“Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.” “Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups… he pushes the Earth down.” Yes, we’ve all heard most of the internet memes about Chuck Norris by now. The martial arts action star loved them. But here’s one you probably didn’t hear: Chuck Norris trained Barney the Dinosaur. Except that one isn’t actually a joke. It’s a true story.
Long before Norris made a name for himself with punchlines online, he built a solid career fighting bad guys in action films and TV shows in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. Before acting, however, the Walker, Texas Ranger actor was a martial arts champion who even sparred with legends like Bruce Lee. In fact, it was Lee and, later, actor Steve McQueen, who convinced Norris to try his hand at acting. Under McQueen’s guidance, he began acting classes at MGM.
Of course, after his success, Norris wanted to pass on his own knowledge and pay it forward. He started the Chuck Norris Acting School at some point in his career. And among his students was Jessica Simpson and David Joyner, the grown man who played Barney the Dinosaur on PBS.
In her memoir, Jessica Simpson recalls being 12 years old and forced to attend the acting academy when she missed out on the chance to join The Mickey Mouse Club. She recalls feeling totaly out of place, especially since her scene partner at the time was Joyner, who was also studying under Norris at the time.
If you don’t know, David Joyner, now 62, spent a good ten years of his life inside that 70-pound purple suit on Barney & Friends from 1991 to 2001. According to reports, temperatures inside that suit went up to 120 degrees, and Joyner could barely see out of the costume while navigating the dance moves and actions of the purple dinosaur. It seems he might have needed Chuck Norris’ help to overcome those obstacles.
“L-O-V-E,” Joyner says when explained his approach to playing Barney the Dinosaur. “Everything I do is surrounded, grounded, and elevated with love.” It sounds a bit out there until you remember he made an entire generation sing that song out loud all the time.
While both Simpson and Joyner have yet to leave tributes online to the legend, it’s probably fair to say they both have something to be thankful to Chuck Norris for.
And whether Joyner says it or not, I think it’s fair to say that the world needs to thank Chuck Norris for training Barney the Dinosaur.
RELATED: Jessica Simpson Can’t Watch Denzel Washington Movies Because of Chuck Norris – No, Really
