Birth Name: Edward Norton Jr.
Birthdate: August 18, 1969
Birthplace: Columbia, MD
Employment: Actor, Writer, Musician
Family:
Grandfather: James Rouse, former real estate developer; born 1914; died 1996
Grandmother: Pratricia Rouse (nee Traugott), former philanthropist; with
husband, cofounded the Enterprise Foundation.
Father: Edward Norton Sr., attorney; works for National Trust for Historic Preservation
Mother: Robin Norton (nee Rouse), former foundation executive, teacher;
died of brain cancer 1997
Siblings: James, Molly
Edward Norton achieved instant stardom in his feature film debut in the 1996 Primal Fear.
Norton was credited for saving a rather mediocre film with his portrayal of a Kentucky
altar boy accused of murdering a Chicago Arch Bishop. This role earned Norton Golden
Globe and Oscar Nominations for best supporting actor. With his instant fame Norton
proved that he could go on and further his acting talents.
Norton was born in Boston on August 18, 1969. He was raised in Columbia, Maryland and
even in his early years Norton was known as an extremely smart and serious individual.
He is the son of a former federal prosecutor and an English teacher. He became interested
in acting at the age of five and made his stage debut at the age of 8 in a local production
of Annie Get Your Gun. Norton enrolled in the Orenstein's Columbia School for Theatrical Arts,
and after high school he studied history at Yale, while staying active in the university's
theater program.
After graduating from Yale with a degree in hstory, Norton spent a few months in Japan, then moved
to New York. In New York he worked at the Enterprise Foundation, a group dedicated to ending
urban decay. Norton still acted whenever possible, and finally decided to presue acting full-time.
After appearing in several off-Broadway plays Norton won his role in Primal Fear after being chosen
from 2,100 hopefulls. After stunning nearly everyone who saw his performance Norton continued to
amaze in movies like Everyone Says I Love you and The People vs. Larry Flint.
1998 was a big year for Norton who turned in two great performances in Rounders and American History X.
Playing as Matt Damon's lowlife best friend, Nortons performance was not recognized due to poor
reviews. However, American History X was a bit on the controversial side. Norton played a racist,
skinhead turned good and earned himself an Oscar Nomination. More recently, Norton has appeared in
Fight Club with Brd Pitt, and made his directorial debut in Keeping the Faith.