Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American film actor and director. In 1997, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. A year later, his lead role as a reformed neo-Nazi skinhead in American History X earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other films include period dramas such as The Illusionist, The Painted Veil, and Kingdom of Heaven; dramas such as 25th Hour; and other notable films such as Fight Club, and The Incredible Hulk.

Aside from acting, Norton has made his directorial debut in the film Keeping the Faith and is slated to direct the film adaption of the novel, Motherless Brooklyn, set to be released in 2009. He is a member of the trustees Enterprise Community Partners board, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing, as well as a social activist.

Biography

Early life

Edward 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, as well as a former federal prosecutor under the Carter administration. His maternal grandfather was the developer James W. Rouse (founder of The Rouse Company), who developed 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 stepgrandmother, Patty Rouse. Norton has two younger siblings—Molly and Jim, with whom he has collaborated professionally. From 1981—1985, along with his brother, he attended Camp Pasquaney, on the shores of Newfound Lake in Hebron, New Hampshire. There, he won the acting cup in 1984 and later returned to the camp's council for two years, directing theater. He maintains close connections with the camp.

Norton graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987. He attended Yale University, where he acted in university productions alongside Ron Livingston and Paul Giamatti. He graduated in 1991 with a BA in History. Following graduation, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Foundation. Norton can speak some Japanese. He also appeared in an ESL textbook, Only in America, used by Nova, a formerly major English language school.

Career

Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in off-Broadway theater, breaking through with his 1993 involvement in Edward Albee's Fragments at the Signature Theatre Company. His first major film was 1996's Primal Fear. In the film, he took on the role of Aaron Stampler, a sociopathic 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. He was also critically acclaimed for his role as a card sharp in 1998's 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. One of his more widely known roles is his performance in the adaptation of the cult novel Fight Club by director David Fincher, which co-starred Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, and 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. 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.

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 and The Score. In 2000, he made his debut as a director with Keeping the Faith. He will also direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn. Norton portrayed Marvel comics superhero The Hulk in the second movie adaptation of The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008.

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. Norton has stated in interviews that he is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. He was involved in many of Cal Ripken Jr.'s retirement activities in 2001 when Norton was asked to be a part of Ripken's biography for Major League Baseball (MLB). He attended Ripken's ceremony at the Hall of Fame in July 2007. Norton has a private pilot license and discussed his flight training when interviewed on episodes of The Late Show with David Letterman and Inside the Actor's Studio.

Norton was a strong supporter of former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer. 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. He has also put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities.

He dated singer Courtney Love from 1996 to 1999, and actress Salma Hayek between 1999 and 2003. He had broken engagements with both women. Norton is tall, according to his interview on The Daily Show. He lives in New York City.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes and Awards
1996	Primal Fear	Aaron Stampler	Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor
	The People vs. Larry Flynt	Alan Isaacman
	Everyone Says I Love You	Holden Spence
1998	Rounders	Lester 'Worm' Murphy
	American History X	Derek Vinyard	Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor
1999	Fight Club	The Narrator
2000	Keeping the Faith	Father Brian Finn	Also Director, Producer
2001	The Score	Jack Teller	Script (uncredited)
2002	Death to Smoochy	Sheldon Mopes/Smoochy the Rhino
	Frida	Nelson Rockefeller	Script (uncredited)
	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	Down in the Valley	Harlan	Also Producer
	Kingdom of Heaven	Baldwin IV	Uncredited
2006	The Illusionist	Eisenheim
	The Painted Veil	Walter Fane	Also Producer
2008	The Incredible Hulk	Bruce Banner / The Hulk	Also Writer
	Bustin Down The Door (documentary)	Narrator
	Pride and Glory	Ray Tierney	Also Producer
2009	Leaves of Grass	Lead role	filming
	Motherless Brooklyn	Lionel Essrog	Also Director, Producer, Writer (project on hold)
2011	The Avengers	Bruce Banner/The Hulk	announced

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 (Meilleur Actor Etranger)	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 Picture	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

External links