Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is a martial artist and actor born in Ryan, Oklahoma in 1940. Norris first began his martial arts training in South Korea while serving with the United States Air Force. Defeating the likes of Joe Lewis and Skipper Mullins, Norris held the Professional Middleweight Karate champion title for six consecutive years during the late 1960s. He would later found his own form of martial arts known as Chun Kuk Do and become the first man from the Western Hemisphere to be awarded an eighth degree Black Belt Grand Master ranking in the Tae Kwon Do tradition.   Chuck Norris launched his acting career with the 1972 Bruce Lee film, Way of the Dragon. He continued to star in action flicks throughout the 1980s before transitioning to television with his leading role in Walker, Texas Ranger in 1993. The CBS show was primarily shot in Texas, and had a successful run for eight years. Norris continues to make cameo appearances in films as well as television endorsements for products such as the Total Gym home fitness equipment.    Currently residing at his ranch in Navasota, Texas, Norris is an outspoken Christian Republican. He has penned two Christian novels and promotes spiritual Christian living through his website. Norris and his wife also founded the KICKSTART KIDS Foundation, which provides martial arts training to at-risk youth. Furthermore, he is a strong advocate for the National Rifle Association and The Veterans Association.    In 2010, Norris was named an honorary Texas Ranger by Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Best known for his tough-guy roles and dancing abilities, actor Patrick Swayze was born in Houston on August 18, 1952. His mother, Patsy Swayze, owned the dance school where young Swayze attended dance lessons and met his future wife Lisa Niemi.The couple married in 1975. Throughout High school, Swayze showed interests in acting, dancing, and football. He studied gymnastics at San Jacinto College before moving to New York in 1972 to complete his dance training with the Harkness and Joffrey ballet schools. Swayze first danced professionally as Prince Charming in Disney on Parade and went on to briefly play Danny Zuko as a replacement in the original Broadway production of Grease.   After many supporting roles in film and television, such as Ace in Skatetown U.S.A., Swayze began to gain notoriety for his parts in The Outsiders, Red Dawn, and North and South. His breakthrough film role came with his performance as bad-boy dance instructor Johnny Castle, in the surprise hit Dirty Dancing, for which Swayze received a Golden Globe nomination in 1987. He received another nomination for his portrayal of Sam Wheat alongside Demi Moore in the 1990 blockbuster film Ghost. Swayze's selected filmography includes Point Break, Donnie Darko, To Wong Foo, and Road House, where he plays the mysterious professional "Cooler" James Dalton. The performer returned to Broadway in 2003 as Billy Flynn in the acclaimed revival of Chicago and in the West End staging of Guys and Dolls.    Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2008. He was able to continue acting while receiving treatment and fighting the illness. In early 2009, despite media claims of Swayze's failing health, he told Barbara Walters that he was "kicking it." Patrick Swayze died on September 14, 2009, survived by his wife, mother, and three siblings.