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Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City to pursue an acting career. He gained recognition and critical acclaim for his debut in Primal Fear (1996), which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination in the same category. His role as a redeemed neo-Nazism in American History X (1998) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He also starred in the film Fight Club (1999), which garnered a cult film.
Norton established the production company Class 5 Films in 2003, and was director or producer of the films Keeping the Faith (2000), Down in the Valley (2005), and The Painted Veil (2006). He continued to receive praise for his acting roles in films such as The Score (2001), 25th Hour (2002), The Italian Job (2003), The Illusionist (2006), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). His biggest commercial successes have been Red Dragon (2002), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Incredible Hulk (2008), and The Bourne Legacy (2012). For his roles as a haughty actor in Birdman (2014) and Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown (2024), Norton earned further Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He has also directed and acted in the crime film Motherless Brooklyn (2019) and starred in (2022).
Norton is an environmental activist and social entrepreneur. He is a trustee of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization that advocates for affordable housing, and serves as president of the American branch of the Maasai people Wilderness Conservation Trust. He is also the UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.
At age five, Norton and his parents saw a musical related to Cinderella at the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA), starring his babysitter, which ignited his interest in the theater. He enjoyed watching films with his father as a pre-teen, but later reflected that he was fascinated with the cinematography rather than the acting. Norton recalled that it was theater and not films that inspired him to act. He made his professional debut at the age of eight in the musical Annie Get Your Gun at his hometown's Toby's Dinner Theatre. At the CCTA, he acted in several theatrical productions directed by Toby Orenstein.
In 1984, Norton won the acting cup at Pasquaney, an annual summer camp for boys in Hebron, New Hampshire, where he later returned as a theater director. He subsequently immersed himself in films, naming Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro as two of his early inspirations because "the ones he liked were also the ones who made him think he could do it because they weren't the most handsome guys". He graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987. He attended Yale College, graduating in 1991 with Bachelor of Arts in history. While at Yale, he also studied Japanese, acted in university productions, and was a competitive rower. After graduating from Yale, conversant in Japanese, Norton worked not-for-profit as a representative for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Community Partners, in Osaka, Japan.
Norton also wrote scripts for plays at the Signature Theatre Company and starred in off-Broadway theater. His performance in Brian Friel's Lovers brought him to the attention of playwright Edward Albee, whose one-act plays Norton enjoyed. In 1994, Norton auditioned for Albee's Finding the Sun but did not get the part. Albee found a new role for him instead and had Norton read for Fragments. The playwright was impressed with Norton's rehearsal performance and cast him for its world premiere. Albee remarked that Norton was a rare actor "who really knocked me out". Norton recalled that he was inspired by Al Pacino, who also began his career in theater while struggling to establish himself in New York.
In 1998, Norton starred alongside Matt Damon in Rounders, which follows two friends who urgently need cash and play poker to pay off a huge debt. The film and Norton's performance received a lukewarm response; Entertainment Weekly wrote that his acting "never really goes anywhere", while the Chicago Reader observed that his character was not good enough to make the film interesting. His role in the crime drama American History X, released later that year, earned him widespread acclaim. In it, Norton portrays Derek Vinyard, a reformed neo-Nazism, who abandons his preconceived ideology after three years in prison. During production, Norton was allegedly dissatisfied with director Tony Kaye's first screening. Consequently, he took over the editing (uncredited) and finished the final cut, which was 40 minutes longer than Kaye's version. The New Yorker wrote that he gave Derek an "ambiguous erotic allure" which made the film memorable, while the Chicago Tribune deemed his performance an immediate contender for an Oscar. Norton received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and won a Satellite Awards in the same category.
In the 1999 David Fincher-directed film Fight Club, Norton played an unnamed unreliable narrator who feels trapped in his white-collar job. The film is based on Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel. To prepare for the role, Norton took lessons in boxing, taekwondo and grappling. Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. During promotion for the film, Norton explained that Fight Club examines the value conflicts of Generation X as the first generation raised on television, by probing "the despair and paralysis that people feel in the face of having inherited this value system out of advertising". While the film divided contemporary critics, Norton's role was widely applauded. Time magazine labeled him "excellent", and Variety magazine was impressed by his embracing a range of techniques needed for his character. For his performance, Norton was nominated for Best Actor by the Online Film Critics Society. Despite under-performing at the box office, Fight Club became a cult film after its DVD release in 2000.
