Chuck Norris made dozens of films over the course of his career, and he headlined nearly all of them. Of course, with a name as big as his and the legend surrounding it (like the Hollywood version of Big Foot), he was the subject of a couple noteworthy cameos during his career. Incidentally, his second highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes is one where he appears for roughly 30 seconds and only had to say three words.

Ben Stiller Had to ‘Practically Beg’ Chuck Norris to Cameo in ‘Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story’

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, the 2004 comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, holds a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, trailing only Return of the Dragon among all films associated with Norris’s name. In one of the movie’s final scenes, Norris appears as himself — one of five judges scoring the championship dodgeball match. He raises his scoring paddle, gives a thumbs up, and the crowd goes wild. Vince Vaughn’s character says, “Thank you, Chuck Norris,” and Norris responds, “Thank you, Peter” with a salute. That’s it. That’s the whole cameo.

Getting him to guest spot in the comedy, however, was not easy.

@outpump throwback when Chuck Norris gave a thumbs-up in the movie Dodgeball. He will be forever a legend ❤️ #chucknorris #dodgeball #filmtok #cinema #restinpeace ♬ audio originale – Outpump

Ben Stiller, who directed and starred in the film, wrote the cameo specifically for Norris and desperately wanted him for it. Norris was living on his ranch in Texas at the time and had largely stepped back from public life. He was hesitant. Stiller pursued him anyway — and according to reports, went as far as arranging a helicopter to fly Norris to the set to seal the deal. Norris showed up, filmed his scene in a single day, and left.

The cameo became one of the most celebrated moments in the film and introduced Norris to an entirely new generation of fans — many of whom had never seen a single Walker, Texas Ranger episode or Missing in Action film.

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Mar 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. 

Source: Men’s Journal