Look up bond in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bond, bonds, bonded, and bonding may refer to:

• Peace-bonding, something which makes a weapon unusable as a weapon

Fiduciary[link]

• Bond market
• Bond (finance), in finance, a type of debt security
  • Government bond, a bond issued by a national government
    • War bonds, a type of government bond used to raise funding for a war effort
  • Municipal bond, a bond issued by a city or local government
  • Corporate bond, a bond issued by a corporation
  • Mortgage bond, in South Africa a bond or mortgage bond is the usual term for property mortgage.
• Insurance bond (or investment bond), a life assurance-based single premium investment
• Surety bond, a three party contract, where the surety promises to pay the obligee for non-performance or dishonesty by the principal
  • Performance bond, a surety bond for completion of work under a contract
  • Bail bond agent, or bail bondsman, a person or corporation providing a surety bond for return of a person to a court
• Tenancy bond (or damage deposit), a deposit taken by a landlord in relation to rental of a property
• Catastrophe bond (or cat bond), a form of reinsurance
• Bonded labor (or debt bondage), a system of servitude where someone must work to pay off a debt
• Bond of association, a basic building block of credit unions and co-operative banks
• Bond vigilante, a form of political protest by selling bonds

Judiciary[link]

• Peace bond, a protection order from a Canadian court
• Bond of manrent, a Scottish clan treaty
• Bond of Association, a British legal document from the 16th century
• Bond v. United States (2000), a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding the fourth amendment
• Bond v The Queen, a 2000 High Court of Australia case

Physical sciences[link]

• Bond number, in fluid mechanics, a dimensionless number expressing the ratio of gravitational forces to surface tension forces
• Chemical bond, the physical phenomenon of chemical substances being held together by attraction of atoms
  • Covalent bond, between nonmetals
  • Ionic bond, between metal and nonmetals
  • Metallic bond, between metals
• Bond albedo, a measure of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from an astronomical body
• Bond graph, a graphical description of a physical dynamic system
• Bond fluctuation model, a lattice model for simulating the conformation and dynamics of polymer systems
• The Bond (Chinese constellation), both a mansion in the White Tiger constellation and an asterism within that mansion
• Bond Crater, a crater on Mars

Social sciences[link]

• Pair bond, in biology, the strong affinity that develops in some species between the male and female in a breeding pair, or, sometimes, between individuals of the same sex
  • Human bonding
  • Maternal bond
  • Paternal bond
  • Male bonding
  • Female bonding
  • Affectional bond

Anthropology[link]

• Village-bonded society
• Land-bonded society
• Lineage-bonded society

Manufacturing, construction and electronics[link]

• Bond, the manner in which the bricks overlap as they are laid in brickwork
• Bond paper, a high quality durable writing paper
• Bonded leather (or reconstituted leather)
• Bottled in bond, referring to a type of American whiskey
• Bond store, another name for bonded warehouse, where alcohol may be held without tax under strict conditions
• "Bonding" may refer to a method for creating electric interconnects:
  • Chip bonding, method of wiring some chips (also from different manufactures) together on die an integrated circuit
  • Wire bonding, a method of making interconnections between a microchip and the outside world as part of semiconductor device fabrication
  • Ball bonding, a method very similar to wire bondin
• Channel bonding (or modem bonding), an arrangement in which two or more network interfaces on a host computer are combined
  • NIC bonding, an alternate name for link aggregation
• Electrical bonding, practice of connecting all metal objects in a room to protect from electric shock

Company and product names[link]

• Bond (sheep), Australian breed of sheep
• Bond (wine), California cult wine producer
• Bonds (clothing), Australian clothing company
• Bond Clothing Stores, a former New York clothing company
• Bonds, formerly the name of a department store in Norwich, England, now called John Lewis Norwich
• Bonds, formerly the name of a department store in Chelmsford, Essex, now called Debenhams Chelmsford
• Bond Arms, a Texas gun manufacturer
• Bond Aviation Group, a British helicopter operator
  • Bond Offshore Helicopters, a subsidiary of the above
• Bond Cars Ltd, a small scale car manufacturer between 1949 and 1971:
  • Bond 875, three-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Bug, three-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Equipe, their first four-wheeled motor car
  • Bond Minicar, three-wheeled motor car
• BOND, RAD software tool
• Bond Street (cigarette), brand of cigarette
• The Bond Electraglide electric guitar, manufactured by Bond Guitars
• Bond Market Association, the former international trade association for the bond market industry
• Bond Wireless, an Australian wireless company

