In between that time, however, Norris strayed while serving in the United States Air Force in 1963 and he fathered a daughter with another woman. He was unaware that the woman, Johanna, had become pregnant.
That all changed in 1991, when his biological daughter, Dina, reached out to him.
Chuck Norris went almost three decades without knowing he fathered a daughter
+7
View gallery
Chuck Norris went almost three decades without knowing he fathered a daughter
The Hollywood star welcomed Dina in 1963, although she didn't reach out until 1991. The father and daughter in Kauai in 2015
+7
View gallery
The Hollywood star welcomed Dina in 1963, although she didn’t reach out until 1991. The father and daughter in Kauai in 2015
‘I was going through my mail at home, and I see this letter and I open it up,’ Norris told Entertainment Tonight in 2004 of how they came to be connected, as per People.
‘It’s from Dina… and she says, “I’m your daughter from a past experience,” and she said, “I found out you were my father when I was 16, but my mother said you were married and we shouldn’t interfere with your family.”‘
Although he was reluctant to meet, the pair eventually came face to face.
In his 2004 memoir Against All Odds: My Story, Norris revealed that he had read the contents of Dina’s letter to his mother, who agreed to meet with her before he did.
The first meeting took place at Norris’s mother’s home and it was not long before she called him up and urged him to come over right away.
In his autobiography, he recounted that he was so nervous to meet Dina that he brought his brother for support.
‘I walked into the living room and nearly had my breath knocked out of me,’ he penned. ‘There, standing before me, was a beautiful young lady. I was stunned, but the moment I saw her, I knew.
‘I didn’t need DNA or blood tests; there was no doubt in my mind that she was my daughter.’
High-school sweethearts Norris and his first wife, Dianne, married in 1958 (above, in 1978)
+7
View gallery
High-school sweethearts Norris and his first wife, Dianne, married in 1958 (above, in 1978)
Norris and Holechek split in 1988 after 30 years of marriage
+7
View gallery
Norris and Holechek split in 1988 after 30 years of marriage
Norris recalled how the pair hugged and both started crying.
‘At that moment, it was as if I had known her all of her life,’ he said.
Norris later learned that Dina had decided to reach out after reading that he was divorced.
continued on next page
For complete cooking times, go to the next page or click the Open button (>), and don't forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
