A Club All His Own

Edward Norton's filmography boasts only nine films, yet his name is widely known and his face easily recognizable. Norton went to high school in Columbia, Maryland, where he was born. He graduated in 1985 and went on to college at Yale where he received a History degree. Norton is the oldest of three children, with both a younger brother and sister. His father is an attorney and his mother was a teacher before she passed away in 1997.

The first film on Edward Norton's resume is Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You. In the film, Norton plays Holden, a young man in love who finds out that love is not an easy thing. In his second film, Norton plays a much more complex character. He is Aaron and Roy Stampler in Primal Fear. Stampler is an altar boy accused of murdering a priest. For his work as Roy Stampler, Norton received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe.

In the same year as Everyone Says I Love You and Primal Fear, Norton brought us Alan Isaacman in The People vs. Larry Flynt. The film told the story of the famous pornography publisher and how he ended up defending free speech. Norton's character aids him in his battle:

Isaacman: Unpopular speech is absolutely vital to the health of our nation.

Isaacman: Larry, thousands of people petition the Supreme Court, OK? Thousands.
Larry Flynt: Yeah, and our case is as good as any.
Isaacman: Our case is better than most. You're missing my point, and that is they will never pick you because you're a nightmare. They're afraid if they let you in there, you're gonna wear a diaper or throw oranges at the justices. And they should be, Larry, because in all the times you've gone to court asking for help, you've never once demonstrated any respect for its institutions and procedures.

Isaacman: I'm not trying to convince you to like what Larry Flynt does. I don't like what Larry Flynt does.

In 1998, Norton again appeared in three films. In Rounders, a story about a young man who plays poker to help his friend pay off loan sharks, Norton is Lester "Worm" Murphy. He is the friend who must get out of debt to spare his life. A lesser-known film, Out of the Past, followed. In the film, Norton is not seen but heard. He is the voice of Henry Gerber in a documentary about gays and lesbians today and in the past. His third film of the year was American History X. This film is a powerful story about a young man and his brother who are part of a neo-nazi group. The young man, Derek (Norton), ends up killing and is sent to prison. While there, he recognizes the wrong in his former life and struggles to save his brother.

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