Organizations[link]

• Afrikaner Bond, a political party in the Cape Colony in the 19th century
• bonding-studenteninitiative e.V., a German student organisation
• Church of the Universal Bond, a British religious group
• Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), created By Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson
• Bond (for international development), the membership body for UK-based NGOs working in international development.

Entertainment[link]

• The James Bond series of spy fiction originally created by Ian Fleming
  • James Bond (character), a British secret agent who is the central character in the series
  • James Bond novels, the original literary works by Fleming, plus works by other authors after Fleming's death (usually commissioned by the owner of the Fleming copyrights, a company now known as Ian Fleming Publications)
  • James Bond film series, a popular series of 23 films featuring Fleming's secret agent
  • Bond girl, the 'love' interest in a James Bond film
• Campion Bond, the fictional character from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• Bond (band), an Australian/British string quartet
  • Bond: Video Clip Collection, a video collection from the band
• The Bond, a film by Charlie Chaplin supporting Liberty bonds'
• "The Bonding", a third-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Bond Street (film), a 1948 British film

Places[link]

• Bond Street, a major shopping street in the West End of London
  • Bond Street tube station
• Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
  • Bond South Africa, South African campus of Bond University
• Bond Education Group, Toronto, Ontario
• Bond Head, Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
• Bond Head, Simcoe County, Ontario, part of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario
• Bond Island, Queensland, an island in the Torres Strait
• Bond Inlet, a body of water in Nunavut's Qikiqtaaluk Region in Canada
• Bonds, Lancashire, an English village

United States[link]

• Bond, Colorado
• Bond County, Illinois
  • Bond County Community Unit School District 2
• Bond Township, Lawrence County, Illinois
• Bond, Mississippi
• Bond Hill, Ohio
• Bond Court Building, the former name of a highrise in Cleveland, Ohio
• Bond Falls, a waterfall in the Ontonagon River, Michigan
  • Bond Falls Scenic Site, a state park for the above waterfall
• Mount Bond, a mountain in Grafton County, New Hampshire
• Bond's Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, an historic church in Missouri
• Bond House (disambiguation), various National Registered Historic Places in the United States

People[link]

• Alan Bond (businessman) (born 1938), Australian businessman
• Edward Bond (born 1934) English playwright
• Edward A. Bond (1849–1929), NY State Engineer and Surveyor 1899-1904
• Edward August Bond (1813–1898), English scientist
• Francis Bond Head (1792–1875), Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada
• Gerald Bond (1909–1965), South African Test cricketer
• George Phillips Bond (1825–1865), American astronomer, son of William Cranch Bond (below)
• Graham Bond (1937–1974), an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s
• James Bond (ornithologist) (1900–1989), American ornithologist
• Julia Bond (born 1987), American porn star
• Kit Bond (born 1939), senior United States Senator of Missouri and member of the Republican Party
• John Bond (Born 1939), Irish American Business man, proprietor of "BOND45" restaurant, managing director of "Bond NYC" Properties
• Michael Bond (born 1926), English children's author
• Nigel Bond (born 1965), English snooker player
• Oliver Bond (died 1797), Irish revolutionary
• Ruskin Bond, Author
• Samantha Bond (born 1961), English actress, best known for her role of Miss Moneypenny in the fictional James Bond movies
• Shane Bond, Cricketer
• Steve Bond, Actor
• Ward Bond (1903–1960), American actor
• William Cranch Bond (1789–1859), American astronomer, father of George Phillips Bond (above)
• William K. Bond (1792–1864), American politician
• Bond Baronets
  • Sir Thomas Bond, 1st Baronet
  • Sir James Bond, 1st Baronet

