Actor and filmmaker Edward Norton has just turned 57, but how much do you know about him? Here are some facts you might not know.
Edward Norton has been regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation for more than 20 years. While the actor himself would never admit to this, he has an enviable body of work.
He made his breakthrough in Primal Fear in 1996, which won him a Golden Globe for best Supporting Actor and an Oscar nomination in the same category. Since then, he has made memorable appearances in movies such as American History X, Fight Club, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Incredible Hulk, The Bourne Legacy and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Edward has just turned 57, but how much do you know about him? Here are some facts you might not know about Edward Norton.
Edward’s love of acting started early – but his career didn’t
Edward’s interest in acting started when, aged 5, he saw a musical related to Cinderella at a local theatre, which starred his babysitter.
He made his own stage debut aged 8, when he appeared in a local dinner theatre production of the musical Annie Get Your Gun. After this, he regularly appeared in local stage productions.
However, Edward focused on his schoolwork and, after graduating high school, studied history at Yale University, graduating in 1991. Although while at university he did act in university productions.
It was only after this that he studied acting and started to audition for roles.
He’s related to Pocahontas
When Edward appeared on the PBS genealogy show Finding Your Roots in 2023, a long-standing family rumour was proved, when it was revealed that Pocahontas is his 12-great grandmother. Edward said it made him realise what a small piece of the human story you are.
He is also a distant cousin of Julia Roberts.
He’s a noted environmentalist
Edward is a long-standing environmental advocate. He is known for advocating for renewable energy such as solar power, and has owned a solar-powered home and encouraged others to do similar.
He is also a supporter of the African Wildlife Foundation and its ‘Say No’ campaign that raises awareness of the fights against illegal poaching of elephants and rhinos for their horns.
Edward is also the president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which aims to preserve the ecosystems and biodiversity of East Africa through conservation that benefits the local Maasai communities.
He rejects the Hollywood lifestyle
Edward has starred in many high-profile movies over the years, but he has nothing to do with Hollywood and the celebrity lifestyle. When he isn’t working he tries to live as ‘normal’ a life as possible, and values things like being able to take the subway in New York. He also believes that being a high-profile person in the media can distract from his job as an actor.
While Edward has had some famous girlfriends over the years – including Courtney Love and Salma Hayek – he is fiercely protective of his private life and doesn’t discuss it in public. He is now married to film producer Shauna Robertson and have two children.
He took soap making classes for a role
One of Edward’s earlier film successes came in the 1999 cult classic Fight Club. One of the central motifs of the movie is soap, which represents consumerism, corporate hypocrisy and destruction and the central character, Tyler Durden, manufactures soap made from dubious ingredients (if you know you know). For the role, Edward, alongside co-star Brad Pitt, took soap-making classes.
He played the Hulk – eventually
In the early days of the MCU, Edward played the role of Bruce Banner in the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk.
Edward did have the opportunity to take on the role in the 2003 pre-MCU movie Hulk, but turned it down.
