Edward Norton Biography • Edward Harrison Norton Profile

Edward Norton is an American actor, filmmaker and activist. He turned to acting two years after graduating from Yale University in 1991. He has received numerous awards and nominations. He was nominated for three Academy Awards for his work in the films Primal Fear (1996), American History X (1998) and Birdman (2014). He also starred in other roles, such as Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Fight Club (1999), Red Dragon (2002), 25th Hour (2002), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Illusionist (2006), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Early Life

Edward Harrison Norton was born on August 18, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Columbia, Maryland. His father, Edward Norton Sr., was a former federal prosecutor under President Jimmy Carter‘s administration and his mother, Lydia Robinson “Robin” (Rouse), was a foundation executive and teacher of English.

Career

Edward Norton made his film debut in the film Primal Fear (1996), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe Award in the same category. In the same year, he starred in two other films, Everyone Says I Love You and The People vs. Larry Flynt. In 1998, Norton featured in American History X, in which he played a neo-Nazi who served three years in prison and ultimately revamped his ideology. His performance was critically lauded and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. For the David Fincher-directed film Fight Club (1999), Norton starred in a role that required him learning boxing, taekwondo and grappling. Though initially fiercely debated by critics, Fight Club gradually received critical reappraisal and earned its status as a cult film.

Profile

Birth Name: Edward Harrison Norton
Nickname: Ed
Born: August 18, 1969
Birth Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Height: 6 feet (1.83 m)
Star Sign: Leo

Family

Spouse: Shauna Robertson (m. 2012)
Siblings: Molly Norton, Jim Norton
Father: Edward Norton Sr.
Mother: Lydia Robinson “Robin” (Rouse)

Filmography

2021: The French Dispatch
2019: Motherless Brooklyn
2019: Alita: Battle Angel
2018: Gotti
2018: Isle of Dogs
2017: The Guardian Brothers
2016: Collateral Beauty
2016: Sausage Party
2014: Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
2014: The Grand Budapest Hotel
2012: The Bourne Legacy
2012: Moonrise Kingdom
2012: The Dictator
2010: Stone
2009: Modern Family (TV Series)
2009: Leaves of Grass
2009: The Invention of Lying
2008: Pride and Glory
2008: The Incredible Hulk (Video Game)
2008: The Incredible Hulk
2006: The Painted Veil
2006: The Illusionist
2005: Down in the Valley
2005: Kingdom of Heaven
2004: After the Sunset
2003: The Italian Job
2002: 25th Hour
2002: Red Dragon
2002: Frida
2002: Death to Smoochy
2001: The Score
2000: Keeping the Faith
1999: Fight Club
1998: American History X
1998: Rounders
1996: The People vs. Larry Flynt
1996: Everyone Says I Love You
1996: Primal Fear

Alongside his work in cinema, Norton is an environmental and social activist and is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing founded by his grandfather James Rouse. Norton is president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.