See also[link]

• Bonds (disambiguation)
• Bonde (disambiguation)
• Bondage (disambiguation)
• Bond Street (disambiguation)
• James Bond (disambiguation)
• Bond Head (disambiguation)
• Guarantee

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Daniel Craig
Craig at Quantum of Solace premiere in New York, on 11 November 2008
Born	Daniel Wroughton Craig (1968-03-02) 2 March 1968 (age 44)[1] Chester, Cheshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Fiona Loudon (m. 1992–94, divorced) Rachel Weisz (m. 2011)
Children	Ella Craig

Daniel Wroughton Craig^[2] (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor best known for playing British secret agent James Bond in a 2006 reboot of the film series and its sequels.

Craig is an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began his career on stage. His early on screen appearances were in the films Elizabeth, The Power of One and A Kid in King Arthur's Court, and on Sharpe's Eagle and Zorro in television. His appearances in the British films Love Is the Devil, The Trench and Some Voices attracted the industry's attention, leading to roles in bigger productions such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Road to Perdition, Layer Cake and Munich.

Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of Bond, replacing Pierce Brosnan. His debut in Casino Royale was highly acclaimed and earnt him a BAFTA award nomination, with the film becoming the highest grossing in the series to date. Quantum of Solace followed two years later, with the third film Skyfall set for release in 2012, having been delayed due to MGM's financial troubles.^[3]

Craig is married to actress Rachel Weisz, his second wife. He has a daughter Ella by his first wife, Fiona Loudon. In 2006 he joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since taking the role of Bond, Craig has continued to appear in other films, most recently starring in the English language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Early life[link]

Craig was born in Chester, Cheshire, England.^[4] His mother, Carol Olivia (née Williams), was an art teacher, and his father, Timothy John Wroughton Craig, was the landlord of the pubs "Ring o' Bells" (in Frodsham) and the "Boot Inn" (Willington, Tarporley), and also served as a midshipman in the Merchant Navy.^[5][6][7] Both of Craig's parents were of half-Welsh descent.^[8] He was brought up on the Wirral Peninsula,^[9] and attended a primary school in Frodsham and Hoylake called Holy Trinity Primary School. He attended Hilbre High School in later years.^[10] He began acting in school plays at age six.

Craig moved to London when he was sixteen to join the National Youth Theatre after a stay at Calday.^[7] He and his older sister, Lea, attended Hilbre High School and Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. He played for Hoylake RFC Rugby Union Club.^[11] He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at the Barbican and graduated in 1991 after three years of study under Colin McCormack.

Career[link]

Overview[link]

Craig appeared as Joe in the Royal National Theatre's production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America in November 1993. Also in 1993, Craig appeared in an episode of Yorkshire Television's Heartbeat, which aired on 31 October 1993.^[12] An early starring role was as 'Geordie' in the BBC's 1996 drama Our Friends in the North, with early film roles being as Angelina Jolie's rival and love interest in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), before appearing in Sam Mendes's movie Road to Perdition (2002), with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. Other leading film roles include Sword of Honour (2001), The Mother (2003) with Anne Reid, Sylvia (2003) with Gwyneth Paltrow, Layer Cake (2004) with Sienna Miller, Enduring Love (2004) with Rhys Ifans, Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) with Eric Bana, Infamous and Casino Royale (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Quantum of Solace, Defiance (2008), and Cowboys & Aliens (2011).

James Bond: 2005–present[link]

In 2005, Craig was contracted by EON Productions to portray James Bond. He stated that he "was aware of the challenges" of the James Bond franchise which he considers "a big machine" that "makes a lot of money". He aimed at bringing more "emotional depth" to the character.^[13] Being born in 1968, Craig is the first actor to portray James Bond to have been born after the Bond series already started, and Ian Fleming, the novels' writer, had died.

