Edward Norton

A consistently first-rate actor who impressed audiences and critics alike with a disparate array of roles ranging from remorseless criminal to buttoned-up lawyer to period romantic lead, Edward Norton began as an actor but quickly adopted the roles of screenwriter, producer and director. The ambitious Ivy League grad stood out in Hollywood for his thoughtful, articulate manner and his tendency to eschew the "fame game" in favor of intense involvement in high quality films of varying box office success. He was undaunted and arguably fueled by films that explored darker, controversial sides of human nature, including "American History X" (1998), "Fight Club" (1999) and "25th Hour" (2002), but maintained a reputation as a film enigma with unexpected and successful turns in comedies like "Keeping the Faith" (2000) and period dramas including "The Illusionist" (2006). Fiercely opinionated in matters of art and politics, Norton occasionally found himself the target of verbal sniping from collaborators who clashed with him during productions, yet few questioned his talent and for putting everything he had into whatever project he immersed himself in.