Richard Norton, an Australian actor and martial arts specialist known for his performances alongside Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, and Cynthia Rothrock, passed away at 75. His wife, Judy Green, announced his death on Instagram. She wrote: “I am numb and devastated. I have no words. I have lost my everything.”
Norton died on March 28, 2025, at his residence in Melbourne, Australia. He leaves a legacy spanning multiple industries and has influenced countless individuals across several continents.
Born on January 6, 1950, in the Croydon suburb of Sydney, Australia, Norton began his martial arts education at 11 with judo. Norton once recalled, “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!” Despite these early challenges, he continued his training, adding karate to his repertoire and earning a black belt by 17.
Norton’s martial arts expertise expanded to include various disciplines. He held black belts in Gōjū-ryū karate (5th dan), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (6th dan), and Chun Kuk Do (8th dan). Together with karateka Bob Jones, he co-created Zen Do Kai, a hybrid self-defense martial art initially designed for the security sector.
Before entering the film industry, Norton spent two decades serving as a bodyguard for prominent music industry figures. His clients included The Rolling Stones, ABBA, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, and Stevie Nicks. His work led to a brief appearance as a bodyguard in the 1977 film “ABBA: The Movie” during the group’s Australian tour.
Norton’s move to Hollywood began in earnest in 1979 when he relocated to Los Angeles, California, to work full-time with Linda Ronstadt. In Los Angeles, he formed a friendship with Chuck Norris, who cast him in his first significant role as the masked ninja villain Kyo in “The Octagon” (1980). Their climactic sword fight in the film was later ranked #13 on Fighting Stars Magazine’s list of the 25 greatest fight scenes ever.
Throughout his career, Norton appeared in over 80 films and television programs. He gained particular recognition in Hong Kong action cinema, appearing opposite stars such as Jackie Chan in “City Hunter” (1993) and “Mr. Nice Guy” (1997), and Sammo Hung in “Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars” (1985).
Norton frequently collaborated with fellow martial arts actor Cynthia Rothrock, appearing together in films like “Millionaires’ Express” (1986), “China O’Brien” (1990) and its sequel (1991), “Lady Dragon” (1992), and the “Rage and Honor” films (1992-1993). Their on-screen partnership was so prominent that a British magazine called them the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of martial arts movies.
In recent years, Norton focused on working as a fight choreographer and martial arts trainer for Hollywood actors. He was the fight coordinator for the CBS series “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993-2001), starring Chuck Norris, and choreographed action scenes for films like “The Condemned” (2007), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Dark Phoenix” (2019), and “The Suicide Squad” (2021). He also appeared as The Prime Imperator in “Mad Max: Fury Road” and its 2024 prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”
As a trainer, Norton assisted numerous Hollywood actors in preparing for physically demanding roles, including Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Sophie Turner, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ben Affleck, Margot Robbie, Charlie Hunnam, and Liam Neeson.
James Gunn, who worked 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, who co-starred with Norton in “Equalizer 2000,” referred to him as “an extraordinary individual, a towering figure in the martial arts community.”
In 2014, Norton’s contributions to martial arts were formally recognized with his induction into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Beyond his film work, 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. As tributes continue to pour in from colleagues and fans worldwide, his legacy as an actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, trainer, and martial arts innovator is solidified in the history of action cinema.
