“Life, like poker has an element of risk. It shouldn’t be avoided. It should be faced.” —Norton*

Since his appearance in “Primal Fear” (1996), Edward Norton’s work continued to earn him countless awards, including another Oscar nomination for Best Actor for “American History X” (1998), a disturbing tale of a reformed skinhead who tries to save his younger brother from following the same path. Despite endless accolades bestowed upon him by his colleagues and the general public, Norton doesn’t seem to let all this attention go to his head. Even after his incredible big-screen debut — a performance which got him noticed by Woody Allen and cast in “Everyone Says I Love You” (1996) and, the same year, in Milos Forman’s “The People vs. Larry Flint” — Norton told Biography magazine that he didn’t view himself as a $15-million-a-picture actor who “puts asses in seats” through his charisma, and that he didn't think his was going to open a movie. Modesty might be refreshing, but boy, was he wrong! Today, his name alone is enough to get most people interested. It's simple, really: First, he is a genuine talent. Hoblit, the director of “Primal Fear,” compared him to Dustin Hoffman in the caliber of both actors’ sheer ability (vs. glamour). Second, Norton clearly works because he loves it; even to this day, he stays away from the spotlight and refuses to discuss his private life with journalists. Third, and, perhaps, most important, his choices of roles are based on quality and not volume, from the cult classic “Fight Club” (1999) to the light-hearted “Keeping the Faith” (2000), which, despite the un-Nortonesque genre, was a high-caliber (although somewhat mass-market) comedy. The actor's most recent project, “The Score” (2001), put him against two method acting giants, Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro — and Norton more than held his own. There is no doubt that he will continue to thrill audiences for a long time to come.