James Norton (actor)
James Norton | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | Ampleforth College, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (BA) Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2007–present |
James Geoffrey Ian Norton[2] (born 18 July 1985, Lambeth, London)[1] is an English actor. He is known for roles in the British television series Happy Valley, Grantchester, War & Peace, and McMafia. He earned a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2015 for his performance as ex-convict Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley.
Early life[]
Norton was born in London, the son of Lavinia Jane (Norman) and Hugh Biddulph Norton.[3] His parents were both teachers; his father, who was born in Tanzania, was a lecturer at Hull School of Art and Design.[4][5] Though originally from London, Norton's family lived in the town of Malton in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire.[6][7] Norton, who grew up at the edge of the Howardian Hills in North Yorkshire, has described his childhood as "idyllic".[8] Norton's ancestry is English, Irish, Scottish, German, Cornish, and Jewish.[9]
Education[]
Norton was educated at Bramcote Prep School in Scarborough until age 13 and Ampleforth College,[2][10] an independent Roman Catholic (Benedictine) boarding school in the village of Ampleforth in North Yorkshire. He did work experience at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough when he was 15.[5]
Starting in 2004,[11] Norton read theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, graduating in 2007 with First Class Honours.[10] Norton received a Fitzwilliam Travel Grant to travel to Northern India, to teach and perform for schoolchildren at 16 schools.[10] He has said his studies were principally focused on Hinduism and Buddhism.[2]
Norton was a member of the Marlowe Society theatre club at Cambridge and, in 2007, he played Posthumus in a production of Cymbeline directed by Trevor Nunn for the society's centenary.[12] Norton has said that he performed in many theatre productions while at university.[13][14] Norton then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London for three years, but left in 2010 six months before graduation to take an acting assignment.[4][15]
Career[]
Norton appeared as a classmate of Jenn in the film An Education, starring Carey Mulligan, in 2009.[15] In 2010, he was an original cast member of Posh at the Royal Court Theatre.[16] At the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2010, Norton starred in That Face as Henry, an 18-year-old who has dropped out of school to care for his mentally disturbed and drug-dependent mother, played by Frances Barber. Lynne Walker of The Independent wrote of his performance: "At the centre of it all is Henry who, in James Norton's striking portrayal, is like a young caged animal".[17]
In 2011, Norton starred as Captain Stanhope in the First World War drama Journey's End.[18] The production toured the UK from March to June and transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End from July to September.[7] Norton then took the role of Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket directed by Trevor Nunn, with whom Norton had worked at Cambridge in Cymbeline.[15]
In the 2012 film Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, Norton played Owen, the would-be groom of a conflicted bride.[19] He appeared in the 2013 film Rush as Formula One driver Guy Edwards. In the 2013 film Belle, he played a suitor of the title character, a mixed-race woman in 18th century English society.[20] Norton's television appearances include the Doctor Who episode "Cold War", in which he played a crewman on a Soviet submarine during the Cold War, and Death Comes to Pemberley, based on the P. D. James novel involving characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice caught up in a murder mystery. Norton was acclaimed for his role as Tommy Lee Royce, the villain of the hit crime drama Happy Valley. Michael Hogan of The Telegraph wrote: "...the breakout star, seen in only a few small parts before this, has been the devilishly handsome James Norton, 29, as the heinous killer Royce, whom he has played with impressive depth".[21] As the first series came to its dramatic conclusion, Norton commented, "8 million people are currently wishing me dead".[21] Norton confirmed he would be appearing in the second series of Happy Valley at the 2015 BAFTAs.[22]
Since 2014, Norton has played crime-solving vicar Sidney Chambers alongside Robson Green as Police Inspector Geordie Keating in the ITV series Grantchester, based on the novels by James Runcie.[23][24] Grantchester was his first starring role.[25] A second series was broadcast in early 2016. A third series went into production in autumn 2016, and aired in both the UK and the U.S. in late spring/early summer 2017.[26][27] A fourth series began filming in June 2018, and it was confirmed that this would be Norton's final series.[28]
He also appears in the 2014 films Northmen: A Viking Saga and Mr. Turner, a biographical drama on the life of the artist J. M. W. Turner by director Mike Leigh.[29] In 2015 Norton played Duncan Grant in the BBC Two mini-series about the Bloomsbury Group, Life in Squares.[29][30][31] In 2016, Norton appeared as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky in the BBC miniseries of Andrew Davies' production of War & Peace.[4][32] The mini-series, a co-production with The Weinstein Company, allowed the cast to film in Russia.[33]
