| Edward Norton |
Norton at a premiere in 2009 |
| Born |
Edward Harrison Norton
(1969-08-18) August 18, 1969 (age 42)
Columbia, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Yale University |
| Occupation |
Actor, director, producer, screenwriter, activist |
| Years active |
1994–present |
Edward Harrison Norton[1] (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later, his lead role as a reformed white power skinhead in American History X earned a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor. His other films include period dramas such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005), in which he played King Baldwin, The Illusionist (2006), and The Painted Veil (2006); and other notable films such as Rounders (1998), Fight Club (1999), 25th Hour (2002), Red Dragon (2002), and The Incredible Hulk (2008).
In addition to acting, Norton is also a writer and director. He made his directorial debut with the film Keeping the Faith (2000) and is slated to direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn. Norton did uncredited work on the scripts for The Score, Frida, and The Incredible Hulk.
In his private life, Norton is an environmental and social activist. He 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.[2] He ran in the 2009 New York City Marathon to raise money for the Trust.[3] He also raises money for charity through Crowdrise, a social networking community for volunteers and a micro-donations fundraising platform.[4] In July 2010, Norton was designated as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.[5]
Edward Norton was born and raised in Columbia, Maryland, near Baltimore.[6] His father, Edward Mower Norton, Jr., was an environmental lawyer and conservation advocate working in Asia, as well as a former federal prosecutor in the Carter administration. His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" (née Rouse), a teacher of English, died of a brain tumor in 1997.[7][8] His maternal grandfather was the developer James 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 Enterprise Community Partners with Norton's maternal stepgrandmother, Patty Rouse.[7][9] Norton has two younger siblings—Molly and Jim, with whom he has professionally collaborated.[9] From 1981 to 1985, along with his brother, Norton attended Camp Pasquaney, on the shores of Newfound Lake in Hebron, New Hampshire.[9] 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.[7][9]
Norton was raised Episcopalian.[10] He graduated from Columbia's Wilde Lake High School in 1987.[9] He attended Yale University, where he was a competitive rower[11] and acted in university productions alongside Ron Livingston and Paul Giamatti,[9] graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in History.[7][9] Following graduation, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Community Partners. Norton can speak some Japanese.[12][13] He appeared in an ESL textbook, Only in America, used by Nova, a formerly major English language school.[14]
Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in Off-Broadway theater,[7][9] breaking through with his 1993 involvement in Edward Albee's Fragments, at the Signature Theatre Company.[9] His first film was 1996's Primal Fear, which tells a story of a defense attorney (Richard Gere), who defends Aaron Stampler (Norton), an altar boy charged with the murder of a Roman Catholic archbishop. The movie is an adaptation of William Diehl's 1993 novel.[15] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Norton gives a performance that's fully the equal of Gere's – he's as slyly self-effacing as Gere is slyly ostentatious."[16] Alison Macor of The Austin Chronicle, in review of the film, wrote, "Norton's performance and the well-paced tension preceding the movie's climactic sequence provide an entertaining if slightly predictable thriller."[17] Despite the mixed reviews,[18] Norton won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[19][20] That same year, Norton appeared as lawyer Alan Isaacman in The People vs. Larry Flynt.