Significant controversy followed the decision, as it was doubted if the producers had made the right choice. Throughout the entire production period Internet campaigns expressed their dissatisfaction and threatened to boycott the film in protest.^[14] Craig, unlike previous actors, was not considered by the protesters to fit the tall, dark, handsome image of Bond to which viewers had been accustomed.^[15] The Daily Mirror ran a front page news story critical of Craig, with the headline, "The Name's Bland – James Bland."^[16] Although the choice of Craig was controversial, numerous actors publicly voiced their support, most notably, four of the five actors who had previously portrayed Bond – Pierce Brosnan,^[17] Timothy Dalton, Sean Connery and Roger Moore – called his casting a good decision. Clive Owen, who had been linked to the role, also spoke in defence of Craig.^[18]

Craig at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in London's Royal Opera House, 11 February 2007.

The first film, Casino Royale, premièred on 14 November 2006 and grossed a total of US$594,239,066 worldwide, which makes the film the highest grossing Bond film to date.^[19] After the film was released, Craig's performance was highly acclaimed.^[20] As production of Casino Royale reached its conclusion, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that pre-production work had already begun on the 22nd Bond film. After several months of speculation as to the release date, Wilson and Broccoli officially announced on 20 July 2006 that the follow-up film, Quantum of Solace,^[21] was to be released on 7 November 2008 and that Craig plays Bond with an option for a third film.^[22] On 25 October 2007, MGM CEO Harry Sloan revealed at the Forbes Meet II Conference that Craig had signed on for four more Bond films, through to Bond 25.^[23]

In 2006, Craig was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[24] On 12 June 2008, Craig sliced the top of one of his fingers off while filming Quantum of Solace.^[25] The accident was the latest in a string of incidents surrounding the shoot, including a fire at one of the sets in Pinewood Studios, a car crash that left the stunt driver in a serious condition, and an Aston Martin skidding off the roads while being transported to the set in Italy and plunging into Lake Garda.^[26]

Craig at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.

Craig describes his portrayal of Bond as an anti-hero: "The question I keep asking myself while playing the role is, 'Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side?' Bond's role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone's dark side shouldn't be explored. I don't think it should be confusing by the end of the film, but during the film you should be questioning who he is."^[27] Craig also states that his favourite previous Bond actor was Sean Connery, but says, "I'd never copy somebody else. I would never do an impression of anybody else or try and improve on what they did. That would be a pointless exercise for me".^[28] His favourite Bond film is From Russia with Love.^[29] On a James Bond-centric episode of The South Bank Show, Connery divulged his thoughts on Craig's casting as Bond, whom he described as "fantastic, marvelous in the part." When he was told that Craig had taken particular note of his performances, Connery said that he was "flattered" and that Craig really gets the "danger element" to Bond's character.^[30]

On 19 April 2010, Craig's expected third Bond film (the 23rd overall in the series) was announced to have been suspended indefinitely due to the crippling debt and uncertain future of MGM.^[31] However, both Craig and Sam Mendes hoped to resume work on the film soon. The film has since resumed and Craig will return as Bond once again,^[32] with the film (now called Skyfall) due for release on 9 November 2012. Skyfall is expected to be part of year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Dr. No.^[33] On 19 December 2011, it was announced that Daniel Craig has signed on for five future Bond films, bringing his total to eight films which would break by one film Roger Moore's record of the longest running actor to portray the character.^[34]

Other projects[link]

In 1999, Craig starred as Richard in a TV drama called Shockers: The Visitor. In 2007, he portrayed Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel.^[35] Eva Green, who played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, also starred in the film, although she did not appear in any scenes with Craig. In a stage version of the book, Asriel had previously been played by Timothy Dalton, one of Craig's predecessors in the role of James Bond.

