Edward Harrison Norton was born on August 18, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and spent his childhood in Columbia, Maryland. His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" Rouse, was a foundation executive and teacher of English, and the daughter of renowned real estate developer James Rouse, who developed Columbia, Maryland. She passed away on March 6, 1997, due to brain cancer.
Norton's father, Edward Mower Norton, was an environmental lawyer and conservationist who worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He has two younger siblings, James and Molly. From a young age, Norton was fascinated with acting, and at five, he began attending theater schools throughout his life. He eventually found work on stage in New York as a member of the Signature players, who produced the works of playwright and director Edward Albee.
Norton's breakthrough role came when he was cast opposite Richard Gere in the 1996 courtroom thriller Primal Fear. He won the role over 2000 other hopefuls and received widespread acclaim for his performance, earning a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He then went on to appear in Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You and The People vs. Larry Flynt, both released in 1996.
Norton's transformation into a violent white supremacist in American History X in 1998 earned him his second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor. He received his third Oscar nomination for his work in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) in 2014. Some of his most prominent roles include Everyone Says I Love You, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Fight Club, Red Dragon, 25th Hour, Kingdom of Heaven, The Illusionist, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
In addition to his acting career, Norton is also a filmmaker and has directed and co-written several films, including his directorial debut, Keeping the Faith. He has also done uncredited work on the scripts for The Score, Frida, and The Incredible Hulk. Norton is an environmental and social activist and serves on the board of trustees for Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization founded by his grandfather James Rouse.
