Johnson was famous for the martial arts choreography in The Karate Kid series, in which he also starred as the All Valley Karate Tournament head referee, and was involved in many films, as choreographer and actor, including Enter the Dragon (as a Mafia collection-agent who gets coldcocked by John Saxon), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,[4] Mortal Kombat, Green Street Hooligans, and Punisher: War Zone.

[6][7] He began training in traditional Korean Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan in 1963, while stationed in South Korea as a chaplain in the U.S. Army.

[9] From 1968 to 1973, Johnson was captain of the undefeated Chuck Norris black belt competition team, which won 33 consecutive national and international titles.

In 1979, Norris disbanded the NTC and formed the United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF), again naming Johnson as executive vice president.

In the film, Johnson played the karate instructor to a pair of young brothers (portrayed by Chris and Pat Petersen) who use their martial arts skills to foil a kidnapping plot.