Norton appeared in four films released in 2002. He played kids show host Sheldon Mopes, who quickly rises to fame for his character "Smoochy the Rhino", in the black comedy Death to Smoochy. It received negative critical feedback for its plot. He also portrayed Nelson Rockefeller in the biopic film Frida, which depicts the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek). Norton rewrote the script several times without credit, focusing on the historical context and adding some humor while retaining Kahlo's real-life personality. The final screenplay, with Norton's contribution, received positive reviews from critics as well as admiration from the film's co-stars including Hayek and Alfred Molina, who portrayed Kahlo's husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera. In the horror film Red Dragon, Norton starred as retired FBI profiler Will Graham, who consults with cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to catch Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), a serial killer who murders entire families. During production, Norton and director Brett Ratner argued frequently over the script. "He likes to challenge the director. It's all about intellectual debate," Ratner told The Times in 2003. "... Edward's instinct is going to be, 'I have to take over this film.' He's going to try to rescue the film. That's both a blessing and a curse." Despite mixed reviews, Red Dragon was Norton's most profitable venture in 2002, grossing over $200 million. Norton also co-produced and starred in 25th Hour, a film about a drug dealer in post-9/11 New York City.
Paramount Pictures forced Norton to star in the heist film The Italian Job (2003), threatening to sue him for violating a three-film contract he had signed; the studio had previously distributed 1996's Primal Fear and 2001's The Score. Norton, accordingly, refused to promote the film's release. His performance was well received by critics, with The New Yorker calling him "intelligent and incisive ... one of those rare actors who hold the audience's attention with everything they say". Rolling Stone praised his character as "perversely magnetic" despite giving the film a negative review. During this time, Norton co-founded a production company, Class 5 Films, with Yale classmate Stuart Blumberg and film producer Bill Migliore. Norton was cast as Baldwin IV, the leprosy king of Jerusalem, in Ridley Scott's 2005 historical film Kingdom of Heaven. Reviewers criticized the film's lack of depth, while praising the cinematography. Jack Moore described Norton's performance in Kingdom of Heaven as "phenomenal", and "so far removed from anything that he has ever done that we see the true complexities of his talent". It grossed over $211 million worldwide. Norton's next lead role was in the western film film Down in the Valley (2005), playing a delusional man who claims to be a cowboy. While the film was criticized for its narrative, Norton was praised for his performance.
Norton had two major film roles in 2006, starring as Eisenheim the magician in The Illusionist and bacteriology Walter Fane in The Painted Veil. Set in 19th-century Austria-Hungary, The Illusionist was loosely based on novelist Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist" and received generally positive critical reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed the film "rich and elegant" and wrote of Norton's character: "he doesn't just seduce the on-screen audience but the audience watching in the movie theater". The Houston Chronicle similarly lauded the film for its vibrant plot and described Norton's performance as "mysterious and understated". Norton co-produced The Painted Veil, in which he starred with Naomi Watts, who portrayed his character's unfaithful wife. Like his previous venture, The Painted Veil garnered positive feedback from reviewers. The Guardian applauded the film as "faultless" and "powerful" as well as Norton's "genuinely affecting" performance. Entertainment Weekly appreciated that Norton's production effort did not affect his acting.
Norton appeared in two documentaries in 2007: Brando, which chronicles the life and career of screen legend Marlon Brando, with whom Norton co-starred in 2001's The Score, and Man from Plains, which depicts the post-presidency endeavors of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. He starred in the crime drama Pride and Glory (2008) as Ray Tierney, an honest detective assigned to investigate the precinct run by his older brother. Reviewers criticized the film for its plot.
The Incredible Hulk received generally favorable reviews upon release. The Wall Street Journal felt that Norton's presence improved the film to "a thunderously efficient enterprise" from the 2003 version. Conversely, the Los Angeles Times, while recognizing Norton's decent performance, opined that the film lacked a solid script. It was a box office success, grossing over $263 million. Norton was expected to reprise his role in future Marvel Cinematic Universe ventures, including the 2012 blockbuster The Avengers. However, he was replaced by Mark Ruffalo, allegedly due to Norton's "disputes" with Marvel. Norton later claimed that he chose not to play Hulk again because he "wanted more diversity" and opted against associating himself with one character throughout his career.
