About Me
Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969)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 (also see The Rouse Company), who designed 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 step grandmother, Patricia. Norton has two younger siblings; his sister, Molly, and his brother, Jim, with whom he has collaborated professionally.From 1981 to 1985, along with his brother, he attended Pasquaney, a camp 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 continues to visit this camp and maintains close connections with it.Norton graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987. He attended Yale University, where he gained experience in university theater productions. He acted alongside fellow Yale students 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. He also appeared in an ESL textbook, Only in America, used by Nova, a major English language school.Edward Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in Off-Broadway theater. Moving into film, Norton played 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 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 and his role as a card shark pitted him opposite Matt Damon in 1998's poker-playing hit 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, 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, as a drug dealer living his last night before going to prison. 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 his film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn.On April 16, 2007, it was confirmed that Norton will play the role of Bruce Banner in the upcoming movie adaptation of the Incredible Hulk, to be released in 2008
