Nov. 3 update: this event has been cancelled; more info here.
American action star Chuck Norris will visit Prague this fall as the headline guest of Weekend with a Legend (Víkend s legendou), an event marking the tenth anniversary of local promoter VDN Promo. Norris, 85, will take part in the two-day program scheduled for Nov. 22–23 at the House of Fun Prague, an entertainment center located in the historic Máj shopping complex (Obchodní dům Máj) in central Prague.
The visit marks a rare appearance in Central Europe for Norris, who rose to fame in martial arts cinema and later became a household name through his long-running TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. According to organizers, the actor topped a fan poll asking who they should invite for the anniversary celebration.
Tickets for the event start at CZK 990. Fans will have the opportunity to attend photo sessions and autograph signings, with organizers promising additional celebrity guests to be announced in the coming weeks. The Prague program follows previous editions of the company’s Night with a Legend, which has hosted Czech singer Marta Kubišová and Belgian action star Jean-Claude Van Damme.
From airman to action star
Born Carlos Ray Norris in 1940 in Oklahoma, the actor’s path to international stardom began during his service in the U.S. Air Force. Stationed in Korea as a military policeman, Norris was introduced to martial arts, studying taekwondo, judo, and karate. His early attempts at mastering the disciplines were not without setbacks—he once broke his arm attempting to smash concrete blocks—but by the late 1960s he had become a world champion in karate, a title he held until 1974.
Norris transitioned into the film industry in the late 1960s, first advising on martial arts choreography before appearing on screen in Bruce Lee’s 1972 film The Way of the Dragon. Throughout the 1970s he starred in a series of modest productions, but it was the 1980s that cemented his reputation. His roles in Missing in Action, Invasion U.S.A., and The Delta Force established him as one of the defining faces of American action cinema, often portraying uncompromising military or law enforcement figures.
His signature spinning kick and taciturn screen presence made him a cultural icon, a status reinforced by a wave of internet “Chuck Norris Facts” jokes in the 2000s that playfully exaggerated his toughness. Norris himself embraced the phenomenon, helping keep his image relevant for younger audiences.
Career beyond the screen
In 1993, Norris shifted to television with Walker, Texas Ranger, a series that ran for eight seasons and was syndicated worldwide. The show, blending martial arts action with crime drama, remains a cornerstone of his career and helped introduce him to audiences far beyond the United States. His most recent film role in a major release came in 2012, when he joined a lineup of veteran stars in The Expendables 2, parts of which were shot in Bulgaria.
Outside acting, Norris has been active in various spheres, from political endorsements—backing U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and later Donald Trump—to youth outreach programs promoting martial arts and discipline. He has also made appearances in commercials, including a memorable 2010 holiday advertisement for a Czech mobile operator, in which the famously unshakable hero struggled with the local tradition of carp preparation.
For Czech audiences, his November appearance will offer a rare chance to meet the actor whose career spans more than five decades. Organizers emphasize that Norris’s enduring popularity stems not only from his on-screen roles but also from the mythology that has grown around him.
In 2010, Norris appeared in a Christmas advertisement for Czech mobile operator T-Mobile. The ad humorously plays off the Czech term for ice skating (“bruslí“), which Norris interprets as “Bruce Lee.”
“[Norris] won our fan poll decisively,” says VDN Promo’s Petr Větrovský. “People admire his career, and maybe also the jokes that surround his persona.”
Tickets for the Weekend with a Legend fan event with Chuck Norris in Prague are now available on Ticketstream.
Lead photo: Chuck Norris at a fan event in Dortlund, Germany in 2018 courtesy DepositPhotos.com.