Norton had two lead film roles in 2012. He starred as Scout leader Randy Ward in charge of finding his missing camper in the coming-of-age film Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson. The film was acclaimed by critics and grossed over $68 million. His other lead role was in the action thriller The Bourne Legacy, the fourth installment in the Bourne series. In the film, Norton portrayed retired Air Force colonel Eric Byer, who decides to terminate an illegal operation after it is exposed to the FBI and kill everyone involved. The Bourne Legacy received lukewarm reviews but has been Norton's highest-grossing venture so far, earning over $276 million worldwide. Norton also produced the comedy-drama Thanks for Sharing (2012) under his company Class 5 Films. This production venture received a mixed response. The Guardian panned the film as "smug and humourless," while The Washington Post called it "surprisingly wise, funny and affecting".
In 2014, Norton played in two Academy Award-winning films, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He collaborated again with director Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel, which featured an ensemble cast and won four Academy Awards. In the black comedy Birdman, Norton played Broadway theater method actor Mike Shiner, who is talented but hard to work with. The film, as well as Norton's performance, was well received by critics. The Los Angeles Times lauded him for successfully portraying the volatility of the character, and Newsday complimented his "truly moving" poetic delivery. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Norton his third Academy nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Norton featured in the Apple TV+ anthology mini series Extrapolations (2023), created by Scott Z. Burns. He once again reunited with Wes Anderson to play a supporting role in the comedy drama set in retrofuturistic 1950s, Asteroid City, premiering at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023. It received generally positive reviews while also becoming a moderate success commercially. He reprised his voice role from the animated adult comedy film Sausage Party (2016) in the sequel series (2024), which released on Amazon Prime Video.
Norton next portrayed Pete Seeger opposite Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown (2024), a biopic of Bob Dylan, directed by James Mangold. He learned to play banjo in Seeger's distinctive style for his role. His performance received praise, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com described him as "wonderfully understated," while James T. Keane of America Magazine praised Norton as the film's standout performer, lauding his ability to subtly convey a wide range of emotions: "preternaturally good-hearted, but also part booster, part handler, part jealous rival, part stubborn doctrinaire."
After Norton had ended his relationship with Love in 1999, he started dating Salma Hayek, with whom he later appeared in the 2002 biopic Frida. Norton absented himself from the premiere of The Italian Job, in which he starred, to attend the premiere of The Maldonado Miracle, Hayek's directorial debut. The two broke up in 2003. Hayek still remains friends with Norton.
Hayek recalled in a 2017 piece for The New York Times that Norton "beautifully rewrote the script of several times and appallingly never got credit" after she had rejected Harvey Weinstein's sexual demands and Weinstein, in retaliation, had given her "a list of four impossible tasks with a tight deadline," including "a rewrite of the script, with no additional payment, or writer's credit" before he would make the film.
In 2011, Norton proposed to Canadian film producer Shauna Robertson after dating for six years. The pair married in 2012. The couple have a son Atlas, born in 2013.
Norton expressed discomfort upon learning his ancestors owned a family of slaves: "The short answer is these things are uncomfortable, and you should be uncomfortable with them. Everybody should be uncomfortable with it. It's not a judgement on you and your own life, but it's a judgement on the history of this country. It needs to be acknowledged first and foremost, and then it needs to be contended with. When you go away from census counts and you personalise things, you're talking about, possibly, a husband and wife with five girls – and these girls are slaves. Born into slavery. ... When you read 'slave aged eight,' you just want to die."
Norton also learned he is a distant cousin of fellow actors Eric Roberts and Julia Roberts.
Norton is a supporter of the African Wildlife Foundation and its "Say No" campaign which raises awareness and fights against illegal poaching of elephants and rhinoceroses for ivory and horn. He is the president of the American branch of the Maasai people Wilderness Conservation Trust. The organization aims to preserve the ecosystems and biodiversity of East Africa through conservation which directly benefits the local Maasai communities. To raise money for the trust, Norton fielded a team of thirty runners for the New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009; the team included himself, three Maasai tribesmen, and fellow celebrity musician Alanis Morissette. He raised over $1.2 million for the Trust after completing his run.