In 1998, he took on the role of Derek Vinyard, a reformed neo-Nazi, in the film American History X.[21] David Denby of The New Yorker noted that Norton gives Derek "ambiguous erotic allure; he's almost appealing".[22] American History X received positive reception,[23] and grossed over $23 million worldwide at the box office.[24] His performance in the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.[20] He packed on 30 pounds (13 kg) of muscle for his role in American History X but did not maintain the physique after production.[7][9] Also in 1998, Norton starred opposite Matt Damon in Rounders, a movie following two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a huge debt.[25]
In the 1999 film Fight Club, Norton played the nameless protagonist, an everyman and an unreliable narrator who feels trapped with his white-collar position in society. The film, an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, was directed by David Fincher.[26] To prepare for the role, Norton took lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling.[27] Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival.[28] During promotion for the film, he said, "I feel that Fight Club really, in a way ... probed into the despair and paralysis that people feel in the face of having inherited this value system out of advertising."[29] The film failed to meet expectations at the box office,[30] and received polarized reactions from film critics.[31] However, it became a cult classic after its DVD release.[32]
In 2002, he starred in Brett Ratner's Red Dragon as FBI profiler Will Graham and in Spike Lee's 25th Hour.[9] While Red Dragon received mixed reviews, it was commercially successful.[9] 25th Hour was praised by critics, particularly for its examination of a post-9/11 New York City, but failed to break even.[33][34] Norton won critical acclaim for his role as Baldwin IV, the leper king of Jerusalem, in Kingdom of Heaven.[35] Norton portrayed Marvel comics superhero The Hulk in the second movie adaptation of The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008.[9][36] He had been expected to reprise his role as the green monster in the 2012 film The Avengers.[37] However, the role was later confirmed to have been given to Mark Ruffalo.[38]
In 2006, Norton starred in two films: Down in the Valley, as a dangerous drifter affecting to be a cowpoke, and in The Illusionist, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later became a sleeper hit when it went into general release.[9]. In 2010, Norton appeared in two films again: in Leaves of Grass, as estranged identical twins (one a small-time drug dealer and the other a Harvard professor); and in Stone, which reunited Norton with his The Score cast-mate Robert De Niro, and in which Norton plays a convict trying to con his parole officer (De Niro) into an early release. In 2008, Norton starred in New Line Cinema's Pride and Glory, as an honest detective assigned to investigate the precinct run by his older brother. The film was not well received by critics, not strongly supported by the studio, and despite also starring Colin Farrell and Jon Voight, its worldwide grosses totaled only $31.1 million, against a production budget of $30 million.[39]
Norton played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella,[40] and made another comedic television appearance on the Emmy award-winning ABC show Modern Family in 2010, playing a fictional member of real life '80s new wave band Spandau Ballet.
Norton has also done uncredited script work on some of the films he has appeared in, specifically The Score,[9] Frida,[41] and The Incredible Hulk.[42] In 2000, Norton made his debut as a director with Keeping the Faith.[9] He will also direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn.[9][43]
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."[44] Norton has stated in interviews that he is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles,[45] and was involved in many of Cal Ripken Jr.'s retirement activities in 2001 when he was asked to be a part of Ripken's biography for Major League Baseball (MLB).[45] He attended Ripken's ceremony at the Hall of Fame in July 2007.[46] 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.[47]
Norton was a strong supporter of former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer.[48] Norton is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit developer of affordable housing based in his hometown. He is also well known for his support for environmental causes and renewable energy projects, such as Enterprise's Green Communities Initiative and BP's Solar Neighbors program.[49][50][51] He also put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities.[52][53]
Norton's work with the HBO documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama led to a soundtrack, with proceeds going to Enterprise Community Partners and United Way. Norton also participated in a 2008 Fast Company story about Enterprise's green affordable housing.[54]
Norton is president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.[55] To raise money for the trust, Norton fielded a team of 30 runners in the New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009.[56] The team included Alanis Morissette and David Blaine.[57] Norton finished the event first among celebrities with a time of 3 hours, 48 minutes.[3] Norton and his team raised over $1 million for the Trust.[3][58] In May 2010, Norton launched a website called Crowdrise, which uses a social networking platform to help raise funds for charity.[59]
He has dated singer Courtney Love and actress Salma Hayek.[60]
In May 2012, Norton played soccer for an 'England vs. The Rest of the World' match in a fund-raising event called Soccer Aid along with other actors such as Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson. The event was watched by millions of people worldwide and eventually raised over £4,000,000 pounds for UNICEF UK.
- ^ "Edward Norton — Frequently Asked Questions". Edward Norton.org. http://www.edward-norton.org/faqs.html. Retrieved December 19, 2006.
