Edward Norton
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| Edward Norton | |
 Norton at the Gen Art Premiere and Party for "The Illusionist" |
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| Born | August 18, 1969 (age 37) Boston, Massachusetts, USA  |
| Notable roles | Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear Derek Vinyard in American History X The Narrator in Fight Club Will Graham in Red Dragon Monty Brogan in 25th Hour Edward Abramovich / Eisenheim in The Illusionist |
| Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Nominated: Best Actor 1999 American History X Nominated: Best Supporting Actor 1997 Primal Fear |
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| Golden Globe Awards | |
| Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture 1997 Primal Fear |
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Edward H. Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director.
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[edit] Early life
Norton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. 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 Nature Conservancy. Norton Jr. is the grandson of developer James W. 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, Norfolk's Waterside Festival Marketplace, and Boston's Quincy Market. He has two younger siblings; his sister Molly Norton, who attended Washington and Lee University and his brother Jim 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 became heavily involved in 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. [1]
[edit] Career
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 a nomination for the Oscar 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. His blockbuster performance alongside Brad Pitt as the misanthropic narrator in the 1999 adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's cult novel Fight Club, however, exponentially expanded his growing cult fan base.
He played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella, and won critical acclaim for his uncredited 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 was released theatrically in August.
He has also done uncredited script work on some of the films he has appeared in, specifically Frida, which he claims to have written entirely[2], 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.
In 2006, the Academy Awards ceased offering gift baskets (containing items often valued at anywhere from $35,000 to $100,000 per basket) to performers and hosts at the ceremony, due to an IRS decision to audit actors and actresses who did not report these gifts as income on their tax returns. Norton spoke out in favor of this change, calling the baskets "obscene" and suggesting that money be donated to a charity of the winner's choice. [2]
[edit] 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 | |
| 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 | Pride and Glory | Ray Tierney | |
| Motherless Brooklyn | Lionel Essrog | Also Director, Producer, and 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 |
[edit] 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")
[edit] 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 (Mejor Actor Extranjero) | 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 |
[edit] Trivia
- 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."[3]
- He has put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities.
- He has been a particularly strong supporter of Eliot Spitzer, who was elected governor of New York in 2006. Norton has introduced Spitzer at several campaign events and also rode on his campaign bus.
- He 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.[4][5][6][7][8]
- He has dated actresses Salma Hayek and Drew Barrymore, and was once engaged to musician/actress Courtney Love.[citation needed]
- Performed as a guest guitarist for two HOLE shows in Los Angeles in 1998.
- He is a self-proclaimed Deadhead.
- He has a private pilot license and discussed his flight training when interviewed on an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman.
- He has premiered several of his films at Baltimore's Senator Theatre.
- He recently injured his back while filming the The Painted Veil.
[edit] References
- ^ Edward Norton - Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved on December 19, 2006.
- ^ Edward Norton - A.V. Club Interview. Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
- ^ IMDb. Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
- ^ Ed Norton, BP Solar and the High Line at treehugger.com
- ^ Edward Norton at solarneighbors.com
- ^ Interview with Edward Norton at grist.org
- ^ Edward Norton at enterprisecommunity.org
- ^ Hollywood stars heat up solar power at CNN.com
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Norton, Edward |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1969 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
Categories: Cleanup from January 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1969 births | American activists | American Episcopalians | American film actors | American stage actors | Living people | People from Maryland | Maryland actors | Yale University alumni | People from Boston
