Walker Texas Ranger: We were wrong about this famous character’s name from the start

Walker, many fans of the Texas Ranger series think that the character is simply called Walker or is his first name, but that is not the case at all, and they are not called “Texas Ranger” outright! Walker is a character’s last name and his name is… Cordell!

Cordell Walker did not have an easy childhood. His Cherokee parents were killed by white supremacists when he was a small boy. After this drama, Ray was raised by his paternal uncle.

In the 1960s, he enlisted as a Marine in Vietnam and served in Japan. Returning from the war, he continued to study martial arts, in which he held several competitions. When the series begins, Walker is working as a sergeant in the Texas Ranger Corps in the Dallas and Fort Worth area.

This life is partially inspired by Chuck Norris as he participated in the Korean War and several martial arts championships as he is a black belt in Tang Su Do, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo. Except instead of being a Texas Ranger, Norris was persuaded by Bruce Lee, then Steve McQueen, to become an actor.

After participating as a martial arts practitioner, he made a name for himself as the king of B-series action, especially thanks to cannon films such as Missing Persons and its two sequels, Invasion USA or Delta Force. In 1993, he started the series Walker Texas Ranger, which would have over 200 episodes spread over 8 years, as well as the television movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005).

did you know It is Chuck Norris himself who interprets the song The Eyes of the Ranger from the Walker series, which we hear at the opening of the episodes. The song is actually much longer, but only the first verse and chorus are heard in the credits. The Ranger’s eyes are also used for diegetic purposes as he is on the radio in the episode at the top of the stairs (S07E22).