Actor, screenwriter (Hulk, 2008), Yale graduate, bilingual (Spanish, Japanese, and some French) charitable philanthropist, and poker enthusiast provide a tiny glimpse into the many layers of who Edward Norton is. He was born August 18, 1969 in Boston, Massachusetts to Robin and Edward Norton, Sr. He and his younger siblings James and Molly were raised in the city of Columbia, Maryland which was the brainchild of Edward's grandfather James Rouse. Norton's father was once one of Jimmy Carter's attorneys and his mother, who passed away in 1997 from brain cancer, was a teacher and foundation executive.
The acting bug bit Edward Norton at age five when his babysitter Betsy True took him to his first play. His parents enrolled him in theater schools throughout his childhood. After eventually earning a history degree in 1991 from Yale he ventured to Osaka, Japan to work for his grandfather's company as a consultant. Norton later found work in New York with a troupe that produced and acted Edward Albee's plays. These jobs prefaced the big break for Norton in 1996 when he was cast alongside Richard Gere for the movie Primal Fear. Norton's other film credits include The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996), American History X (1998), Fight Club (1999), The Score (2001), Death To Smoochy (2002), Frida (2002), Red Dragon (2002), The Italian Job (2003), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and the Painted Veil. It was during the 1998 movie Rounders that Norton's poker hobby was sparked. He trained for his role as "Worm" with poker great Johnny Chan. Both Norton and his co-star Matt Damon have since played tournaments, the 1998 WSOP, and charitable events. Prior to age thirty Norton had two Academy Award nominations to his credit. Now a Golden Globe winner - he remains grounded and caring about a number of charitable causes and comments that he hopes to never get so famous that he cannot take the subway.
