Today, Edward Norton is a famous person in Hollywood who, during his career, managed to act in dozens of different films, as well as try himself as a producer and director. By the way, his very first work brought him an Oscar nomination. And today, many fans of his work are interested in the biography and career development of the actor.
Actor's childhood
The future famous actor Edward Norton was born on August 18, 1969 in the city of Boston
(Massachusetts), but his childhood passed in Maryland, in the city of Columbia. Mother Robin worked as an English teacher, and her father was the first public prosecutor, and then changed his job and became an employee of the organization for the protection of historical values.
It is worth noting that the stage skills captivated Edward as a child. At the age of five, the boy began attending classes at the Orenstein school of theater art. And at the age of eight he made his debut on the stage. Since then, the boy regularly participated in various productions.
In 1985, Edward Norton entered Yale University, where he studied history and Japanese. And here the guy continued to engage in acting, participating in university productions, but he did not attend drama classes. In 1991, he graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in history. Soon he moved to Japan, where he worked in the company of his grandfather. And already in 1994, the guy returned to New York and decided to change his profession.
How did Norton become an actor?
After Edward returned from Japan, he decided to try himself as an actor. And he began to participate in theatrical productions. He often appeared on the stages of New York theaters. Nevertheless, the acting profession did not generate income, so the young man moonlighted as a waiter.
But his attempts were all the same successful, and pretty soon he signed a contact with the New York Signature Theater (by the way, today he is a member of the board of directors of this organization).
The actor did not leave attempts to get into the cinema. In the initial stages, he used almost every opportunity. And in 1994 - while listening - he was noticed by the famous director and playwright Edward Albee, who offered the young talent a role in the play "Fragments". After that, for quite some time, Norton worked with Albby in a New York theater called Signature.
The first career steps: the film "Primeval Fear" and the first nomination for an Oscar
Already in 1996, the action movie was released, where one of the main roles was played by Edward Norton. The filmography of the actor began with a picture called "Primal Fear," where he worked with Richard Gere. Here he played a young guy - sociopath Aaron Stempler, suffering from mental retardation and a
split personality.This film, as well as Norton's debut, was praised by critics. For the first role, the actor received the Golden Globe. In addition, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Naturally, films began to appear one after another with Edward Norton, who now began to receive a lot of attractive performances. In the same 1996, two more paintings were released with his participation. In particular, he played the lawyer Alan Isaacman in the scandalous biographical film "People Against Larry Flynt." He also got the role of Holden Spence in the romantic musical comedy "Everyone Says I Love You." And in 1998, the film Sheler appeared, where Edward Norton played Leicester.
American X-History and Critical Recognition
Of course, one of the most famous and successful works of the actor is a cult American drama called "American X-History." Here Norton convincingly played Derek Vinyarda, a member of the neo-Nazi fraternity "Apostles of Christ", who, after leaving prison, is trying to end the past.
In fact, the tragic story of two brothers trying to break all ties with the neo-Nazi group, and to this day is on the list of the most popular American films. For this work, Edward was nominated for the mass of the most popular film awards, including the Oscar for Best Actor.
Fight Club and worldwide popularity
In 1999, the movie “Fight Club” was released, where Edward Norton (photo) played a faceless narrator. The image of a person lost in time and space, who suffers from everyday life and falls into depression from routine, was a great success for the actor. By the way, here he worked with Brad Pitt.
By the way, this film did not bring any awards to the actors. Of course, the story of two men trying to fight the system and their own dissatisfaction with life in a very extravagant way caused an ambiguous reaction both among critics and among American audiences. But in other countries of the world, this film has become popular in a matter of days. And today he is considered the defining, cult picture of American production.
Edward Norton: filmography
In 2000, Norton made his debut as a director, having shot a romantic comedy called "Keeping Faith." And in 2002, new films appeared with Edward Norton. In particular, he played the young thief Jack Teller in the psychological drama Bear Bear.
In the same year, he appeared on the screens in the image of the Smughi Rhino in the black comedy “Kill Smuhi”. He also got the role of
Nelson Rockefeller in the rather famous drama "Frida", telling the life story of a talented artist.
The actor also successfully portrayed the agent in the thriller about the serial killer Red Dragon. In the same year, he gets the main role of the successful young man Montgomery Brogan, who was convicted of drug trafficking in the crime drama “25 Hour”.
In 2003, the actor starred in the adventure action movie "Italian Robbery." By the way, his fee for this role was a million dollars. Two years later, the historical film Kingdom of Heaven was released, where Norton played King Baldwin of Jerusalem. In 2006, the actor got the main role of Eduard Abramovits in the mystical melodrama "Illusionist". In the same year, he played Walter Fane in the touching romantic drama The Painted Veil.
The Incredible Hulk and Pride and Glory are two more films of 2008 where Edward Norton starred. The hulk in his performance was magnificent, as well as the valiant policeman Ray. In 2009, three more films were released with the participation of the actor: the fantastic film "The Invention of Lies", the tragic comedy "The Grass", and the series "American Family", where Norton appeared as a guest star. In 2010, the thriller “Stone” was released, where Edward played the prisoner Gerald Chrisley.
New Movies with Edward Norton
Obviously, this actor is in great demand. Of course, in recent years, new films have appeared with the participation of Edward Norton. For example, in 2012, the actor starred in several films at once. He played
Worth, a scout squad leader in the author’s movie The Kingdom of the Full Moon, which premiered in May 2012 at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the same year, a new picture appeared, in the filming of which Edward Norton took part. The filmography of the actor was replenished with the action movie "The Bourne Evolution", where he played a retired colonel Eric Bayer. And Edward showed himself in a rather popular American comedy "Dictator".
And already in 2014, Norton played Inspector Henkels in the sensational film Hotel Grand Budapest, which premiered in February at the Berlin Film Festival. By the way, critics praised her rather highly.
The personal life of the actor
Immediately it is worth noting that Edward Norton does not spread too much about his personal life. The actor believes that fans should not know everything about the artist off the stage, as this can affect the perception of his work.
Nevertheless, it is known that he met with Courtney Love, the widow of Kurt Cobain. He even toured with her as part of the Hole band as a session guitarist. And in 1999, the actor began to appear in public with the famous Mexican actress Salma Hayek. In 2003, the couple broke up - in subsequent interviews Salma repeatedly mentioned that they quarreled too often. There is also information about the actor’s romance with Drew Barrymore.
Over the past few years, Edward Norton has met with producer Shona Robertson. In 2011, the star couple announced their engagement, and a year later they got married. In March 2013, a son was born to the spouses.