EDWARD NORTON

'Edward Harrison Norton'^[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. His acting credits include roles in the films ''Primal Fear'', ''American History X'' and ''Fight Club''.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

Music credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Norton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. His mother, Robin (née Rouse), an English teacher, died of a brain tumor in 1997; his father, Edward James Norton, Sr., is an environmental lawyer and conservation advocate working in Asia and former federal prosecutor under the Carter administration. His maternal grandfather was the developer James W. Rouse (also see The Rouse Company), who designed the city of Columbia, Maryland (where Norton grew up), helped develop Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Norfolk's Waterside Festival Marketplace, and Boston's Quincy Market, as well as co-founded the Enterprise Foundation with Norton's maternal step grandmother, Patricia. Norton has two younger siblings; his sister Molly Norton, who attended Washington and Lee University and his brother Jim, who attended Bowdoin College and with whom he has collaborated professionally.
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 discovered a passion for theater, taking as many classes as he could although never majoring in drama. Actors Ron Livingston and Paul Giamatti were classmates and fellow collegiate actors. Following graduation, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Foundation. He also appeared in an ESL textbook, ''Only in America'', used by Nova, a major Japanese language school.^[2]

Career

Edward Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in Off-Broadway theater. Moving into film, Norton cut his teeth playing a series of dark, grotesque characters, quickly launching him into the spotlight, beginning with 1996's ''Primal Fear.'' In the film, he took on the role of Aaron Stampler, a deeply disturbed young man accused of a brutal murder, for which he won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1998, his portrayal of a reformed neo-Nazi in ''American History X'' earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his role as a card shark pitted him opposite Matt Damon in 1998's poker-playing hit ''Rounders''. He packed on 30 pounds (15 kg) of muscle for his role in ''American History X'' but did not maintain the physique after production. Despite mixed reviews for the film, his performance in the adaptation of the cult novel ''Fight Club'', which co-starred Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, has been credited as a factor in expanding Norton's fan base.
In 2002, he starred as FBI profiler Will Graham in Brett Ratner's ''Red Dragon'' and in Spike Lee's 25th Hour, as a drug dealer living his last night before going to prison. While ''Red Dragon'' received mixed reviews, it was commercially successful. ''25th Hour'' was praised by critics, particularly for its examination of a post 9-11 New York City, but failed to break even.^[3]
He played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show ''Stella'', and won critical acclaim for his role as the leper king of Jerusalem in ''Kingdom of Heaven''. In 2006, he starred in the independent movie ''The Illusionist'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later became a sleeper hit when it went on general release.
Norton has also done uncredited script work on some of the films he has appeared in, specifically ''Frida''^[4] and ''The Score''. In 2000, he made his debut as a director with ''Keeping the Faith''. He will also direct his film adaptation of the novel ''Motherless Brooklyn''.
On April 16, 2007, it was confirmed that Norton will play the role of Bruce Banner in the upcoming movie adaptation of the Incredible Hulk, to be released in 2008.^[5]