Between March and May 2016, Norton appeared in Tracy Letts’ Bug in London's West End.[34] In 2016, he appeared in "Nosedive", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror.[35] Between December 2017 and February 2018 he appeared in Amy Herzog’s Belleville at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre.[36] As part of his preparation for his role in McMafia, Norton studied the Russian martial art and health system Systema.[37] In 2019, Norton portrayed John Brooke in Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women.[38][39]
Personal life[]
When asked if he was religious, in the context of portraying a vicar in Grantchester, Norton said, "Obviously I have a relationship with religion, because I went to a Catholic school and studied theology. I can't call myself religious, but I'm definitely fascinated by it".[14]
In 2015, Norton was made a trustee of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust.[40] Norton has type 1 diabetes.[2][41]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | An Education | Student | |
2012 | Cheerful Weather for the Wedding | Owen | |
2013 | Rush | Guy Edwards | |
2013 | Belle | Oliver Ashford | |
2014 | Mr. Turner | Francis Willoughby | |
2014 | Bonobo | Ralph | |
2014 | Northmen: A Viking Saga | Bjorn | |
2017 | Hampstead | Philip | |
2017 | Flatliners | Jamie | |
2018 | Hero | Young Charles | Short |
2019 | Mr Jones | Gareth Jones | |
2019 | Little Women | John Brooke | |
2020 | Nowhere Special | John | |
2021 | Things Heard & Seen | George Claire | |
TBA | Freegard | Robert Hendy-Freegard | Filming |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Inspector George Gently | James Blackstone | Episode: "Gently with Class" |
2012 | Restless | Kolia | Miniseries |
2013 | Blandings | Jimmy Belford | Episode: "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" |
2013 | Doctor Who | Onegin | Episode: "Cold War" |
2013 | By Any Means | Michael Prence | Episode: "Episode 1" |
2013 | Death Comes to Pemberley | Henry Alveston | 3 episodes |
2014–2016 | Happy Valley | Tommy Lee Royce | |
2014–2019 | Grantchester | Sidney Chambers | |
2015 | Life in Squares | Young Duncan Grant | 3 episodes |
2015 | Lady Chatterley's Lover | Sir Clifford Chatterley | Television film |
2016 | War & Peace | Prince Andrei Bolkonsky | |
2016 | Black Mirror | Ryan | Episode: "Nosedive" |
2016 | To Walk Invisible | Duke of Wellington | Television film |
2016 | Wild West: America's Great Frontier | Narrator | 3 Episodes |
2018–present | McMafia | Alex Godman | |
2019–2020 | The Trial of Christine Keeler | Stephen Ward | Miniseries |
2021 | The Nevers | Hugo Swan |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Cole | Voice |
Theatre[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Cymbeline | Posthumus | Cambridge Arts Theatre (1–6 October 2007) |
2010 | Posh | Miles Richards | Royal Court Theatre, London (9 April – 22 May 2010) |
2010 | That Face | Henry | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (7–24 July 2010) |
2011 | Journey's End | Captain Stanhope | UK national tour (March–June 2011) Duke of York's Theatre, London (19 July – 3 September 2011) |
2011–2012 | The Lion in Winter | Geoffrey | Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London (5 November 2011 – 28 January 2012) |
2016 | Bug | Peter | Found111, London (24 March – 14 May 2016) |
2017–2018 | Belleville | Zack | Donmar Warehouse Theatre, London (7 December 2017 – 3 February 2018) |
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Crime Thriller Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Happy Valley | Won[42] |
2015 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Happy Valley | Nominated[43] |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b 'Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales confirms name and birthdate and lists birthplace as Lambeth. Publisher: General Register Office. Retrieved: 30 April 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Godwin, Richard. "The Rise of Mr. James Norton". Mr. Porter. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Hugh Norton & Lavinia Norton Engagement, Children, Joint Family Tree & History - FameChain". Famechain.com. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Norton, Graham Norton (2 January 2016). "James Norton, Graham Norton — BBC Radio 2". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Williams, Andrew (1 June 2014). "'I admire Michael Fassbender enormously,' says Happy Valley's James Norton". The Sunday Express. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ "How James Norton went from killer to clergyman". The Yorkshire Post. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hutchinson, Charles (19 May 2011). "Review: Journey's End, Leeds Grand Theatre". The Press (York). Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ Shattuck, Kathryn (9 January 2015). "Easily Channeling a Vulnerable Vicar: James Norton in 'Grantchester' on PBS 'Masterpiece'". