Edward Norton Biography

Edward Norton’s 1996 film debut in Primal Fear earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. A 1991 graduate of Yale University, Norton began his performing career on the New York stage. His remarkable movie debut was followed by another Oscar nomination for his starring role in American History X (1998) and raves for his performance in Fight Club (1999, co-starring Brad Pitt). Norton was hailed as one of the best new actors of the 1990s, but the much-publicized conflicts behind the scenes of American History X made him seem less like an exacting professional and more like a rebarbative fussbudget. A sometime writer and director, his first feature behind the camera was the comedy Keeping the Faith (2000, starring Ben Stiller), and in 2006 it was reported that he was writing and directing Motherless Brooklyn, based on the novel by Jonathan Lethem. His other roles include the films Rounders (1998, with Matt Damon), Red Dragon (2002, with Ralph Fiennes), The Italian Job (2003, with Charlize Theron), Kingdom of Heaven (2005, starring Orlando Bloom) and The Illusionist (2006, co-starring Jessica Biel).