Edward Norton

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
caption = Norton at the Gen Art Premiere and Party for "The Illusionist"
birthname = Edward Harrison Norton
birthdate = birth date and age|1969|8|18
birthplace = Boston, Massachusetts
occupation = Actor, producer, screenwriter, director
yearsactive = 1994—present
goldenglobeawards = Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1997 "Primal Fear"
awards = LAFCA Award Best Supporting Actor
1996 "Everyone Says I Love You"; "Primal Fear"; "The People vs. Larry Flynt"
NBR Award for Best Supporting Actor
1996 "Everyone Says I Love You"

Edward Harrison Norton [cite web | url=http://www.edward-norton.org/faqs.html | title=Edward Norton - Frequently Asked Questions | accessdate = 2006-12-19|publisher=Edward Norton.org] (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.cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/Edward_Norton/|title=Hello Magazine Profile - Edward Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=Hello Magazine] 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.cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018634/bio|title=Edward Norton Biography|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Yahoo!] 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. [cite web|url=http://www.edward-norton.org/articles/vogue97.html|title=Vogue January 1997|accessdate=2008-04-27|publisher=Edward-Norton.org|work=Vogue] [cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20001111a1.html|title=Norton has faith in directorial skills|accessdate=2008-04-27|work=Japan Times] He also appeared in an ESL textbook, "Only in America", used by Nova, a formerly major English language school. [cite web|url=http://www.viney.uk.com/onlyinamerica/norton.html|title=Edward Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Viney]

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."cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/Edward_Norton/?view=jobs|title=Hello Magazine Filmography - Edward Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|work=Hello Magazine] 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. [cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28790|title=HFPA - Awards Search|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Golden Globes] [cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1215296601273|title=Results Page - Academy Awards Database|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Awards Database] In 1998, his portrayal of a reformed neo-Nazi in "American History X" earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. [cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1215296753478|title=Results Page - Academy Awards Database|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Awards Database] 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. [cite web | url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/business | title=Box Office/Business| accessdate = 2007-09-06|publisher=IMDB.com] [cite web|first=Jeff|last=Stark|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/movies/review/2002/12/20/25th_hour/index.html|title="25th Hour"|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2002-12-20|publisher=Salon.com]

He played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show "Stella", [cite web|first=Rob|last=Thomas|url=http://www.madison.com/tct/features/index.php?ntid=45095&ntpid=1|title=Media musings: The state of The State|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2005-06-29|publisher=The Capital Times] and won critical acclaim for his role as the leper king of Jerusalem in "Kingdom of Heaven". [cite web|first=Jack|last=Moore|url=http://www.themovieinsider.com/reviews/rid/615/Kingdom_of_Heaven|title=Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut DVD Review|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=The Movie Insider] 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" [cite web | url=http://www.avclub.com/content/node/57162/2| title=Edward Norton - A.V. Club Interview | accessdate = 2007-01-09|publisher=AV Club] 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". [cite web|first=Andy|last=Lea|url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/40181/Hulk-star-Ed-s-Incredible-Sulk/|title=Hulk Star Ed's Incredible Hulk|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2008-06-08|work=Daily Star] Norton portrayed Marvel comics superhero The Hulk in the second movie adaptation of "The Incredible Hulk", released in 2008. [cite web|first=Josh|last=Friedman|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-projector13-2008jun13,0,2515687.story|title=New 'Incredible Hulk' may be bigger than old one|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2008-06-13|work=Los Angeles Times]

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." [cite web | url=http://www.edward-norton.org/articles/vogue97.html| title=Wanted: Edward Norton | publisher="Vogue"|author=Handelman, David| date= January 1997| accessdate = 2008-04-28] Norton has stated in interviews that he is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles.cite web|first=Roch|last=Kubatko|url=http://www.edward-norton.org/events/newstage.html|title=New Stage for Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2001-07-08|work=Baltimore Sun] 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. [cite web|first=Elizabeth M.|last=Botello|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070726&content_id=2110658&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|title=TWIB devotes show to Ripken, Gwynn|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2007-07-26|publisher=MLB.com] 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". [cite episode |title=Inside the Actors Studio - Edward Norton |episodelink= |series=Inside the Actors Studio |serieslink= |credits= |network=Bravo |station= |airdate=2003-01-12 |season=9 |seriesno= |number=906 |minutes= ]

Norton was a strong supporter of former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer. [cite web|first=Danny|last=Hakim|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/nyregion/16campaign.html|title=As Spitzer's Popularity Fell, Donors Rallied to His Side|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2008-01-16|work=New York Times] 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. [cite web|url=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/11/ed_norton_bp_so_1.php|title=Ed Norton, BP Solar and the High Line|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Treehugger.com] [cite web|url=http://www.solarneighbors.com/|title=Edward Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=solarneighbors.com] [cite web|url=http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/04/27/little-norton/|title=Interview with Edward Norton|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Grist.org] He has also put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities. [cite web|url=http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/local_work/california/|title=Edward Norton at enterprisecommunity.org|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Enterprise community] [cite web|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/01/01/8368105/index.htm|title=Hollywood stars heat up solar power|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2006-01-01|publisher=CNN]

He dated singer Courtney Love from 1996 to 1999, [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0066881/|title=Courtney Love: Edward Norton saved my life|accessdate=2008-07-06|date=2001-11-29|publisher=IMDB.com|work=Wenn.com] and actress Salma Hayek between 1999 and 2003. [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0060210/|title=Salma Hayek and Edward Norton cement love on big screen|accessdate=2008-07-06|date=2000-09-21|publisher=IMDB.com|work=Wenn.com] He had broken engagements with both women. [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/magazine/27apatow-t.html|title=Judd Apatow - Motion Pictures - Knocked Up - 40-Year-Old Virgin|accessdate=2008-07-05|date=2005-05-27|work=New York Times] [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0067272/|title=Salma Hayek to wed Ed Norton?|accessdate=2008-07-06|date=2002-04-19|publisher=IMDB.com|work=Wenn.com] Norton is convert|6|ft|m|sigfig=3 tall, according to his interview on "The Daily Show". [cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=127378&title=ed-norton|title=Ed Norton | The Daily Show|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Comedy Central|work=The Daily Show] He lives in New York City.

Filmography

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

References

External links

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Persondata
NAME= Norton, Edward
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=actor
DATE OF BIRTH= August 18, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH=Boston, Massachusetts, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=