Edward Norton

Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. He played Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear which garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Academy Award for Best Actor for Derek Vinyard in American History X, two years later. His other performances are diverse in range and include supporting roles in the biographical drama The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), the comedy Everyone Says I Love You (1996), and the comedy-dramas Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, starring roles in the cult hit Fight Club (1999), 25th Hour (2002), The Illusionist (2006), Leaves of Grass (2009) (in which he acted against himself), The Italian Job (2003) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005). He also directed and co-written films, such as his directorial debut in the romantic comedy Keeping the Faith (2000). He had his uncredited work on the scripts for The Score, Frida and The Incredible Hulk.

Alongside his work in cinema, Norton is an environmental and social activist. He is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing founded by his grandfather James Rouse. Norton is president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. He ran in the 2009 New York City Marathon to raise money for the Trust. He also raises money for charity through Crowdrise, a social networking community for volunteers and a micro-donations fundraising platform. In July 2010, Norton was designated as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. On 2 July 2014, Norton was elected Chairman of the Board of Trustee to Signature Theatre, a not-for-profit theater Company in New York. Norton has been on Signature's board since 1996, and served as the co-Chair of the Capital Campaign during the building of The Pershing Square Signature Center. While talking about his performance in Leaves of Grass, critic Roger Ebert said, "The actor Edward Norton has never agreed to appear in a film he didn't believe he had reason to respect."

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