Chuck Norris First Became a Father at the Age of 22, and Then Again at 60. Now He Adores His Children and Grandchildren

Chuck Norris became famous worldwide doing action films and winning martial arts championships. This seemingly harsh actor instantly changes when he starts talking about his family. On his social media, you can find lots of photos of his wife Gena, their children, and grandchildren.

The numerous family members never let Chuck get bored. The actor says that even though he is 82 now, he feels like a 50-year-old man. And the 32 years in between are just his life experience.

Chuck’s first wife was his ex-classmate, and the second was an ex-model

Norris married for the first time right after school. In 1958, he married his classmate Dianne Kay Holechek, who was only 17 years old. 4 years later, their first son, Michael, was born, and a couple of years later, they had their second son, Eric.

This marriage lasted for 3 decades. They decided to break up when he was working on The Delta Force 2. But Chuck put himself back out there and got married again when he was 58. The actor found happiness with ex-model Gena O’Kelly, who is 23 years younger than him.

Gena helped raise the 2 children from his previous marriage, and 2 years after the wedding, she gave birth to twins Danilee and Dakota.

Norris doesn’t share photos of his kids from when they were babies. But you can easily imagine what he looked like with babies on his hands by looking at a screenshot from one of his movies.

At the end of this film, Norris’ character, police officer Danny O’Brien, is holding his newborn daughter and looking at her with love.

His older sons followed in their father’s footsteps

Both of them are in the movie industry. Michael was in the 1986 drama Born American, and 1991 action Delta Force 3: The Killing Game. Now, he and his wife own the studio 2nd Fiddle Entertainment. Also, they gave Chuck 3 grandchildren: their daughter Hannah, and twins Max and Greta.

Eric became a professional racer and stunt double, and then a stunt coordinator. Additionally, from around the mid-80s, he had many small roles in movies. He has a son, Cash, and 3 daughters, Camrynn, Chloe, and Chantz.

His younger children became martial artists

In July 2021, Chuck Norris posted photos on his Instagram page of him and his wife giving their children certificates, confirming that they own 5th-degree black belts.

“Our wonderful twins, Dakota and Danilee, got their 5th Degree Black Belts and I put their new uniforms on. They trained very hard to earn their Master Rank and have made Gena and I the proudest parents in the world. I love you both with all my heart,” the actor wrote.

Dakota and Danilee appear on movie sets.

The twins spend time with other Hollywood celebrities. For example, Chuck posted a photo of Dakota with Jason Momoa.

And Danilee has already worked as an actress. In 2005, she was in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire with her father.

Chuck is not only a caring father, but also a loving grandfather

The famous actor has 13 grandchildren — both from his own kids and from his wife’s first marriage. Chuck often spends time with them and shares photos with his followers. For example, he once went to the park with his granddaughter Leilani to teach her how to roller-skate.

Norris often visits his grandchildren and takes his younger children to see them — the age difference between them is not that big.

“Easter at the ranch with our kids Dakota and Dani, plus our grandkids Dustin, Leilani and Melia. A beautiful day!” the actor wrote about one of their days together.

The actor loves making his family happy

He celebrates holidays with his wife and twins and regularly meets with other family members. The actor also doesn’t neglect the cultural side of life: once, the Norris family went to the theater to see The Phantom of the Opera.

And of course, Chuck is always ready to tell his kids how proud he is of them. On Dakota and Danilee’s 18th birthday, he made a celebratory post on his Facebook page.

“What a great night of celebration and reflection. 18 years ago today, we were blessed with these two incredible children, now amazing young adults. Happy Birthday, Danilee and Dakota! We are so proud of you and love you both very much!” Norris wrote.

The kids love Chuck back

Dakota thinks that Chuck is “the best dad he could have ever asked for.”

The oldest son thinks that same way. He is proud of his father and happy that he’s still in good shape. And Michael said, “My pops is The Man. Love spending time with a legend.”

And Chuck, who seems like a tough guy because he portrayed an incredible number of really cool and strong characters, becomes soft when he’s around the people he loves. He really values the time they spend together. The actor says, “I am blessed,” and publishes photos of him and his family and friends together.

Do you like it when lots of relatives gather around the table on holidays? Or do you think that a big family is not for you?