occupied Europe during World War 2. Their job was to sabotage the Nazi supply lines, troop movements, transport infrastructures etc. As Winston Churchill told them, their role was to, “set Europe alight.” I am particularly fond of the typically English nickname they had, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare! After the war Lee used his knowledge and linguistic skills, being fluent in six languages, to work for the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects tracking down fleeing Nazi fugitives.
Not only did he portray martial artists on film, but Chuck Norris was a professional karate champion and held the title for six years. He has the prestigious honour of being the first Westerner to receive an 8th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Christopher Lee was no slouch either in combat sports. He was a champion fencer who tackled his own sword-fighting stunts into his 80s. In a career spanning over 250 films he has engaged in more sword fights than any other actor and was a member of the stuntmen’s union.
As well as his martial arts experience; Chuck Norris also had a better background than most actors in military roles, having actually served in ‘real life’. He was a military policeman in United States Air Force for four years. I have a strong suspicion that one or two drunken servicemen were the recipient of a Norris right-hander en route to a night in the cells.
Whereas Christopher Lee served with Special Operations Executive, a secret department of Special Forces who operated behind enemy lines in occupied Europe during World War 2. Their job was to sabotage the Nazi supply lines, troop movements, transport infrastructures etc. As Winston Churchill told them, their role was to, “set Europe alight.” I am particularly fond of the typically English nickname they had, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare! After the war Lee used his knowledge and linguistic skills, being fluent in six languages, to work for the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects tracking down fleeing Nazi fugitives.
WHO WINS? you decide!
VOTE AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
Jamie Tucknutt, 46 years old from Co Durham, England. Ever since I watched my first black and white vampire film at the age of five, then spent a sleepless night cowering beneath the covers as frequent droughts from my open bedroom window caused my (creaky) bedroom door to move ever so slightly, I have been a devotee of all that is deliciously dark. Zombies and slashers, ghosts and ghouls, or even just that fleeting shadow you caught in the corner of your eye, have the power to hold us all entranced. I look forward to sharing with you my passion for horror. |