Fight Club Owner 

One actor who simply does not always get the credit he deserves is Edward Norton. Norton is not a big name in Hollywood and surely isn’t on anyone’s list of top actors. However, whenever his work is examined it becomes clear that this man has more talent than nearly anyone in the business.

Compliments of IMDb

Recently, Norton has starred in very little films. However, his early career is where things really skyrocketed for the young man. Most movie watchers would most remember Norton from his star role in the movie Fight Club in which he co-starred with actor Brad Pitt. Norton was actually paid only a small fraction of what Pitt made for the movie, however his performance was equally or perhaps even more memorable. Norton plays an insomniac who comes up with the idea of starting a fighting club with his “friend”. This movie has overall been ranked one of the best of all time and it very well should. Norton put great preparation into his role. He actually took multiple boxing, taekwondo, and grappling classes in order to make the fighting seem more realistic. Furthermore, he watched endless hours of mixed martial arts movies in order to prepare. This was all for the sake of the role.

Compliments of IMDb

Another notable movie in which Norton was phenomenal was that of Rounders. Here Norton plays a recently released from prison card shark who is eager to get back into the game along with his friend who is played by co-star Matt Damon. The brilliance in Norton’s part is that he simply plays his character Worm perfectly. As the name would imply, Norton plays a deceptive and money hungry worm who is only worried about his own personal gain. This causes not only harm to himself, but to his friend as well, which is the basis for the movie.

One last memorable role was when he played one of the most known heroes of all time, the Hulk. Norton starred as the Hulk in a reboot of the series entitled The Incredible Hulk. Norton’s ability to play the beast that is the Hulk was astounding. From his intelligence to his love for a girl, Norton plays the role of Bruce Banner to a tee. His transformations into the Hulk appear so painful and real that it is hard to imagine that Norton is not actually the Hulk. Obviously, this is simply just the work of a true genius at his trade.

Compliments of Cinema Blend

Overall, Norton has starred in other roles such as The Italian Job in which he played a crook that betrays his friends. He also made a small appearance in The Bourne Legacy. All of which were solid acting performances. Nevertheless, as of now it seems as if the career of Norton is fading. His peak came in the early 2000s. However, this simple fact does not detract from the work itself. Anyone who watches his movies simply cannot leave without some degree of astonishment at this man’s work.