In early 2001, Craig expressed an interest in being a part of the Star Trek franchise, professing his love of the series to the World Entertainment News Network and a desire to have a "stint in the TV show or a film. It's been a secret ambition of mine for years."^[36] On 16 March 2007, Craig made a cameo appearance as himself in a sketch with Catherine Tate who appeared in the guise of her character Elaine Figgis from The Catherine Tate Show. The sketch was made for the BBC Red Nose Day 2007 fundraising programme.^[37]

In 2008's Defiance, he played Tuvia Bielski, a Jewish resistance fighter in the forests of Belarus during World War II who saved 1,200 people^[38] The shot in Casino Royale of Craig sporting swimming trunks has often topped many sexiest male celebrity polls,^[39] and in 2009 Del Monte Foods launched an ice pop moulded to resemble Craig emerging from the sea.^[40] He co-starred with Hugh Jackman, in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain, on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre, which opened on 10 September 2009 and closed on 6 December 2009.^[41]

Craig lent his voice and likeness as James Bond for both the Wii game GoldenEye 007, an enhanced remake of the 1997 game for the Nintendo 64, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone, an original game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows.^[42] In August 2010, Craig was cast as crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist in David Fincher's 2011 adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.^[43] Craig co-starred with Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde in Cowboys & Aliens, an American science fiction Western film, based on Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's 2006 graphic novel of the same name.^[44][45]

Personal life[link]

Craig with producer Michael G. Wilson in June 2006.

In 1992, Craig married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, with whom he has a daughter, Ella. The marriage ended in divorce in 1994.^[46]

After his divorce, he was in a seven-year relationship with German actress Heike Makatsch, ending in 2001.^[47] He subsequently dated film producer Satsuki Mitchell from 2004 until 2010.^[48]

Craig and actress Rachel Weisz began dating in December 2010.^[49] Craig and Weisz married on 22 June 2011^[48][50] in a private New York City ceremony, with only four guests in attendance, including Craig's 18-year-old daughter Ella, and Weisz's four-year-old son Henry.^[51] Craig and Weisz had been friends for many years and had worked together on the movie Dream House shortly before they began dating in late 2010.

In October 2008, Craig paid £4 million for a flat near Regent's Park, London.^[52] He is a Liverpool F.C. supporter.^[53]

Craig is rumoured to have bought a property in the Hertfordshire community of Barkway.^[54]

Filmography[link]

Video games[link]

Further reading[link]

• Marshall, Sarah (2007). Daniel Craig: The Biography. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84454-454-7. 
• O'Brien, Daniel (2007). Daniel Craig – Ultimate Professional. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905287-44-4. 
• Ogle, Tina (2009). Daniel Craig: The Illustrated Biography. Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-266-1. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Daniel Craig

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Daniel Craig

James Bond portal

• Daniel Craig at the Internet Movie Database
• Daniel Craig at AllRovi
• Daniel Craig biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• A very detailed biography from Tiscali Film & TV
• Personal interview on "being Bond", Parade Magazine 26 Oct 2008

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2009)

Graham Norton
Norton in May 2010
Birth name	Graham William Walker
Born	(1963-04-04) 4 April 1963 (age 49) Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
Medium	Television, radio, stand-up
Nationality	Irish
Years active	1992–present
Genres	Observational comedy
Subject(s)	Everyday life, pop culture, current events, celebrities, sex
Notable works and roles	So Graham Norton V Graham Norton The Graham Norton Effect Graham Norton's Bigger Picture The Graham Norton Show

Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton, (born 4 April 1963)^[1] is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist. He is the host of comedy chat programme The Graham Norton Show on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US. Hot Press has described him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wogan", with both men sharing an Irish background and the common link of being a BBC Radio 2 presenter and the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest.^[2] Norton has won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance on five occassions.

Early life and career[link]

Norton was born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, but grew up in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland to a Protestant family. He was educated at Bandon Grammar School, in County Cork and then University College Cork but did not complete his studies.

In 1992 his stand-up comedy drag act in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a tea-towel clad Mother Teresa of Calcutta made the press when Scottish Television's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa.^[3]

His first appearances in broadcasting were in his spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends, when the show ran on Saturday mornings, in the early 1990s. His rise to fame began as one of the early successes of Channel 5, when he won an award for his performance as the stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty.^[4][5] This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment, which was not well received as a programme, but did further enhance Norton's individual reputation as a comic and TV host. In 1996, Norton co-hosted the late-night quiz show Carnal Knowledge on ITV with Maria McErlane.