- ^ Gross, Doug (September 10, 2009). "Edward Norton plays marathon man to fund African conservation". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/09/10/ed.norton.marathon/index.html. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ a b c Zembik, Josh (November 2, 2009). "Fast Facts on Sunday's Record-Breaking Field". New York Road Runners. http://www.nyrrmedia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210:fast-facts-on-sundays-record-breaking-field&catid=46:fast-facts&Itemid=69. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Edward Norton on Crowdrise". http://www.crowdrise.com/edwardnorton. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ "UN names actor Edward Norton as celebrity advocate for preserving biodiversity". http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35270&Cr=biodiversity&Cr1=. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ "PODCAST: Sarah & Vinnie October 1st « Alice@97.3 San Francisco". Radioalice.radio.com. October 1, 2010. http://radioalice.radio.com/2010/10/01/podcast-sarah-vinnie-october-1st/. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Latest news and profile of Edward Norton". hellomagazine.com. http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/edward-norton/. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ "Miss Lydia Rouse Wed". The Baltimore Sun. May 15, 1966. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1795683702.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May+15%2C+1966&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=Miss+Lydia+Rouse+Wed&pqatl=google. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Edward Norton Biography". Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018634/bio. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Mottram, James (September 13, 2000). "Ed takes a leap of faith". Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/article-560998-ed-takes-a-leap-of-faith.do. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ "Edward Norton plays marathon man to fund African conservation". CNN. September 10, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/09/10/ed.norton.marathon/index.html.
- ^ "Vogue January 1997". Vogue. Edward-Norton.org. http://www.edward-norton.org/articles/vogue97.html. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "Norton has faith in directorial skills". Japan Times. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20001111a1.html. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "Edward Norton". Viney. http://www.viney.uk.com/onlyinamerica/norton.html. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (April 3, 1996). "Film Review; A Murdered Archbishop, Lawyers In Armani". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?res=940DEED81239F930A35757C0A960958260. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (April 12, 1996). "Stuck in Low Gere". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,292059,00.html. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Macor, Alison (April 1996). Primal Fear. The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ "Primal Fear (1996): Reviews". Metacritic. April 3, 1996. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/primal-fear. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ "HFPA — Awards Search". Golden Globes. http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28790. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ a b "Edward Norton". Los Angeles Times. http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=Edward+Norton&x=0&y=0. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (October 28, 1998). "Film Review; The Darkest Chambers of a Nation's Soul". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9c07e4de103cf93ba15753c1a96e958260. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Denby, David (November 9, 1998). "The Film File — American History X". The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/film/american_history_x_kaye. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ "American History X (1998): Reviews". Metacritic. October 30, 1998. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/americanhistoryx. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ "American History X (1998)". Box Office Mojo. October 30, 1998. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=americanhistoryx.htm. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (September 11, 1998). "Film Review; Knowing When to Hold 'em and Fold 'em but Just Not When to Run". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=980CE2DD1F3EF932A2575AC0A96E958260. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ Sragow, Michael (October 19, 1999). "'Fight Club': It 'Just sort of clicked'". Salon.com (CNN): p. 2. http://www.cnn.com/books/news/9910/19/fight.club.salon/index1.html. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ Garrett, Stephen (July 1999). "Freeze Frame". Details.