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ "James Norton". IMDb. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "All the world's a stage (page 13)" (PDF). Optima. Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (13): 13. Autumn 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ "James Norton British Actor: Know Everything About Him". Arts Tribune. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Christiansen, Rupert (24 September 2007). "The Marlowe Society: Talent show for theatre's brightest stars". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "James Norton". The Artists Partnership. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Merry, Elspeth (28 April 2014). "James Norton". 1883 Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Watson, Jonathan (4 November 2011). "James Norton: Joining the big league". The Stage. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Billington, Michael (16 April 2010). "'Posh' – Royal Court, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ Walker, Lynne (9 July 2010). "'That Face, Crucible Studio, Sheffield". The Independent. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ "Best of British: James Norton". ShortList. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (6 December 2012). "There Will Always Be a Fantasy England: 'Cheerful Weather for the Wedding' With Elizabeth McGovern". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ Darling, Cary (21 May 2014). "Movie Review: 'Belle'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Hogan, Michael (3 June 2014). "Happy Valley's James Norton: '8 million people are currently wishing me dead'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ Goodacre, Kate; Jeffery, Morgan (10 May 2015). "James Norton will return to Happy Valley for series 2". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "ITV announces the cast of new six-part drama Grantchester". ITV Press Centre. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ^ Debnath, Neela (20 October 2014). "Grantchester star Robson Green: 'We're going to lose James Norton quickly'". The Independent. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ "Grantchester: James Norton talks about playing heavy-drinking vicar in new detective drama". Nottingham Post. 7 October 2014. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (26 November 2014). "ITV Has Faith In 'Grantchester', Orders 2nd Season Of Period Mystery Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ Hughes, Sarah (3 March 2016). "Grantchester, TV review: It took less than two minutes for James Norton to strip to his swimming trunks". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Grantchester series 4 confirmed – but it's set to be James Norton's last". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Fisher, Alice (5 October 2014). "Fashion: James Norton under cover". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Molloy, Antonia (18 August 2014). "New BBC drama Life in Squares to track lives of Bloomsbury Set". The Independent. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
- ^ Kelly, Guy (25 July 2015). "Life In Squares star James Norton: 'acting is a neurotic profession, I always need to get away'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "James Norton: 'Weirdly, I read War & Peace while filming Happy Valley!' (Video)". What’s on TV. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ Brown, Emma (14 January 2016). "The Russian Prince". Interview. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ Shenton, Mark (12 February 2016). "Tracy Letts's Bug To Be Revived at West End's Found111 with TV Star James Norton and Kate Fleetwood". Playbill. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ^ "'Black Mirror' Season 3 Trailer: "No One Is This Happy'". Deadline Hollywood. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (13 November 2017). "James Norton and Imogen Poots Cast in Amy Herzog's Belleville at the Donmar". playbill.com. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ Systema GB Intuitive Self Defence (5 January 2018), James Norton talks about Systema training for his role in McMafia, retrieved 9 January 2018
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (2 August 2018). "Sony's 'Little Women' Adaptation Adds 'Flatliners' Actor James Norton". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ James, Caryn (16 December 2019). "Why Little Women is a Triumph". BBC Online.
- ^ "James Norton on Twitter". Twitter.
- ^ Ross, Jonathan (30 January 2016). "Series 10 - Episode 4". The Jonathan Ross Show. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ^ "Winners unmasked at Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2014 on ITV3". ITV. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "BAFTA TV awards 2015: Nominations in full". BBC. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
External links[]
- James Norton at IMDb
- 21st-century English male actors
- Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- English male actors
- English male film actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- Living people
- Male actors from London
- Male actors from Yorkshire
- People educated at Ampleforth College
- People from Lambeth
- People from Malton, North Yorkshire
- People with type 1 diabetes