After the successful fundraising for the Maasai Conservation, Norton launched an online fundraising platform called Crowdrise in May 2010. The website uses a social-networking framework to help raise funds for charity. In July 2010, the then-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) named Norton the Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity and a spokesperson for the Convention on Biological Diversity. At his designation ceremony, Norton said that biodiversity is an issue that "transcends national boundaries", with people "having lost sight" of the need for environmental protection. As part of his job as a UN Ambassador, Norton has embarked on trips to Africa and participated in programs organized by UN bodies including the Development and Environment Programmes. He also played soccer (football) for Soccer Aid in May 2012; the event raised over Pound sterling4.9 million for UNICEF to assist children worldwide.
Norton is a general aviation pilot who flies people in need of access to healthcare in his Cessna 206 aircraft through the organization Angel Flight West.
Norton once believed celebrities should "participate quietly" in discussions on politics and social issues as, "Having a public forum tends to make people offer too casual a commentary". During the 2004 presidential election, Norton urged college students to vote against the Republican nominee George W. Bush, further criticizing his plans to cut college financing and his support of tax breaks for the rich. He also made speeches to encourage voters to support Democratic nominee John Kerry. Norton was a supporter of Democrat Eliot Spitzer, former New York governor.
During the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Norton supported but did not actively campaign for the Democratic nominee Barack Obama, saying that "it's much more interesting to encourage people to engage than to suggest that people should model themselves on me and my views". He produced the 2009 documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, which chronicles Obama's political activities from 2006 to his 2008 election victory. Norton spoke highly of Obama, citing him as "a perfect framework" to explore contemporary U.S. politics. He produced a campaign video for Obama's 2012 presidential race with Bennett Miller; the video featured voters from diverse economic and racial backgrounds. He also expressed "grave concerns" over the Trump administration's position regarding climate change. In 2020 Norton donated $8,400 to the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.
In November 2020, Norton criticized then-US President Donald Trump for his claims of election fraud at the 2020 United States presidential election, as a "contemptible, treasonous, seditious assault on the stability of the country and its institutions."
Despite critical plaudits, Norton is scornful of being seen as a A-list. He feels it necessary to keep his off-screen life to himself and opts for a "normal life." As soon as his career took off in the late 1990s, Norton asserted that, "If I ever have to stop taking the subway, I'm gonna have a heart attack." AllMovie remarked that Norton attained "almost instant stardom" following his 1996 film debut in Primal Fear and could have risen to even greater fame. The Daily Telegraph attributed Norton's lack of interest in celebrity status to his family of "distinguished political and social activists." Sharing the same sentiment, Forbes complimented Norton as "a far cry" from celebrities who do charity works "with a keen eye to furthering their personal brand," citing his involvements in community planning and social entrepreneurship even before his film career.
Norton has a strict work ethic and a high desire for professionalism. He is selective in choosing his roles, explaining that, "You don't want to do anything just ... to work with somebody. There are many actors I would like to work with but it has to be the right role." Drew Barrymore, his co-star in the 1996 musical Everyone Says I Love You, recalled that he was "on the set every day" and "never compromised for a second." He also expects different approaches to projects with different collaborators and wishes for "happy" working situations as long as "the boundaries of the collaboration are well-established in the beginning."
Due to this, Norton has garnered a reputation for being difficult to work with. Incidents include Norton's editing the final cut of American History X (1998), which is 40 minutes longer than director Tony Kaye's version; conflicts with director Brett Ratner on the set of Red Dragon (2002); refusing to promote The Italian Job (2003); and uncredited rewriting of the screenplay for The Incredible Hulk (2008), which angered screenwriter Zak Penn. The Los Angeles Times opined that these incidents led to Norton's image as a "prickly perfectionist", which diminishes his reputation. Nevertheless, a few collaborators with whom Norton had disputes have expressed their respect for him: Kaye wanted to feature Norton in some of his other ventures, and Ratner offered to help with production of Norton's film Motherless Brooklyn and got along well with Norton. Some publications interpreted Norton's performance in Birdman (2014), in which he portrays a talented but volatile actor, as a self-referential nod to his image.
Norton has been nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear, Birdman, and A Complete Unknown; and Best Actor for American History X. He also has three Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Primal Fear, Birdman, and A Complete Unknown, winning for the first.
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