The legendary Bruce Lee was not known for having iconic friendships in the industry. However, he had close relationships with a few people from different walks of life. One among them was Chuck Norris. Although the American martial artist and the Hong Kong legend were rivals on the field seems the duo had great friendship off the field.

But many a time, they were rumored to be a teacher and student. Even if it may sound like a weird rumor, Norris once addressed it with a hilarious reply.

Norris revealed Bruce Lee and his truth

In Bruce Lee’s biography Bruce Lee: A Life, the author of the book Matthew Polly has written about many untold stories from the actor’s life. In one of the many chapters, a unique relationship between Lee and his American karate rival Chuck Norris is narrated in the book.

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Lee had a big hand in setting Norris’ acting career, but besides this, the two had also become close friends. However, it was a famous belief back then that Lee had been training Norris. It was also hypothesized that he was training Irish martial arts artist Bob Wall, and other western martial artists. Hence, when the three of them appeared on a talk show in 1972, the host could not resist bringing up this topic. He asked Norris, “Many people said that you two were Bruce’s students, but Bruce has denied this, he said that you were just friends. So which is true?”

Maybe Norris was waiting for this question because he had a swift reply for it. The American icon said, “The fact is we are too bad to be his students, and he is too good to be our teacher.” Norris’ answer set the audience into a fit of laughter. He added, “Nevertheless, we admire his kung fu and even though he doesn’t treat us as students, we still take him as our teacher.”

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This shows how much respect and admiration Norris had for Lee and vice-versa. Besides this, Lee also played a huge role in building Norris’ Hollywood career.

When Lee cast Chuck Norris in his film

The Way of the Dragon not only marked Lee’s directorial debut but was also a breakthrough for Norris into the film industry. Lee met Norris during a karate tournament. After this he invited his new friend to feature in his first film as a director.

Although Norris never wanted to become an actor, he still accepted Lee’s offer to gain some publicity via the film. However, this decision proved to be “the best” for the martial artist. The famous fight scene between him and Lee at Rome’s Colosseum, gained a lot of people’s attraction.

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Hence, Lee’s The Way of the Dragon proved to be a stepping stone toward a new career for Norris.