- ^ Dominguez, Robert (October 15, 1999). "'Fight Club' Steps into the Ring new Film's taking a beating for its Hyper-Violent content". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1999/10/15/1999-10-15__fight_club__steps_into_the_.html. Retrieved December 7, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Schaefer, Stephen (October 1999). "Brad Pitt & Edward Norton". MrShowbiz.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. http://web.archive.org/web/20010417125217/http://mrshowbiz.go.com/celebrities/interviews/509_1.html. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ "Edward Norton Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=edwardnorton.htm. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
- ^ "Fight Club (1999): Reviews". Metacritic. October 15, 1999. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/fightclub. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
- ^ Nunziata, Nick (March 23, 2004). "The personality of cult". CNN: Showbiz/Movies. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/cult.films/. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
- ^ "Box Office/Business". IMDB.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307901/business. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
- ^ Stark, Jeff (December 20, 2002). "25th Hour". Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/movies/review/2002/12/20/25th_hour/index.html. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Moore, Jack. "Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut DVD Review". The Movie Insider. http://www.themovieinsider.com/reviews/rid/615/Kingdom_of_Heaven. Retrieved July 5, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Friedman, Josh (June 13, 2008). "New 'Incredible Hulk' may be bigger than old one". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/13/business/fi-projector13. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Edward Norton ditched from The Avengers film". The Daily Telegraph. July 12, 2010. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/edward-norton-ditched-from-the-avengers-film-as-producers-criticise-actors-talent/story-e6freuyi-1225890756651. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ "Mark Ruffalo Confirmed As The Hulk In THE AVENGERS Movie". SoulCulture. July 25, 2010. http://www.soulculture.co.uk/blogs/scnews/mark-ruffalo-confirmed-as-the-hulk-in-the-avengers-movie-full-cast-appears-at-sdcc/. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ Box Office Mojo, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prideandglory.htm, retrieved December 15, 2011
- ^ Thomas, Rob (June 29, 2005). "Media musings: The state of The State". The Capital Times. http://www.madison.com/tct/features/index.php?ntid=45095&ntpid=1. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Edward Norton — A.V. Club Interview". AV Club. http://www.avclub.com/content/node/57162/2. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
- ^ Tookey, Chris (June 13, 2008). "The Incredible Hulk: Trust me, you won't like him...". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1026114/The-Incredible-Hulk-Trust-wont-like-.html. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ Lea, Andy (June 8, 2008). "Hulk Star Ed's Incredible Hulk". Daily Star. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/40181/Hulk-star-Ed-s-Incredible-Sulk/. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Handelman, David (January 1997). "Wanted: Edward Norton". Vogue. http://www.edward-norton.org/articles/vogue97.html. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- ^ a b Kubatko, Roch (July 8, 2001). "New Stage for Norton". Baltimore Sun. http://www.edward-norton.org/events/newstage.html. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Botello, Elizabeth M. (July 26, 2007). "TWIB devotes show to Ripken, Gwynn". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070726&content_id=2110658&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Inside the Actors Studio — Edward Norton". Inside the Actors Studio. episode 906. season 9. 2003-01-12. Bravo.
- ^ Hakim, Danny (January 16, 2008). "As Spitzer's Popularity Fell, Donors Rallied to His Side". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/nyregion/16campaign.html. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Ed Norton, BP Solar and the High Line". Treehugger.com. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2004/11/ed_norton_bp_so_1.php. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Edward Norton". solarneighbors.com. http://www.solarneighbors.com/. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Interview with Edward Norton". Grist.org. http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/04/27/little-norton/. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Edward Norton". Enterprise community. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080121025737/http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/local_work/california/. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Heger, Monica (January 1, 2006). "Hollywood stars heat up solar power". CNN. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/01/01/8368105/index.htm. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Magazine October 2010 Issue 149". Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/131/edward-nortons-9000000000-housing-projects-thats-9-billion.html. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ "Edward Norton plays marathon man to fund African conservation". CNN. September 10, 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/09/10/ed.norton.marathon/index.html. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Edward Norton to Run ING New York City Marathon with Maasai Warriors". New York City Marathon. http://www.nycmarathon.org/norton_release.htm. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Meet the Runners". Maasai Marathon. http://www.maasaimarathon.com/content/runners/. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Maasai Marathon — Sponsor". Maasai Marathon. http://www.maasaimarathon.com/content/sponsor/. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Banjo, Shelly (May 11, 2010). "Edward Norton's Toughest Role: Fund-Raiser - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703880304575236432780628948.html. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ News "Edward Norton: Man of pride and glory". Saturday 15th November 2008. http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/newsxtra/3828972.Edward_Norton__Man_of_pride_and_glory/newspaper=Halesowen News.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1932718/
| Persondata |
| Name |
Norton, Edward |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
actor |
| Date of birth |
August 18, 1969 |
| Place of birth |
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
