Edward Norton Biography
Edward Norton, Jr. (born August 18, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an Oscar-nominated American actor known for his reluctance to embrace his celebrity status. Norton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland.
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Biography
His mother Robin, an English teacher, died of a brain tumor in 1997; his father,
Edward Sr. is an attorney and former federal prosecutor under the Carter
administration who now works for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
He is the grandson of developer James Rouse (also see The Rouse Company), who
designed the city of Columbia, Maryland (where Norton grew up) and who also
helped develop Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Boston's Quincy Market. His sister,
Molly Norton, attended Washington and Lee University.
Edward Norton graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987, then from Yale
University in 1991 with a B.A. in history. It was at Yale that Norton became
heavily involved in theater, taking as many classes as he could although never
majoring in drama. Actor Ron Livingston was a classmate and fellow collegiate
actor. He also had a brief stint in Japan, teaching English at the largely
popular English Language School, NOVA Group. Norton relocated to New York City
where he began waiting tables and doing Off-Broadway theater.
Edward Norton was launched into the spotlight by 1996's Primal Fear, in which he
played a young sociopathic convict, and for which he won a Golden Globe and a
nomination for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He earned numerous
nominations, including an Best Actor nomination, for his role as a reformed
neo-Nazi in 1998's American History X, and starred in the 1999 adaptation of
Chuck Palahniuk's cult hit novel Fight Club. More recently, he played himself in
a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella, and won critical acclaim
for his role as the leper king in Kingdom of Heaven.
Edward Norton has put time and money toward social activist causes, including
improving the quality of living in low-income communities.
He has dated actresses Salma Hayek and
Drew Barrymore, as well as
musician/actress Courtney Love, with
whom he toured as a temporary guitarist for alternative band Hole.
Film List
- Undaunted Courage (2007) (mini) TV Series (announced) (produced)
- Pride And Glory (2007) - Ray (filming)
- The Painted Veil (2006) (post-production) - Walter Fane (also produced)
- The Illusionist (2006) (post-production) - Eisenheim
- Motherless Brooklyn (2005) (announced) - Lionel Essrog (also wrote, directed, and produced)
- Down in the Valley (2005) - Harlan (also produced)
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - King Baldwin
- The Italian Job (2003) - Steve Frezelli
- 25th Hour (2002) - Monty Brogan (also produced)
- Red Dragon (2002) - Will Graham
- Frida (2002) - Nelson Rockefeller
- Death to Smoochy (2002) - Sheldon Mopes/Smoochy the Rhino
- The Score (2001) - Jack Teller
- Catcher In the Rye (2001) - Holden Caulfield
- Keeping the Faith (2000) - Father Brian Finn (also directed/produced)
- Fight Club (1999) - Narrator
- American History X (1998) - Derek Vinyard
- Rounders (1998) - Lester 'Worm' Murphy
- Everyone Says I Love You (1996) - Holden Spence
- The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) - Alan Isaacman
- Primal Fear (1996) - Aaron Stampler
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