Edward James Norton Jr. (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor known for his reticence to embrace celebrity status. Norton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland.

His mother Robin, an English teacher, died of a brain tumor in 1997; his father, Edward Sr. is an attorney and former federal prosecutor under the Carter administration who now works for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is the grandson of developer James Rouse, who designed the city of Columbia, Maryland; Baltimore's Inner Harbor; and Boston's Quincy Market.

Norton graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1985, then Yale University in 1991 with a B.A. in history.

Norton was launched into the spotlight by 1996's Primal Fear, in which he played a young sociopathic convict, and for which he won a Golden Globe and a nomination for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He earned numerous nominations for his role as a reformed neo-Nazi in 1998's American History X, and starred in the 1999 adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's cult hit novel Fight Club. More recently, he played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella.

Norton has put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities.

He has dated actress Salma Hayek.

Credit: en.wikipedia.org