Exploring Chuck Norris' Family Life After His Death at 86: All About His Wife Gena, Ex-Wife Dianne and 5 Children

Behind the cameras, Chuck Norris was a family-first man.

The Walker, Texas Ranger actor met his high school sweetheart, Dianne Holechek, when they attended North High School in Torrance, Calif., in the 1950s.

"We went together for almost two years, and she was 15 when I started dating her," he said in a 1985 interview. "I was 16 at the time, and then I married her when she was 17."

Chuck and Holechek exchanged vows in 1958.

As The Way of the Dragon star pursued an acting career, Holechek supported him closely and always traveled with him for his projects.

"If you go separate ways, then you know something's going to happen. But, she travels with me to my locations, and she's on location most of the time, so we don't separate for any extended period of time," he continued.

But in 1988, they announced they were separating after 30 years of marriage. They finalized their divorce the following year but remained on good terms as they continued to co-parent their children.

When Holechek died in December 2025 following a long battle with dementia, Norris paid tribute to his ex-wife and opened up about their close relationship.

"After being married for 30 years, we were able to find a way to remain close friends, and those years of friendship meant the world to me," he shared on Facebook. "Even as our lives took different directions, we continued to care deeply for one another, and I will forever cherish the memories we built together."

Mike Norris, Chuck and Dianne's first child, was born on October 4, 1962.

Like the An Eye for an Eye actor, he ventured into the entertainment industry as a director and an actor. Among his work include I Am… Gabriel, Amerigeddon, The Crossroads of Hunter Wilde and Saving the Tin Man.

Mike is married to his wife, Valerie, with whom he shares three children.

Chuck's daughter from a previous affair, Dina Norris DiCiolli, was born in 1964.

She reportedly reached out to the Breaker! Breaker! star in the early 1990s when she was 26.

"I was going through my mail at home and I see this letter and I open it up," Chuck said in a 2004 interview with Entertainment Tonight. "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.'"

They eventually meet despite Chuck's initial hesitation.

"I look at her and it's so amazing because I'm looking at her and she's staring at me and we just sort of gravitate toward each other and we just went into each other's arms and started crying," he said.

Chuck and Dianne welcomed their second son, Eric Norris, on May 20, 1965.

Eric built a reputation in both racing and stunt work, performing stunts on Walker, Texas Ranger and becoming the 2002 NASCAR Winston West Series champion. Although he tried to pursue racing full-time, it reportedly "did not work out."

He has four children with his wife, Stephanie.

Years after his divorce from Dianne, Chuck met Gena O'Kelley in 1997 while he was on a dinner date with someone else.

He shared further details about the meeting in his 2004 book, Against All Odds, writing, "Gena came on the set the next day and played a small part on the show."

"I invited her to dinner that night ... I wanted to get to know Gena better, so I asked her to return to Dallas as soon as possible," he reminisced. "She came back a couple of weeks later, and our friendship grew into a dating relationship. Before long, I felt myself falling head over heels in love."

Chuck and Gena took their relationship to the next level when they exchanged vows on November 28, 1998.

The Sidekicks star was such a devoted husband to Gena that he took significant time away from Hollywood after she developed gadolinium poisoning following an MRI scan in 2013. According to reports, Gena had kidney problems and rheumatoid arthritis after receiving the injection.

"My wonderful husband was lying on a couch next to me during all this time, and he even read 17 books to me," Gena gushed about Chuck.

In 2017, Chuck filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court against 11 medical and pharmaceutical companies as he sought more than $10 million in damages. He voluntarily dismissed the filing in January 2020.

Chuck and Gena welcomed twins — Dakota Alan and Danilee Kelley — on August 30, 2001.

Dakota has a fifth-degree black belt in Chun Kuk Do. He married his girlfriend, Ashleigh, in November 2025.

Meanwhile, Danilee got engaged to her boyfriend, Garrett, in February.