Personal life

Norton is generally known for his reluctance to embrace his celebrity status, and has said, "If I ever have to stop taking the subway, I'm gonna have a heart attack."^[6] Norton has stated in interviews that he is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles.
He has a Black Flag tattoo on his upper back. Norton has a private pilot license and discussed his flight training when interviewed on an episode of ''The Late Show with David Letterman''.
Norton has been a strong supporter of Eliot Spitzer, who was elected governor of New York in 2006. He has introduced Spitzer at several campaign events and also rode on his campaign bus. Norton is a member of the trustees of the Enterprise Foundation, a non-profit developer of affordable housing. He is also well-known for his support for environmental causes and renewable energy projects, such as BP's ''Solar Neighbors'' program.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} He has also put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities.
Norton dated Mexican actress Salma Hayek between 1999 and 2000. He was also once engaged to Courtney Love.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	''Primal Fear''	Aaron Stampler
	''The People vs. Larry Flynt''	Alan Isaacman
	''Everyone Says I Love You''	Holden Spence
1998	''Rounders''	Lester 'Worm' Murphy
	''American History X''	Derek Vinyard
1999	''Fight Club''	Narrator/Jack
2000	''Keeping the Faith''	Father Brian Finn	Also ''Director, Producer''
2001	''The Score''	Brian/ Jack 'Jackie' Teller
2002	''Death to Smoochy''	Sheldon Mopes/Smoochy the Rhino
	''Frida''	Nelson Rockefeller
	''Red Dragon''	Will Graham
	''25th Hour''	Monty Brogan	Also ''Producer''
2003	''The Italian Job''	Steve Frazelli
2004	''National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth''	Host
2005	''Kingdom of Heaven''	Baldwin IV	''Uncredited''
2006	''Down in the Valley''	Harlan	Also ''Producer''
	''The Illusionist''	Eisenheim
	''The Painted Veil''	Walter Fane	Also ''Producer''
2007	''Motherless Brooklyn''	Lionel Essrog	Also ''Director, Producer, and Screenwriter''
	''Pride and Glory''	Ray Tierney
2008	''The Incredible Hulk''	Bruce Banner	Also ''Screenwriter''

'Director credits'

Year	Title
2000	''Keeping the Faith''

'Producer credits'

Year	Title
2000	''Keeping the Faith''
2006	''Down in the Valley''
	''The Painted Veil''

Music credits

''Everyone Says I Love You'' (1996)

★ Song Performer ("Just You Just Me", "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "I'm Thru With Love")
''Death to Smoochy''(2002)

★ Song/Song Performer ("My Stepdad's Not Mean (He's Just Adjusting)")

★ Song Performer ("Smoochy's Methadone Song", "Smoochy's Magic Jungle Theme", "The Cookie Chant")

Awards and nominations

Year	Group	Award	Won?	Film
2006	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Male Actor	No	''The Painted Veil''
2005	Satellite Awards	Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama	No	''Kingdom of Heaven''
2004	Sant Jordi Awards	Best Foreign Actor (Millor Actor Estranger)	Yes	''25th Hour''
2003	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama	No	''25th Hour''
2002	Obie Award	Best Performance by an Actor in an off-Broadway play	Yes	''Burn This''
2001	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical	No	''Keeping the Faith''
2000	Street Film Festival, Milan	Best Feature Film	Yes
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Fight	No	''Fight Club''
	Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actor	No
	Blockbuster Entertainment Awards	Favorite Action Team (with Brad Pitt)	No
1999	Satellite Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama	Yes	''American History X''
	Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actor	Yes
	Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actor	No
	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Actor	No
	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actor	No
	Academy Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role	No
	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films	Best Actor	No
1997	Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes	''Primal Fear''
	Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Villain	No
	Academy Awards	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	No
	Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films	Best Supporting Actor	No
	BAFTA Awards	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	No
	Golden Globes	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion	Yes
	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Most Promising Actor	Yes	''Primal Fear'', ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' and ''Everyone Says I Love You''
	Florida Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes
1996	Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes
	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes
	National Board of Review	Best Supporting Actor	Yes	''Everyone Says I Love You''
	Society of Texas Film Critics Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Yes	''Primal Fear'' and ''The People vs. Larry Flynt''

References

1. Edward Norton - Frequently Asked Questions
2. http://www.viney.uk.com/onlyinamerica/norton.html
3. Box Office/Business at the imdb
4. Edward Norton - A.V. Club Interview
5. Ed Norton To Play The Hulk!
6. IMDb
7. Ed Norton, BP Solar and the High Line at treehugger.com
8. Edward Norton at solarneighbors.com
9. Interview with Edward Norton at grist.org
10. Edward Norton at enterprisecommunity.org
11. Hollywood stars heat up solar power at CNN.com

External links

★

★