Before Mother’s Day, Hollywood legend Chuck Norris hailed his 100-year-old mother for her profound, faith-filled influence on his life.
“During my life, my mother has prayed for me through thick and thin. Complications nearly killed me when I was born. She was back home praying for my prosperity and salvation when I was on the verge of losing my soul to Hollywood a few decades ago. She even prayed for me to meet a woman who would change my life,” Norris added.
Norris revealed some of his mother’s biographical details to show the seemingly insurmountable obstacles she overcame:
“Wilma Norris Knight, my mother, was born in rural Wilson, Oklahoma, where I grew up. I believe its population peaked at 1,800 individuals back then.”
“My mother had a rough first half of her life. She was raised in abysmal poverty and taken in as a state ward at the age of eight. She was treated for a rare ailment in a children’s hospital for two years, living away from her family.”
“She lived through the Great Depression when she regained her health a few years later. Her entire family, including the little children, used to pick cotton in fields to make ends meet.”
“As they finished picking one field, they’d frequently transfer to another town to select another. Life in the Dust Bowl was anything but easy, especially during the Great Depression’s decade.”
“Mom married my father when she was 16 but was abandoned, leaving her to raise her three boys alone. I was the oldest and frequently had to fill in for my absent father. We were as impoverished as church mice, but it was also what equipped me to overcome the challenges of life.”
“Mom has always been a model of resilience and faith. She is the sole surviving member of her 11-person original family. She has also lost two spouses, a stepson, two grandsons, and my younger brother Wieland in the Vietnam War.”
“She’s had cancer several times and had around 30 operations for various illnesses – and she’s still alive to tell the tale.”
Norris’ mother celebrated her 100th birthday just before Mother’s Day this year.
Norris has been a long-time supporter of Movieguide®, having attended the Movieguide® Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry. Chuck Norris won the Grace Prize® for Television in 2000 for his performance in the “A Question of Faith” episode of Walker, Texas Ranger.
“As Christians, we do everything in our power to promote the Christian community and the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards,” Norris explained.
“You have to go with your faith in Hollywood,” Norris remarked of being a Christian. “You must follow your views and principles. I’ve always been a conservative, but I appreciate other people’s points of view. My supervisor and I had quite different points of view, yet we respected each other. We decided to disagree.”
