Ever since he was eight years old, Edward Norton has been asking of his teachers what his motivation is. From a very young age he took acting seriously and was eventually rewarded for his perseverance when he was hired as a stage actor in a New York. Like many young talents, Edward Norton was long over due for mainstream success but kept waiting for that one big break. (Kept waiting that is, while Tom Arnold starred in five big budget Hollywood releases before 1996) Strange as it may seem, Edward Norton owes his current career to one Leonardo Dicaprio.

Primal Fear

In 1996 Hollywood came knocking--to many, many doors after Leonardo Dicaprio turned down the role of Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear, a courtroom thriller starring Richard Gere. Producers weren't simply looking for a big name or for a young talented actor; they were looking for the next young star, and needed someone with charisma to play opposite Richard Gere (who actually mattered during the 90's). The rest is American history X; Norton's auditioned for the role and wowed his audience made up of directors, camera crews and studio executives. Long before a worldwide audience would even see his filmed performance, his test screenings for Primal Fear created an Oscar buzz.

Before winning his first Oscar nomination for his first film, he would also star in Woody Allen's Everybody Says I Love You and The People Vs. Larry Flynt based on positive word of mouth. Norton did win a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, which doesn't say too much, as there have been actors who inadvertently sneezed out in public and won a Golden Globe award for it. But it did solidify his status as Hollywood's newest and most talented young star.

American History X

While you blinked and missed him in 1998's Rounders, he turned in another brilliant performance in American History X, playing first a violent skinhead and then a remorseful ex-convict who saw the error of his ways. The film, which centered on Derek Vinyard's quest to steer his brother Danny away from the snare of racism, was both acclaimed and controversial. While Norton's performance drew unanimous praise from critics, his insistence on reediting the film to increase his own screen time, against the will of quirky director Tony Kaye, caused a major ruckus as well as a lawsuit. In the end, the infuriated director wasn't even allowed to use "Humpty Dumpty" as his vengeful byline. He did however sue the Director's Guild Of America for some two hundred million dollars for not respecting his wishes. Meanwhile, Norton received a second Oscar nomination, his second in two years of stardom.

Norton's next film, while lacking the soul of American History X's story arc, did have plenty of admirers. The cult film favorite Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, starred Edward Norton opposite Brad Pitt and a venomous Helena Bonham Carter. Fight Club was a metaphorical and satirical film about male aggression and big business. While the love it or hate it film didn't win many awards (though it was still nominated for an Oscar in sound effects editing) and divided many critics, the film did help to further define Norton as a risk taker in his relatively young acting career.

What's Next For Norton?

Since his career peak in American History X, Edward Norton has been keeping steady and methodical in his work. He has had a few hit and misses including Keeping The Faith (which he directed) Frida, Death To Smoochy, Red Dragon and The 25th Hour. But since Norton is not even forty years old, and has been working slightly over 10 years on less than 20 films, don't count out a second career peak to come. (It took Johnny Depp some 20 years to finally claim his throne)

Edward Norton's newest project has him starring alongside the delightful Paul Giamatti in The Illusionist, the first of two "magician films" coming out this year. Both films look visually stunning, creepy and spectacularly entertaining. The question is, how do you tell them apart? Don't worry we'll reveal the trick: the first film stars Norton and Giamatti and is a tale of romance and intrigue. The second film is The Prestige coming later in October, and stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as competing magicians.

For the record, and for the purpose of this article, bet on Edward Norton over Jackman and Bale. Tough talking wolverines and batmen are a dime a dozen, but Derek Vinyard's don't come around too often.