Richard Norton, an Australian actor and martial arts specialist known for working with Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, and Cynthia Rothrock, passed away at 75. Norton’s wife, Judy Green, announced his death on Instagram, stating: “I am numb and devastated, I have no words, I have lost my everything.”
Norton died at his residence in Melbourne, Australia, last weekend. He leaves behind a legacy that spans several industries and has influenced people across continents.
Born January 6, 1950, in the Croydon suburb of Sydney, Australia, Norton started his martial arts training at age 11 with judo. “The only downside was that I was pretty small and skinny … so I ended up being cannon fodder for some of the older, bigger students!” Norton once remarked. Despite early challenges, he persisted, eventually earning a black belt in karate by 17.
Norton expanded his expertise to include several martial arts. He held black belts in Gōjū-ryū karate (5th dan), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (6th dan), and Chun Kuk Do (8th dan). He co-founded Zen Do Kai, a hybrid self-defense martial art, with Bob Jones, aimed initially at the security industry.
Before pursuing acting, Norton spent 20 years as a bodyguard for prominent musicians such as The Rolling Stones, ABBA, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, and Stevie Nicks. His first movie appearance was as a bodyguard in the 1977 film “ABBA: The Movie” during their Australian tour.
Norton’s Hollywood journey began in 1979 when he moved to Los Angeles, California, to work full-time with Linda Ronstadt. He befriended Chuck Norris, who cast him in “The Octagon” (1980) as the masked ninja villain Kyo. Their sword fight was ranked #13 in Fighting Stars Magazine’s list of the 25 greatest fight scenes.
Over his career, Norton appeared in over 80 films and TV shows, becoming well-known in Hong Kong action cinema. He starred opposite Jackie Chan in “City Hunter” (1993) and “Mr. Nice Guy” (1997), and Sammo Hung in “Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars” (1985).
Norton frequently collaborated with martial arts star Cynthia Rothrock in films such as “Millionaires’ Express” (1986), “China O’Brien” (1990) and its sequel, “Lady Dragon” (1992), and the “Rage and Honor” series (1992-1993). Their teamwork led one British magazine to call them the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of martial arts films.
Recently, Norton worked as a fight choreographer and martial arts trainer. He coordinated fights for the CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001) and films like “The Condemned” (2007), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Dark Phoenix” (2019), and “The Suicide Squad” (2021). He appeared as The Prime Imperator in both “Mad Max: Fury Road” and the 2024 prequel, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
Norton trained Hollywood stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Sophie Turner, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ben Affleck, Margot Robbie, Charlie Hunnam, and Liam Neeson for demanding roles.
James Gunn, who collaborated with Norton on “The Suicide Squad,” described him as “a tough but sweet Australian dude with a hearty laugh and a million stories about his years making movies.” Actor Robert Patrick, Norton’s co-star in “Equalizer 2000,” called him “an extraordinary individual, a towering figure in the martial arts community.”
Norton’s martial arts contributions were recognized in 2014 when he was inducted into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He remained committed to martial arts education, conducting seminars on street defense, martial arts weapons drills, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and mixed martial arts.
Norton is survived by his wife, Judy Green, whom he married in 1993. Tributes from colleagues and fans worldwide continue, underscoring his influence as an actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, trainer, and martial arts innovator in action cinema.
