Richard Norton, a veteran stunt performer, actor and martial artist who traded blows with action icons including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, has died. He was 75.
Norton’s wife Judy Norton announced her husband’s death in an emotional Instagram post shared over the weekend. “I am numb and devastated, I have no words I have lost my everything,” Judy Norton said. The post did not disclose additional information, including a cause of death. Norton was 75.
“I know there is, and will be lots of love and shock that we lost this incredible human being. The love of my life,” she added. “I’m using this time to come to terms with my great loss.”
Norton, born in Croydon, Australia in January 1950, enjoyed a varied career that spanned from the 1980s to 2024 and resulted in on-screen battles against Norris in “The Octagon” and Chan in “City Hunter.” He also sparred against Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung in several films including “Mr. Nice Guy” and fought alongside martial arts queen Cynthia Rothrock in “China O’Brien,” “Lady Dragon” and more.
Norris mourned the loss of his “dear friend and brother” on Sunday, sharing behind-the-scenes photos and pictures of their on-screen battles on Instagram. He said Norton “made me not only a better martial artist but a better person” and that the performer’s legacy will live on. To Norris, Norton was “one of the finest men I’ve ever known.”
“I long for more time together, but I take comfort in the fact that we will meet again,” Norris wrote, before sending his love to Norton’s family.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” filmmaker and DC Studios boss James Gunn also paid tribute to Norton over the weekend, remembering his work on “The Suicide Squad” as a fight choreographer. Gunn said in a Sunday Instagram post that he and Norton bonded over their love for ’90s Hong Kong films, and that he was “particularly surprised” to learn about Norton’s death because he said the martial arts expert came off much younger than he actually was. Gunn sent his condolences to Norton’s family and collaborators.
“The film world will be a less vibrant place without him,” Gunn said. “Rest in Peace, friend.”
Norton’s acting credits also include “Force: Five,” “Gymkata,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Magic Crystal,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and the CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger.” In addition to showcasing his action chops, Norton also helped several A-listers improve theirs. Liam Neeson, Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, Anya Taylor-Joy, Will Smith and Ben Affleck are among the actors who trained under Norton throughout his career.
Norton, whose dynamic fighting style earned praise from Chan, began his martial arts career at age 11 after joining a neighbor to his judo class, according to an interview on his website.
“I ended up going along with him one night and was absolutely intrigued by it. The only downside was that I was pretty small and skinny as an 11-year-old so I ended up being cannon fodder for some of the older, bigger students,” he said.
Before his Hollywood career, Norton channeled his physical abilities as a club security guard and eventually a bodyguard for musical acts including David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, ABBA and Fleetwood Mac back in the ’70s. Later in life Norton maintained his physicality with consistent training and by devoting himself to Brazilian jiujitsu. A sixth-degree black belt, Norton also created the Richard Norton Brazilian Jiujitsu Assn., which helped bring the martial art to various clubs and organizations across South Wales, Australia and to Norris’ United Fighting Arts Federation.