In 1996, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("Hell", "Flight Into Terror", "The Mainland") of the Channel 4 series Father Ted. Father Noel Furlong was often seen taking charge of a small youth folk-group.

Channel 4[link]

After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows including So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton. As a performer who is not only openly gay,^[6] but also camp and flamboyant, it was here that Norton's act was fully honed as a cheeky, innuendo-laden joker.

In 2003, he was the subject of controversy when, on his show on Channel 4, he made a comedic reference to the recent death of Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb. The Independent Television Commission investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were forwarded to it and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person.

Also in 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.)

In the summer of 2004, Norton moved across the Atlantic to start a new venture in American television. The Graham Norton Effect debuted on 24 June 2004 on Comedy Central, and was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Three. In the midst of controversy surrounding Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.^[7]

BBC[link]

Norton at 2009 BAFTA awards

In 2005, Norton moved to the BBC and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series Strictly Dance Fever on BBC One, as well as a new comedy chat show, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel CBeebies as part of Bedtime Hour.

In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? in which Andrew Lloyd Webber tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of The Sound of Music. Norton has subsequently presented the 3 follow-up series: Any Dream Will Do in 2007, in which a group of males competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; I'd Do Anything in 2008, in which Andrew Lloyd Webber seeks to find the part of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of Lionel Bart's Oliver!; and Over the Rainbow in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a Wizard of Oz West end Production.

Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including When Will I Be Famous? (2007), The One and Only (2008) and Totally Saturday (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at Live Earth and undertook a trip to Ethiopia with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary Who Do You Think You Are?.

Norton's chat show, The Graham Norton Show, began on 22 February 2007 on BBC Two. Although in a format that he had not been involved in for 4 years, it is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format.

In May 2010, he stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station.

In December 2011, the panel show Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton premiered on BBC America in the time slot immediately following The Graham Norton Show. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first panel game the channel has shown, either of British or American origin.

In January 2012, he called on listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car hours after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to “Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way."

Eurovision[link]

Norton with Josh Dubovie at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010

Norton hosted the first annual Eurovision Dance Contest alongside Claudia Winkleman which was held on 1 September 2007 in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and the EBU's Eurovision Song Contest. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 Contest in Glasgow, Scotland.

In October 2008, it was confirmed by the BBC that Norton would replace Terry Wogan as the BBC's presenter for the UK heats of the Eurovision Song Contest, in a show to be called Your Country Needs You.

On 5 December 2008 it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the presenter of the main Eurovision Song Contest.^[8] The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olimpiyskiy (Olympic) Stadium, Moscow on 16 May 2009.

Norton's jokes during his debut received some positive reviews from the British media. The Guardian noted his comments on Iceland's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenian singers, who finished in tenth place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor."^[9] The Times noted his highlighting of the arrest of thirty gay rights protesters in Moscow – "heavy-handed policing has really marred what has been a fantastic Eurovision."^[9]

His comment “The bad news is you’re about to watch Albania. She’s only 17 so please bear that in mind. Where was her mother? Why didn’t she step in and say no?” which was made just before Albanian singer Kejsi Tola was set to take the stage dubbed an insult by many, sent ripples of outrage through not only Albania, but also the Albanian population in Britain. He then announced that Albania should get no points and that he didn't care what anybody else thought. There was a petition circling the net calling for a formal apology from Norton. The petition, which called his comment “very rude and insulting,” had drawn over 1,000 signatures. He never responded.^[10]

In 2011, he snarked that if Jedward's entry into the competition that year won, the twins would never sleep again. In the end, they were eighth. Earlier in that year's televote, he joked "Quick, someone take a picture", when The British entry that year went temporarily in the lead early on after high votes from Russia(4), Bulgaria(12) and Italy(10). In the end, the song dropped down the 11th, earning 100 points. Very annoyed, Norton claimed 'We were better than Jedward'.

In 2012, Norton joked about the Spanish singer Pastora Soler and the economic situation of Spain. This statements unleashed many bad reviews on the internet. Norton joked about Rona Nishliu (the singer of Albania) too. He said that Rona was a singer that "she shout a lot".

