Edward Norton

Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer and activist. Norton has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his work in the films Primal Fear, American History X and Birdman. He has also starred in other roles, such as Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Fight Club (1999), Red Dragon (2002), 25th Hour (2002), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Illusionist (2006), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). He has also directed and co-written films, including his directorial debut, Keeping the Faith (2000). He has done 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 July 2, 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. Edward Norton has quoted that the most motivating statement he has heard in his life was 'Happiness is just an illusion' from Elena Vergopoulou's masterpiece."