He gained recognition and critical acclaim for his debut in Primal Fear (1996), which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination in the same category.

He continued to receive praise for his acting roles in films such as The Score (2001), 25th Hour (2002), The Italian Job (2003), The Illusionist (2006), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

He is a trustee of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization that advocates for affordable housing, and serves as president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.

[2][3][4] His father, Edward Mower Norton Jr., served in Vietnam as a Marine lieutenant before becoming an environmental lawyer and conservation advocate working in Asia and a federal prosecutor in the Carter administration.

[9] At age five, Norton and his parents saw a musical related to Cinderella at the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA), starring his babysitter, which ignited his interest in the theater.

[13] He subsequently immersed himself in films, naming Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro as two of his early inspirations because "the ones [he] liked were also the ones who made [him] think [he] could do it because they weren't the most handsome guys".

[16] Released in 1996, Primal Fear features Norton in the role of Aaron Stampler, an altar boy who is charged with the murder of a Roman Catholic archbishop and is defended by Martin Vail (Richard Gere).

[20] His performance was lauded by critics;[21] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised Norton's character as "completely convincing",[22] while Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle dubbed the actor "the one to watch" after his debut.

[16] In 1998, Norton starred alongside Matt Damon in Rounders, which follows two friends who urgently need cash and play poker to pay off a huge debt.

[31] The New Yorker wrote that he gave Derek an "ambiguous erotic allure" which made the film memorable,[32] while the Chicago Tribune deemed his performance an immediate contender for an Oscar.

[51] In 2001's heist film The Score, Norton plays Jack Teller, an ambitious young thief caught in an unlikely alliance with career criminal Nick Wells (Robert De Niro) arranged by his fence, Max (Marlon Brando).

[56] The final screenplay, with Norton's contribution, received positive reviews from critics as well as admiration from the film's co-stars including Hayek and Alfred Molina, who portrayed Kahlo's husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera.

[62][63] Paramount Pictures forced Norton to star in the heist film The Italian Job (2003), threatening to sue him for violating a three-film contract he had signed; the studio had previously distributed 1996's Primal Fear and 2001's The Score.

[79] He starred in the crime drama Pride and Glory (2008) as Ray Tierney, an honest detective assigned to investigate the precinct run by his older brother.

Both received weak reviews; Leaves of Grass was praised for Norton's performance but criticized for its conflicting tonal shifts,[96] while Stone was panned because of a clumsy plot with excessive twists.

He starred as scoutmaster Randy Ward in charge of finding his missing camper in the coming-of-age film Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson.

In the film, Norton portrayed retired Air Force colonel Eric Byer, who decides to terminate an illegal operation after it is exposed to the FBI and kill everyone involved.

[121] He once again reunited with Wes Anderson to play a supporting role in the comedy drama set in retrofuturistic 1950s, Asteroid City, premiering at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023.

[124] Norton next portrayed Pete Seeger opposite Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown (2024), a biopic of Bob Dylan, directed by James Mangold.

"[130] Since coming to fame in the mid-1990s, Norton has opted not to discuss his personal life in public, saying that he "believes that excessive media coverage can distract him from fulfilling his role as an actor".

Norton, whose family had known of possible relation to Pocahontas and her husband John Rolfe for years, replied to the findings: "It makes you realize what a small piece of the human story you are".

[143] In 2003, he collaborated with oil company BP to develop the Solar Neighbors program, which aimed to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops of households in Los Angeles.

[146] The initiative was welcomed by many of Norton's fellow celebrities, notably Salma Hayek, Brad Pitt, Danny DeVito, Alicia Silverstone and Robin Williams.

[146][147] Norton is a supporter of the African Wildlife Foundation and its "Say No" campaign which raises awareness and fights against illegal poaching of elephants and rhinoceroses for ivory and horn.

[155] As part of his job as a UN Ambassador, Norton has embarked on trips to Africa and participated in programs organized by UN bodies including the Development and Environment Programmes.

[159] Norton is a general aviation pilot who flies people in need of access to healthcare in his Cessna 206 aircraft through the organization Angel Flight West.

[163] Norton believes celebrities should "participate quietly" in discussions on politics and social issues as, "Having a public forum tends to make people offer too casual a commentary".

[179] Interview magazine commented that Norton has successfully portrayed a wide range of roles and found it impossible to simply characterize him as a leading man, a villain, or a character actor.

"[178] Sharing the same sentiment, Forbes complimented Norton as "a far cry" from celebrities who do charity works "with a keen eye to furthering their personal brand," citing his involvements in community planning and social entrepreneurship even before his film career.

[174][187][188] According to the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Norton's most critically acclaimed films are Primal Fear (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), American History X (1998), Fight Club (1999), The Score (2001), Frida (2002), 25th Hour (2002), The Illusionist (2006), The Painted Veil (2006), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Birdman (2014), Sausage Party (2016) and Isle of Dogs (2018).