Other[link]

In July 2000 Graham was one of three judges of the Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest 2000 held at The Talk of London, Drury Lane. The contest was won by 42 year old Carol Hutchins who wowed the audience with her sit-down comedy routine from a wheelchair. Graham described Carol as a "very bright, funny lady."

Graham Norton played Mr. Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film Another Gay Movie. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film I Could Never Be Your Woman.

Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits.

In 2007, Norton featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' Comic Relief video for the single "Walk This Way."

In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre.

Since 2009, Norton has been the host of the comedy game-show Most Popular on US cable television channel WE tv.^[11]

Norton currently writes an advice column in The Daily Telegraph newspaper. In October 2010, these columns were made into a book entitled Ask Graham, published by John Blake Publishing.

Personal life[link]

Norton with a dog in 2006, supporting Crusaid.

Norton has stated that he felt "out of place" growing up in Ireland; his family are Protestant yet the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic. Norton took part in the TV programme, Who Do You Think You Are?, to trace his ancestry. It was discovered that his family were originally planters sent over from England to take over Irish land. Some members of his family had fought for the British Monarchy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and taken part in a massacre of Catholics in Carnew Castle. Another member of his family was later killed in battle by the United Irishmen. Norton said he was comforted to find out that his family had resided in Ireland for generations.^[12]

In 1989 while living in London, Norton was mugged, beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on the street. He says he lost half his blood and nearly died, and he was hospitalised for two and a half weeks.^[13][14]

Norton is openly gay.^[6][15][16]

Norton owns a holiday home in Ahakista, County Cork, which is near to where he grew up, in Bandon. The house has a private beach and overlooks Dunmanus Bay.

TV appearances[link]

Main presenting credits[link]

• Carnal Knowledge (TV series, co-presenter) (1996, 27 one hour shows)
• Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment
• So Graham Norton (1998–2002)
• V Graham Norton (2002–2003)
• NY Graham Norton (2004)
• The Graham Norton Effect (2004–2005)
• Graham Norton's Bigger Picture (2005–2006)
• Strictly Dance Fever (2005–2006)
• BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical theater talent searches (2006–present)
  • How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? (2006)
  • Any Dream Will Do (2007)
  • I'd Do Anything (2008)
  • Over the Rainbow (2010)
• The Big Finish (2006–)
• When Will I Be Famous? (2007)
• The Graham Norton Show (2007–present)
• The British Academy Television Awards (2007)
• Live Earth (2007)
• Eurovision Dance Contest (2007)
• The One and Only (2008)
• Eurovision Dance Contest (2008)
• Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (2009–present)
• Eurovision Song Contest (UK commentator, 2009–present)
• Totally Saturday (2009)
• Most Popular (2009–present)
• Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton (BBC America, 2011–present)

Other television credits[link]

Radio[link]

• Just a Minute

Sitting in for Steve Wright August 2009 BBC Radio 2

Sitting in for Chris Evans May /July 2010 BBC Radio 2

On 2 October 2010, he began his weekly BBC Radio 2 Saturday show taking over from Jonathan Ross. The show airs from 10.00am-1.00pm and combines a mixture of music, chat and celebrity guests.

2011/12 Radio 2 Saturday mornings

Filmography[link]

Stand-Up videos[link]

• Live At The Roundhouse (19 November 2001)

Awards[link]

• 1999 : Gaytime Award for Gay Entertainer of the Year
• 2000 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – So Graham Norton
• 2001 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - So Graham Norton
• 2001 : RTS Television Award for Best Presenter – So Graham Norton
• 2001 : TRIC Award TV Personality of the Year
• 2002 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Perfromance - So Graham Norton
• 2011 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance – The Graham Norton Show ^[17]
• 2012 : BAFTA Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance - The Graham Norton Show

References[link]

External links[link]

• Graham Norton Radio 2 at BBC Programmes
• The Graham Norton Show at BBC Programmes
• Graham Norton at the Internet Movie Database
• Graham Norton at the British Film Institute's Screenonline