One of the few bright spots in Ridley Scott’s problematic Kingdom of Heaven, Norton gives a performance void of vanity (his face in never seen, his name never used for promotional purposes), yet brimming with powerful restraint in his role as the masked leper King Baldwin.

Norton’s turn as a deluded cowboy making his way through a modern world is hardly spoken of, yet should be seen, as Norton weaves devilish charm, poetic sensibility, and schizoid mood swings into a haunting tapestry.

Portraying duality is something of an expertise for Norton. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise for the talented thesp to play dual roles, with Leaves of Grass featuring Norton as estranged twin brothers from the opposite ends of the cultural spectrum, brought together by death, redemption, and copious amounts of weed.

Norton famously said that Bug Bunny inspired his portrayal as talented card player and colossal fuck up Lester ‘Worm” Murphy in the poker film Rounders, and it is easy to see why, as Norton injects an infectious charm into a character who survives the wrath of creditors and mobsters by the hair of his head.

Edward Norton as a song and dance man? You better believe it, Norton turning in one of the better turns in Woody Allen’s all star, yuppie musical, singing a song and dancing a jive while displaying some fine comedic chops.

Often described by Norton as nothing more than a genre movie with an incredible cast, The Score never the less featured an amazing performance by Norton as an ambitious thief who poses as a disabled cleaner to get access to his coveted prize. The Score also represented a passing of the torch from co-stars Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando to Norton as the next great American actor.  

Polarising upon its release, Fight Club is now seen as one of the greatest films in modern cinema history, thanks in part to Norton’s turn as a (nameless) man raging against a world which has devoured the notion of masculinity, by having the shit beat out of him. Class.   

Spike Lee’s post 9-11 crime drama 25th Hour saw the born and bred New Yorker star in one of the most quintessential  NY stories, Norton delivering a commanding turn as a drug dealer dealing with his life choices the day before he begins his 7 year jail sentence. Features one of Norton’s best scenes as he bellows his frustrations in front of a bathroom mirror.  

Not many have scored an Oscar nomination for their debut performance, yet that is exactly what Norton did with his turn as a fragile altar boy accused of murder in Primal Fear, sending what was an already solid court room thriller into overdrive with a brilliantly played out transformation which highlighted Norton’s vast range.

Controversial, dangerous, powerful, American History X stands as one of the great films of our modern times, thanks to Norton’s performance as a charismatic white supremacist turned remorseful ex-con, piling on 30 pounds of muscle and adorning a swastika tattoo in an uncompromising turn which ranks above the upper echelons of great film acting.