Taylor Sheridan's first acting credit was in a 1995 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger
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The series went on to inspire Sheridan's 2016 Hell or High Water
The success of Chuck Norris and Walker, Texas Ranger paved the way for Sheridan's current neo-Western hits, Yellowstone and Landman
Taylor Sheridan's early career work withChuck NorrismadeYellowstonepossible.
Following the news ofNorris' death at age 86, the actor turned television hit-maker spoke about what the martial arts legend meant to him.
"I met Chuck on my first acting job. He remains one of the kindest and humblest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with," Sheridan tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement Friday, March 20.
The Western showrunner got his start in acting, with his first on-screen credit inWalker, Texas Ranger, which premiered in 1993. The neo-Western, which starred Norris as the title hero, featured Sheridan in a season 3 double-episode titled "War Zone." Sheridan played a drag racer named Vernon, who ends up in a high-speed chase with Norris' Cordell Walker. The budding actor would then go on to pursue the genre with a role inDr. Quinn, Medicine Womanin 1997.
Sheridan's time on theWalkerset made an impact, inspiring his 2016 film,Hell or High Water, where two Texas Rangers chase after bank robbers. The neo-Western series' success also made way for Sheridan's fan-favorite series likeYellowstoneandLandman.
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In 2019, Sheridan shared some memories from the set and recalled seeing Norris, whodied at age 86 on Thursday, March 19, get into a fight with another actor on the set.
"Chuck Norris was the first celebrity I ever met, and he was such a gracious guy. But he got into a fight with another actor. Chuck's itty-bitty, and this guy was huge," Sheridan toldThe New York Timesin 2019.
"You know all the Chuck Norris jokes? He actually does just beat up people with his fists."
Walker, Texas Rangerpremiered on CBS in 1993 and ran for eight seasons depsite early trouble. Ten days before it was set to premiere, Cannon Television, the studio that produced it, shut down after filming three episodes. When those episodes found strong ratings, CBS stepped in to produce it. Though the show aired on Saturday nights, by 1996 it was a Top 10 show.
"There's heart and it's emotional and gripping," saying that he thought it took a few years for people to stop thinking of him as just an action movie guy. The series ended in 2001, but he also reprised the role in the 2005 TV movieWalker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire.
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